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Horsepower Capacity

Carlasdaddy

Contributing Member
Exuse me if I am in the wrong forum. I have a 1956 Starcraft SpeedQueen 1 14ft. aluminum semi-v boat that has no horsepower rating listed anywhere on the boat. Does anybody know the maximum hp motor I can safely use on this boat?
 
I have seen one with a 30 HP on it and handled it well. My 16 foot Lone Star is a very similar boat....it is a runabout aluminum. Rated at 40 HP. So my guess is 35 hp max....depending on motor total weight. OMC's in the 80's were quite light and powerful in the 25 to 35 horse class.......like the ones shown in my avatar.
 
Hi Mako. Great advice.....horsepower ratings on these boats are partially based on the heavier motors of old. Also operator responsibility is more critical than anything.
C-Daddy, are you guys gonna get the big storm there?
 
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Agreed....as you well know, the 1970 20 and 25, still 2.5" bore .......about top the list for highest hp to weight ratio. They weigh barely 80 pounds....maybe closer to 75. That's only 3 pounds per 1 hp.........WOW!......Still got several of these around here. Toss them on your shoulder and walk a half mile portage. I put a boat cushion between. It would take Arnold Schwarzenegger to shoulder a 25 4 stroke across......but he's a few years older than me too....
The new Tohatsu 20 is only 97 pounds. Yamaha said they have a 125 pound 25 too. But most 25's now are 160 pounds.
 
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