Outboard size reccomendation for small speed boat?

[rexfan10]

Hi everybody,
New here and looking for some advice in regards to a small speedboat i will picking up in a few days.

Basically, it isnt rib, which is why i posted it in here, but instead a pretty small fibreglass speed-boat. It needs a good bit of work done to it ie. paint, morse+steering controls and seats all need to be added to it.

Its pretty small so i dont want an outboard that is too heavy. I thought a nice 20hp would be nice but my freind is telling me something along the lines of a shortshaft 8hp would be more than enough to get it on the plain! Does this sound reasonable? also what outboard would you reccomend? ( hp wise and shaft length ie. short or long )

I am on a low budget so i will be buying second hand and ill probabaly be buying a two stroke.

Ill attatch a picture below.

Thanks!

*edit* I picked it up for £40. Does this sound OK? The guy was just going to keep it if i went lower, and i live in a rural area so the opertunity to buy a project like this for under £100 is pretty rare.

Thanks again!

[chris.moody]

Does it still have the CE plate attached which states the max HP it's rated for ?

[Nos4r2]

That's too old for a CE plate.

How long is it? It's impossible to tell what it needs from the pic as there's nothing to scale it against.
However, it looks like scrap to me. It'll cost 3 times more to sort out than it will to travel and buy one that works. Wait 'til you see the price of a running outboard, steering gear and fuel tanks.

[rexfan10]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

That's too old for a CE plate.

How long is it? It's impossible to tell what it needs from the pic as there's nothing to scale it against.
However, it looks like scrap to me. It'll cost 3 times more to sort out than it will to travel and buy one that works. Wait 'til you see the price of a running outboard, steering gear and fuel tanks.

Are you sure its scrap mate?
surely £50 for some paint, another £80 for some seats and ill have a decent-ish wee boat for £170, no?

Fair enough it will probabaly sit in a field untill i have a spare £130, but still...

[Nos4r2]

Errr....No.

I'd put money on every bit of wood in the boat being rotten.

Factor in completely disassembling it, removing the top half of the moulding, renewing the transom and all the other wood, plus shedloads of chopped strand mat,resin, sikaflex 291 (at £10 a tube), a trailer, THEN add £500 for an outboard and fuel tank and another £100 for a steering setup. Then check out the price of rubbing strake.

Then double it, because you'll very quickly find that the little parts you have to buy new will come to nearly as much as the boat is worth. Been there, done that.

Get on Ebay and work it out before you do anything to it at all.

[chris.moody]

I would go with the 20hp, then you can keep the engine and it will be useful for another boat if you decide to upgrade.

[rexfan10]

Originally Posted by chris.moody

I would go with the 20hp, then you can keep the engine and it will be useful for another boat if you decide to upgrade.

Thanks mate

[Jizm]

I don't like to discourage people coming into boating but Nos raises very valid points. You won't get that on the water for much change out of £1000 if you're lucky! Come into this with your eyes wide open. Plenty of knowledge and people on here to help you out.

[rexfan10]

Originally Posted by Jizm

I don't like to discourage people coming into boating but Nos raises very valid points. You won't get that on the water for much change out of £1000 if you're lucky! Come into this with your eyes wide open. Plenty of knowledge and people on here to help you out.

I understand mate, thanks.
Ive not actually paid or gone to pick it up yet, so if the transform or anything is beyond usable then ill just give it a miss.

cheers!

[Landlockedpirate]

Looks like a Mustang 14. I doubt 20hp will even get it on the plane, need around a 50 to make it interesting and 70-80 for watersports.

But it really is scrap, I wouldnt trust the transom till it was rebuilt as mentioned above you are looking at 1k ex engine.

[Nos4r2]

I'd leave it there if you haven't already paid for it. If he's umming and arring about the price at £40, he hasn't yet figured out that he'll have to pay to have it removed if he wants rid of it.

[rexfan10]

Originally Posted by Landlockedpirate

Looks like a Mustang 14. I doubt 20hp will even get it on the plane, need around a 50 to make it interesting and 70-80 for watersports.

But it really is scrap, I wouldnt trust the transom till it was rebuilt as mentioned above you are looking at 1k ex engine.

cheers for that mate. Ive got a freind who is good at working on fibreglass boats who going to give me a quote for a new transform with a steel center.

Planing isnt a nessecity, although it would be nice.
Would it chug along ok with say a 10hp? aubviously planing is out of the question, but just for pottering about close to shore, maybe doing a little fishing, you know? Or would the old transform not even be up for that?

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by rexfan10

cheers for that mate. Ive got a freind who is good at working on fibreglass boats who going to give me a quote for a new transform with a steel center.

Planing isnt a nessecity, although it would be nice.
Would it chug along ok with say a 10hp? aubviously planing is out of the question, but just for pottering about close to shore, maybe doing a little fishing, you know? Or would the old transform not even be up for that?

Transom has a marine ply core, not steel.

IMHO, its just not worth it. A cheap 10hp will be about £300, another £200 for throttle/gear cables and control box (used), add £200 for a set of steering cables and wheel/hub. You will also need a trailer (£250 ?) seats, floor etc etc. Thats also assuming you dont need any work on the hull, joins, transom etc

If its just for low speed fishing, buy a 10ft sib with a small 2 stroke outboard and get out there and enjoy yourself.

Ask the question, 'Do I want to boat, or fix boats ?'

[jumpinjack]

Nobody has yet mentioned the cost of the life jacket, flares, bilge pump, VHF, anchor, rope, fenders, trailer............... And the list goes on & on. A project it certainly is, but for what you are talking about tinkering about and coastal fishing, a nice little SIB with a decent outboard at say 6/700 quid would be a much better investment. Always easy to sell too.
If you do up this speedboat, and put 10hp on the back, no one will want to buy it, and in truth without wanting to be a pessimist it will be dangerous.

[Peter_C]

That is a serious project, and whatever you think it will cost...triple it! There will be hundreds just in stainless fittings. Let alone the fuel tank, gauges, etc.

You would be far better off buying a functioning boat, and enjoying it immediately.

[Damianfishy]

Looks like a mustang or planecraft type of hull, I would say anything from 20HP+ to about 60-70hp, having an under powered engine is not good especially if you have a full load and winds against you.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

.. scrap.. It'll cost 3 times more to sort out than it will to travel and buy one that works. Wait 'til you see the price of a running outboard, steering gear and fuel tanks.

Defintely. I've seen plenty of such 'projects' over the years, none ever see the water. You''ll be chucking good money after bad.

If you're serious about boating, go and buy a runner.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by rexfan10

Hi everybody,
New here and looking for some advice..................

It's a shed! save your money & possibly your life; walk away

[rexfan10]

Okay everybody,
I must thank you for all your reccomendations on not to buy it. I think you will all be happy to here i didnt buy it :P

Ive owned boats before, so i own all the nessecary safety equiptment, and my local harbour is a few hundred meters away so if i did get it, it would be thrown in the back of the tractor trailer and taken down there.

I wasnt going to fully restore it back to new, I was only planning on painting, getting seats, morse and an outboard. But like you say the transform is probabaly past it making it unsafe.

And for those reccomending me to get a sib, I have previously had one. It was a 2.7m zodiac which i used a slow, but damned reliable seagull 2hp outboard on it. It took me about 4 months to sell it, and i only just got half of what i payed. Up here in the highlands where i am the seas are usually pretty choppy, so most people have 16ft+ heavy fishing boats with 15hp's, even just for the occasional spot of fishing.

My father has been looking for a decent 17ft fishing boat so ive decided id just go halfers with him on a decent sea worthy boat.

Thanks all for your help,
You all just saved me £40!

[matt h]