Why Large Outboard? 2025
livemusic reply :
A bassboat with 115hp motor will go, what, 45mph? Is that fast enough? If you favor a big motor, say, something over that, why? It gives more speed but drinks more gas, costs more to buy, is heavier. Do you like a big motor? Do you just want to go faster, lol? I may be getting a larger bassboat sometime in the future. I bought a 1997 Bass Tracker with 40hp motor and it fishes, lol. Just wanting to learn more as I shop for the dream boat. Not sure about these huge motors.
Smokinal reply :
Have you ever been in a drag car or drag raced?
Wayne P. reply :
Time running the outboard going between fishing locations is time not fishing.
You go faster to lessen the time not fishing.
It ain't complicated, quite basic common sense.
Catt reply :
On 5/10/2015 at 8:07 AM, Wayne P. said:Time running the outboard going between fishing locations is time not fishing.
You go faster to lessen the time not fishing.
It ain't complicated, quite basic common sense.
X2 
livemusic reply :
I don't know how fast a boat with a 250hp motor would go, but I'm not sure I want to go that fast on the water, lol. And I used to race motorcycles.
Way2slow reply :
Well, I can tell you a 1999 Javelin Renegade 20 DC will run 81-83.6 mph depending on chop, with 445 pounds of bodies, all their gear and about 15 gallon of gas, (no water in livewell) with a 3.0 Johnson putting out 326hp and turning 6,500 rpm. I've seen that many, many times on my boat when I get that wild hair and put one of my modified motors on. The stock, 225 Ficht that I normally run pushes it with the same load approx. 72 mph.
I'm a firm believer in a car or boat can't be too fast or have too much horse power.
Now, do I drive it like that all the time, NO! but it's nice to be able to when I do want to. It's also very satisfying to be cruising along about 50, have one of those Tritons come by, looking at you with that s**t eating grin, and then blow back by him like he dropped his anchor and watch that grin go away.
There are tons of things in life you do because you want to and can, even though it's not the most practical.
livemusic reply :
Good gracious, do you feel scared going 80mph in a bassboat, lol?
On a practical note, would a 300hp motor burn less fuel going 50mph versus, say, a 150hp?
Man, going that fast, better have everything tied down, lol.
S Hovanec reply :
Depends on the size of the boat. A 115 will do just fine on a 17' boat but will be a dog on anything bigger. Big motors go fast, but also help with holeshot and get you on plane faster. Just because you have it, doesn't mean you need to use all of it all the time.
Take that 115hp for example. To achieve that 45mph, you will have to be running at 5500rpm. Put a 150 or 200 on it and you'll be cruising at the same 45mph at only 3000-3500rpm. An underpowered boat at WOT will burn more fuel than a properly motored boat at a lower RPM.
Way2slow reply :
With all the port matching work done on those motors, they are very efficient and burn much less fuel than most. The main reason I don't run one of them all the time, if you have to let off the gas very fast, like when someone cuts you off, when the butterflies in the carbs slam closed, and you don't have time to press the primer button first to shoot some fuel in it , it creates and extreme lean condition that will melt the dome out of a piston in a heartbeat. I've got a five gallon bucket full to attest that point. I need to convert them to fuel injection, but with the bigger 3.3 motors available now, I going to wait until I can get my hands on one of those. The 3.3 will give me about 60 more Pounds Feet of torque and another 150hp, about 475.
As for scared, no. Can it raise the pucker factor when the unexpected happens, very much so. The boat is heavy and actually very stable, once you learn to do the chine walk dance with your hands and steering wheel.
Check this out for a bass boat motor, this is my next project. Notice he mention this is a pump gas motor for a bass boat. His race motor he refers to is over 600hp. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bushes+dino+test&FORM=VIRE10#view=detail&mid=69629EF927E0F845D0D569629EF927E0F845D0D5
Now, if you want a fast bass boat, do this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6h4nQdeLsM#t=121
retiredbosn reply :
On 5/10/2015 at 7:02 AM, livemusic said:A bassboat with 115hp motor will go, what, 45mph? Is that fast enough? If you favor a big motor, say, something over that, why? It gives more speed but drinks more gas, costs more to buy, is heavier. Do you like a big motor? Do you just want to go faster, lol? I may be getting a larger bassboat sometime in the future. I bought a 1997 Bass Tracker with 40hp motor and it fishes, lol. Just wanting to learn more as I shop for the dream boat. Not sure about these huge motors.
I have a 20 foot boat with a 225hp Merc Opti, this boat burns less fuel-oil than my first bass boat which was an 89 Hydro Sport fish and ski, 17 foot with a 140 Johnson. I was real worried about operating cost when I purchased the boat. I've been pleasantly surprised, top speed near.70, I cruise at 4200rpm right at 50mph, at that rpm I'm burning about 4 gallons an hour. The old boat burned about 12 gph at 50mph. Additionally I wouldn't want to go below 200hp on my new boat it weighs close to 2000 pounds loaded ready to fish. When it comes time to re-power I'll probably go with a 250-275 hp, and am willing to bet that it will be even more fuel efficient. Boats are not cars, the water creates.serious drag that has to be overpowered to plane a boat and run efficiently. With a car a smaller engine typically means better fuel economy, not so with water craft, you want as big of a motor as your boat can take. It will be more efficient and burn less fuel.
nixdorf reply :
My boat does 44 mph on the water with its 90 HP engine. I'd like to think I would never need more, but the thought of buying a new boat with 200+ sure does make me giggle.
Having said that, I think going 50 mph on the water (with no brakes) is about as comfortable as I'd get (with no brakes) unless it was an emergency (with no brakes).
Did I mention no brakes on a boat? 
Way2slow reply :
The only time I've ever really had a need for brakes is when moving extremely slow, like easing to the dock or up to the bank or something to retrieve a lure or holding on a spot. As mentioned above, water creates a tremendous amount of drag and will bring a boat down from 80 mph to 5 mph pretty dang fast. It's below that 5 mph I've wished many times there was a brke pedal. Big motor on a go fast boat, or little motor and a putter putter boat ain't gonna help that situation none.
South FLA reply :
I got the why do you need to go 80 MPH question all the time when I had the Bullet. Fact is that I didn't go 80 MPH most of the time, I was sipping fuel at 65 at less RPMs than a lessor powered hull! Also helps in resale value, by having the largest outboard for the particular hull. Additionally, most manufacturers test their hull design/performance with the max rated horsepower for the hull. Lastly, as mentioned before in the thread is time management, would you rather be the guy that has to cross Lake Okeechobee to get to the hot bite on the other end of the lake in a 50 mph boat or the guy in the 75mph boat? Now if you talking about a small lake or saving money on the initial purchase then all bets are off, you don't need a corvette to run to the corner store the saying goes.
Catt reply :
On my little pond it aint just about going fast, it's about having horse power to properly handle rough water.
nixdorf reply :
Don't get me wrong, I'd go faster than 44 mph if I could. I'd probably just stay around 60 even if my boat could do 80, much like others have said. I just get uneasy when I don't have little ability to slow down quickly, drag or not.
We had two wrecks on my local lake in the last two years. Going 70 mph possibly cost one angler his life. The second wreck had two guys going 55 in a boat that can do 80 mph, which almost certainly saved both of them.
Even still, I'm still planning on upgrading my boat in the next few years. Doing 60 mph at 3/4 throttle will be nice on time and the wallet!
South FLA reply :
On 5/10/2015 at 11:10 PM, nixdorf said:I just get uneasy when I don't have little ability to slow down quickly, drag or not.
You can't be nervous or uneasy at speed, situational awareness from what is coming up directly in front of you, water depths, blind corners, wakes, etc. Those who are not aware or expereinced usually run into trouble running their boat at speed. Don't run at high speeds if you don't feel comfortable and are totally aware of what is going on around you and with your boat and motor. However, with experience you will develop confidence and be able to act in a safer matter. It took me plenty of open water/seat time to get confidence running my Bullet at speeds and once I become confident is when I was able to open her up and feel safe operating a high speed hull. You have to be willing to put in the time though to learn how to not only drive and maintain speed, but maintain it properly in different scenarios.
http://www.boatus.org/courses/
http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2012/02/how-to-learn-fast-boat-driving-skills-fast/
http://performanceboatschool.com/
SwampLife reply :
My boat does 63.. When I first got it I thought I would never go that fast.. Now that I had it for a few months, there have been times when I wish i could go faster.. Especially in tournaments.. I'm super happy with it but My next one will have a bigger motor.
WIGuide reply :
With boats getting bigger and bigger, they need more power to push them. Also, as mentioned already is the time management aspect for tournament anglers. If you put a smaller motor on one of these boats, they wouldn't perform all that well. For instance, one of my friends has a big Lund Pro V because he bass fishes but he also lives up by Lake Superior so he's out there quite often. When he bought his boat he wanted a 4 stroke and the biggest available at the time was a Honda 130 so that's what he got. His boat is rated for either a 200 or 225. His hole shot is virtually nonexistent. The time to plane out probably would be better labeled in minutes than seconds.
junyer357 reply :
I think most folks do it for many reasons. Some just want the "measure up" factor of having the biggest, others want to beat next guy to honey hole, holeshot, speed, etc and so on. I prefer a larger, heavier boat that requires more power to move it efficiently. The overall ride quality is better to me in a bigger and heavier hulled boat, especially in rougher water conditions. Its simply getting the right tool for the job. Can i run 70+? Yea but normally i stay closer to 45-55. My boat mech i trust completly tells me its the best for my motor. Running either wide open or off will help kill a motor much faster than keeping it at a lower range rpm.
Todd2 reply :
Mine has a 115 and it does me fine but I don't fish tournaments. I also don't fish a lot of big water except KY lake a few times a year at the most and there I'll just trailer to the area I want to fish. Most of the time I'm fishing 4000-6000 acre lakes and can cover the areas I want to fish just fine.
noway reply :
When asked why I needed 250 HP, I said "I'm over here and this fish are way over there." Seriously, going fast is nice but I normally cruise in the 40-45 MPH range.
Fishing Rhino reply :
In my lobstering days, I had the slowest boat in the fleet, but I caught the most lobsters with my old "sled".
My sled made 8 knots, or 9 mph. The other guys would do 12 to 15 knots, sometimes faster. Fishing inshore waters, you could not haul gear between sunset and sunrise.
I'd leave the dock so I'd get to my gear at sunrise. Yeah, I was the first to leave the dock, and the last to return, but so what? I enjoyed being on the water hauling gear, and when the day was done, we'd have a leisurely ride back to the dock.
One of my friends said to me, "You do alright with that old boat." My reply was that the man on the boat is more important than the boat the man is on. He laughed and said, "Ouch."
My old boat wasn't pretty, but she had it where it counted, dependability.
Would I have preferred a faster boat? Yes, but I would not have wanted to pay what it would cost for that boat. Like tournament fishing, what counts is what you bring to the dock, not what gets you back and forth.
retiredbosn reply :
On 5/11/2015 at 9:20 AM, South FLA said:You can't be nervous or uneasy at speed, situational awareness from what is coming up directly in front of you, water depths, blind corners, wakes, etc. Those who are not aware or expereinced usually run into trouble running their boat at speed. Don't run at high speeds if you don't feel comfortable and are totally aware of what is going on around you and with your boat and motor. However, with experience you will develop confidence and be able to act in a safer matter. It took me plenty of open water/seat time to get confidence running my Bullet at speeds and once I become confident is when I was able to open her up and feel safe operating a high speed hull. You have to be willing to put in the time though to learn how to not only drive and maintain speed, but maintain it properly in different scenarios.
http://www.boatus.org/courses/
http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2012/02/how-to-learn-fast-boat-driving-skills-fast/
http://performanceboatschool.com/
This is a great post, I think more ppl should take a boater safety course. I used to teach them when I was on active duty. Boater safety is no joke, those buying a performance bass boat who have never operated one is an accident waiting to happen. When your operating at the edges of your boat's specifications and at the limit of your ability be extremely careful. When it goes wrong it goes wrong fast and the consequences can be devastating.
The crash happens about a minute into the video
https://youtu.be/1UEETjztLqIUEETjztLqI
https://youtu.be/atCxDQozBSI
After watching these clips do u know how the guy in the last video pulled off the 360 and the other crashed going over a wake?
Way2slow reply :
First guy was an idiot with a new toy he knew nothing about.
Second guy was no stranger to boating. Pay attention to how he came in slow, made his turn, chopped the power just enough to let the back drop and lift the bow a little, then poured the power to it. The motor also has a little outward trim to it.
Years ago, I had a 17.5' I could pop around like that, but not my Stratos or Javelin. They just want to blow the prop out and settle in the water. Basically, what you are doing a low speed bat turn, which are a lot more fun than a high speed one.
FlipSide reply :
IMO a bigger motor is better because you can cruise at the same speed as a smaller motor at WOT at say 1/2 or 3/4ths throttle
Surfcaster reply :
I read a story about the first Bassmaster Classic tournament. Bill Dance claimed to have caught the first bass in the first classic because his boat had the most horsepower of any boat in the field and he got to his spot the quickest and started fishing while others were still riding.
retiredbosn reply :
On 5/12/2015 at 8:36 AM, Way2slow said:First guy was an idiot with a new toy he knew nothing about.
Second guy was no stranger to boating. Pay attention to how he came in slow, made his turn, chopped the power just enough to let the back drop and lift the bow a little, then poured the power to it. The motor also has a little outward trim to it.
Years ago, I had a 17.5' I could pop around like that, but not my Stratos or Javelin. They just want to blow the prop out and settle in the water. Basically, what you are doing a low speed bat turn, which are a lot more fun than a high speed one.
I would ride in your boat anytime, correct. The only thing I'll add is someone showed boater one, the idiot, how to trim for maximum speed. Only thing in the water was his prop, with the pad touching the water. He almost lost control on his last left to right pass. Boater two was over trimmed pushing his bow down, he took the turn at a good speed, knew what he was doing. Point is, novice boat operators have allot to learn, being turned loose with a performance boat without instruction and training can quickly lead to disaster.
tomustang reply :
South FLA reply :
L
On 5/12/2015 at 1:02 PM, tomustang said:
thomas15 reply :
When I envision my next boat, I see a fairly large outboard on it. Attached to that outboard will be a bigger boat.
livemusic reply :
On 5/12/2015 at 12:14 PM, Surfcaster said:I read a story about the first Bassmaster Classic tournament. Bill Dance claimed to have caught the first bass in the first classic because his boat had the most horsepower of any boat in the field and he got to his spot the quickest and started fishing while others were still riding.
I wonder how fast these 2015 guys run their rigs in the big tournaments? How fast will a 300hp boat go, 80mph? Sheesh, that seems so dangerous. So many of these lakes have logs floating around.
thomas15 reply :
On 5/13/2015 at 9:01 AM, livemusic said:I wonder how fast these 2015 guys run their rigs in the big tournaments? How fast will a 300hp boat go, 80mph? Sheesh, that seems so dangerous. So many of these lakes have logs floating around.
It takes a lot of boat to support that outboard.
When I was a kid we lived in the Jersey Shore and had both inland and offshore access. One of my friends family had a 26' Henry Lurhrs cabin cruser with flying bridge, inboards, nice big boat. The father was a bluefish fanatic and many times his catch would be mentioned in the sports pages of the local paper.
Anyway, while out in the Atlantic Ocean and operating the boat from the cabin during a moderate rain, he hit a telephone pole in about 80 feet of water 2 miles off shore. Out to sea basically. Made it back but never operated again from the cabin, always from the flying bridge, even in November.
There is always something to hit and there are risks. Trick is to avoid as much as possible. I tell my son when he is out in the boat stay as far from other boats and any possible danger areas as possible. Never be in a hurry especally if your gut tells you to be cautious. Having said all this, I like to go fast on the water. The 35 mph I get out of the SS Minnow is as slow as I want to go.
kikstand454 reply :
I Co- angle.
A 20ft z commanche with a 225 Yamaha will easily do 75mph. With room to spare.
A 21ft bass cat pantera with a 250 will likewise be pushing 90.
Both these rigs could approach the 100mph mark.
Meanwhile, an 18' express hyperlift with a 150 on it will Max around 70.
All of these rides tend to cruise- even in tournements, around the 45-55mph range.
Its never the speed that makes me nervous- its the person I'm riding with.
South FLA reply :
On 5/17/2015 at 9:03 PM, kikstand454 said:I Co- angle.
A 20ft z commanche with a 225 Yamaha will easily do 75mph. With room to spare.
A 21ft bass cat pantera with a 250 will likewise be pushing 90.
Both these rigs could approach the 100mph mark.
Meanwhile, an 18' express hyperlift with a 150 on it will Max around 70.
All of these rides tend to cruise- even in tournements, around the 45-55mph range.
Its never the speed that makes me nervous- its the person I'm riding with.
A Ranger 20' Z Comanche running 75 MPH easily with room to spare is not doing it with a stock 225 Yamaha. More like low 70s with a tournament load with a new 250 VMAX 4-Stoke, possibly 75 solo with a mid to light load and cold day and with correct propellor.
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/products/otb/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_hpv6_pro_rng-z20comanche-f225tlr.pdf
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/products/otb/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_hpv6_vmax_sabccf.tmp.pdf
Also, a Bass Cat Pantera pushing 90 MPH is also not even close to approachable with a stock 250. Its also important to note that the max HP rating for Pantera's is 200HP. However, the Pantera IIs are know for the speed for a 19' class boat with a 200 approaching mid 70s with light loads add weight and all bets are off, could still beat the Ranger with the bigger engine though.
http://www.evinrude.com/Content/Pdf/neutral/performanceReports/PE488.pdf
Now an 18' Xpress with a stock 150 is not approachable Hyperlift hull or not
http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/bulletin_2stroke_vmaxhpdi_pro_xpr_h20ss_vz150tlr_2011-04-18_alm_2.pdf
Trust me I know I looked at many boats and obsessed about speed for a bit a few years back and once you get past the speed bug you'll realize it ain't all that. 60-70 is plenty fast enough for a tournament boat in my opinion and the faster boats give up too many other comforts to merit the extra speed in my opinion.
However, if you want to talk about fast bass boats take a look at these peformance numbers:
http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/ALI_21XB_VF225LA_2015-01-28_BSS_0.pdf
http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_vmax-sho_turbo_bul_20xrd_vf250la_2011-01-06_bss.pdf
http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_hpv6_turbo_sa9e8a.tmp.pdf
http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_vmax-sho_vmax-ventless_xpr_x21ts_vf250la_2011-03-10_alm_2.pdf
http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_vmax-sho_vmax_bcb_pumaftd_vf250la_10-29-09_bss.pdf
For those reading the thread look at the MPG for the Bullet compared to even lesser powered Aluminium hulled boats w/150s and you'll realize that its not all about the speed. It gets 5.73 MPG at 36.7 MPH, WOW!
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