My Dad and I have been gradually outfitting a 15’ River Hawk boat he picked up used. We currently have a 55 lb thrust Minn Kota on the transom as we have been fishing ponds this year. That said, we have been looking at maybe trying a larger body of fresh water and some of the local rivers. Some of the rivers have a 10 hp limit. The spec/plate on the boat says its rated for up to 10 hp.
I have seen a few 6 hp and 8 hp Johnson 2-strokes for sale recently and wondered about them. I also wonder about the 9.9 hp models. I don’t think we need to run this thing super fast or anything just decent to run up a river. So with two guys in the boat along with some gear, how much motor do we need? I’ll be buying used as I can only around to put maybe $600-$800 in this.
An old 9.8 Merc two stroke only for the reason that Merc's have a slip clutch prop and the OMC Johnson and Evinrude smaller ones have shear pins. Hit a rock or log with those and you'd best not be heading for a falls. Been there done that in a big river system and it is a helpless feeling and rivers are full of things that will thump your prop. What ever you buy, make it a twin cylinder because they are way smoother than a big single and a two stroke is lighter than a 4 stroke. A 9.8 will plane a 15' boat with two guys, but a 6 won't.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
I have a Honda 9.9 Four Stroke.It is a great motor.It's heavy but it is well built and powerful.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~ As Bob Hagel would say"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."Good words of wisdom...............
So a 6hp won’t plane a 15’ boat with two guys but a 9.9 will. Will an 8hp plane it you think? If an 8hp won’t plane it, then I may have to stick to shopping for a 9.9?
So a 6hp won’t plane a 15’ boat with two guys but a 9.9 will. Will an 8hp plane it you think? If an 8hp won’t plane it, then I may have to stick to shopping for a 9.9?
Mark in GA
Why cheap out and be under powered? The boat is rated for 10 hp. Just get the 9.9.
"There's more to optics than meets the eye."--anon
"...most of us would be better off losing half a pound around the waist than half a pound on our rifle."--dhg
So a 6hp won’t plane a 15’ boat with two guys but a 9.9 will. Will an 8hp plane it you think? If an 8hp won’t plane it, then I may have to stick to shopping for a 9.9?
Mark in GA
I don’t know what hull shape your boat is but a 15 wouldn’t plane my 15 foot Gregor with two 200 pound guys in it. Not a big deal if you’re fishing small water on nice days but I wouldn’t get your hopes up about the 9.9.
As a rule I despise two strokes, never had good luck with one. But I have friends who use and love the old Evinrude/Johnson’s with the slanted cowling. I believe they were made from about 1973 to 1990 or 1991. Another friend is fond of the old black with a blue stripe Mercs.
It sounds like you have a Jon Boat. If so, I have a 1436 Tracker . It will go 10 mph with a 3.5 Merc 4 stroke on it. It planes at about 8mph?? I also have a 5 horse Merc 4 stroke and it will go 12 mph . However, it is a long shaft and likely slows it down being a long shaft. I had a 2.5 horse Suzuki on it and it planed with me and my kid. We , together are only about 275 lbs though. A flat bottom Jon is very efficient. My friend, long ago had a 1448?? flat bottom with a 15 horse Evinrude. It went so fast that it was scary. The speedometer said 30 mph. I dont think we were going more than 25 mph though. I was only 140 lbs then and he was 300 LBS. That boat was scary fast.
But the fruits of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, Gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5: 22&23
I'd go with a 9.9hp 4 stroke, Yamaha, Honda, Tohatsu, in that order. With more and more lakes banning 2 strokes, there's no reason to even consider one.
