Quote:
Originally Posted by 70hptiller
I am considering putting together a tunnel hull rig. I would like to use a little 15hp Mercury. I have seen the abuse they will take and I like how light they are. Typical load would be two people and a battery. Any suggestions on what size hull? Speed is not important, but being able to plane out is.
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I'd say to keep the total weight under 800lbs (boat, motor, battery, passengers, gear) and you've got a great chance at getting it up on plane in most conditions. Two 250 lb men doesn't leave much weight left for the boat, motor and gear, so you probably should think pretty light. Two 150 lb people leaves a lot more weight for the boat and gear. Optimizing the prop selection might get you to 900-1000 lbs depending on the hull, conditions, and weight distribution.
I used to put my 16 ft. alumacraft up on plane all the time with a 9.8 hp Nissan, but it was when my kids were little and we carried a lot less gear in the boat, and lived close to sea level. Now, fully loaded including people and gear, the rig is often just over 1000 lbs and I need the 20 hp Nissan to put it up on plane. Sometimes with a big load of fish and three grown men (1200-1300 lbs total), I can't get up on plane or have to do some tricks shifting weight around to get the boat to plane. Of course, due to the thin air in CO, I'm probably not getting the full 20 hp. But on one occasion in LA last year, I couldn't get it up on plane and I estimate the total weight was 1300 lbs once we'd caught a mess of fish.