Need opinion on motor purchase

[panasonic]

sounds like you need a bigger boat.
brother had a 16' deep and wide flat bottom with a 25 and it ran well. more surface area to help get up on plane and you could haul a lot of stuff in it. he pulled his wife and kids no problem

I agree with 99yam40, you probably need a bigger boat. Like you said it will do 30 mph with just you in it, but with a full load it is pretty much maxed out. Yes putting a 30 hp on the back probably will help some..but a 16 foot with a 30-40 hp would suite your needs much better.

As for hanging a 40 hp on a 14' foot aluminum boat, loaded with four people and a bunch of gear.....IMO would not be a wise decision. Too much motor for to little boat.

[rosscopeeko]

Thanks again guys, i totally get what you're saying. Jason, thanks for the great info with regards to moving the weight and using a jack plate. I use this boat for salmon river fishing too where it's just myself and a buddy. I won't take my 2 kids, dog, wife, myself and gear camping in this boat, it's too small. You guys are right, down the road i might need to buyer a bigger boat. I think you guys talked me out of pursuing this motor. I'll watch it and if it drops down quite a bit in price, i'll go and take a look and ask for a water test. If none of that happens, i'll keep my boat with the 25hp, and be happy for now. You guys have given me great advice, much appreciated.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

No such thing as too much motor for a boat. Only too much motor for the boat operator

Don't know about that ^^..

WOT, 6K RPM with my F150 on a 20'4" CC Angler runs about 46 MPH, it's pretty much white knuckle and you best be hanging on..

[pstephens46]

My 20ft is a little squirrelly too at WOT. I still wish the original buyer had gotten the F200 for the giddy up and go. Hopefully I could run at a lower rpm with a full load too. Guessing fuel economy at comparable speeds would be close.

Can't complain much about the F150...

[99yam40]

makes it hard to drink anything when moving that fast on the water