engine upgrade

hank · 19 November 2003, 03:33

Howdy gang,
We have a Honda 25hp. on our "Rubber Ducky" and the ID plate on the transom said the maximun horsepower for it is 40 hp.

I think that the Honda 35hp -40hp -45hp- 50hp motors have the same weight and displacement They appear to be the same motor with maybe different jets in the carb and they rev higher to get the power.
I'm not sure of the weight increase on the 50 over the 25.
Would a 50hp be too much?
I have a chance to get 2 used motors pretty reasonable.
I'd use one and have a spare.
What do you guys figure
thanks
hank

prairie tuber · 19 November 2003, 06:03

Hank,

Welcome, it's nice to see another frozen bacon eating beaver shooter on the board. What price is 'pretty reasonable'? How do you like the Honda? If you bought both 50s would you keep the 25?

Jelly · 19 November 2003, 09:06

Hi Hank
I've just sold my 5.85m Inflatable which had a 50hp Yam hand stear. The fifty is quite a hand full to hand stear for any thing more than an hour at a time and thats on a big flubba.
We used to run 40hp hand stears on an 18ft flubba and that was okay, trialed a 40 hp hand stear on a 4m searider and that was lethal

Thus on a 4m ish flubba with a 50 is going to be more interesting than strickly nessecary,
Is there enough bouyancy in the stern of the boat to float such a lump?
Rgds
Jelly

hank · 19 November 2003, 15:57

Howdy,
Our Rubber Ducky has a console and cable steering.
It would be a bit much hand steering the large engine.
The 50's weight was my main concern
I've had the Honda for 7 years and it has worked perfect
and quiet.
The two Honda 50 are $500CDN each and one needs a leg the other needs a prop. They were used in a Sports lodge out on the coast --both look real clean and are 4 years old.

If the Honda 50 is a bit big for the rubber ducky I have a 18ft aluminum hydrofoil that my diving partner and I salvaged out on the coast. It was sitting on the bottom in 45 feet and when I first saw it I thought it was part of a aircraft. We tied a line on it and used a snatch block on a tree on the shore and a long line and my work boat and pulled it up. The aluminum was a bit pitted so we had it sand blasted and filled all the pin holes with JB Weld and then had it painted with 2 part epoxy paint.
There was a drawing of Snoopy(the dog from Peanuts comix) wearing his flying goggles driving it --on the back was a drawing of two Yamaha 75hps it must have scooted