posted 02-11-2005 07:36 PM ET (US)        

Is there some design feature that allows a bass boat to be legally powered at twice the horsepower rating of a similar-sized Whaler?

It is not that I would necessarily want to go faster than 40-MPH in a boat. I am just curious, and thought perhaps the wealth of experience and information available thru this forum might provide some insight. There has to be more to it than the simple math of the oft-mentioned formula for computing max horsepower rating. Is it design? Is it materials? Is it weight? Is it hull density? Just what is it that is the defining ingredient for high speed performance?

Beats the heck outta me how the max legal horsepower for a 17-foot Whaler can be 90-HP, but a 17-foot bass boat is 200-HP.

Does the bass boat have a superior hull design for performance at higher speeds?

posted 02-11-2005 08:20 PM ET (US)            

Whaler 170
17'0" LOA, 82" beam, 90HP max

Ranger 165
16'5" LOA, 84" beam, 60-90HP

Ranger 175
17'5" LOA, 87" beam, 90-115HP

Ranger 195
19'5" LOA, 92" beam, 150-200HP

Skeeter SX170
16'8" LOA, 87" beam, 115HP max

Skeeter SX190
19'8" LOA, 94" beam, 200HP max

Triton 165
16'7" LOA, 86" beam, 100HP max

Triton 175
17'3" LOA, 86" beam, 130HP max

Triton 19
19'5" LOA, 93" beam, 200HP max

posted 02-12-2005 09:22 AM ET (US)            

The builders of those high-speed bass boats must construct the hulls to take the speed and horsepower, as that seems to be the principal criterion in the minds of many buyers.

posted 02-12-2005 12:18 PM ET (US)            

http://myweb.cableone.net/barney9014/images/17/8.jpg

This is Ranger's 21' rated for 200-250HP. It's not the largest, which is 22' and rated for 250-300HP, but this picture has a good side view of the hull.

http://www.rangerboats.com/images/05_521mainlg.jpg

Look at the difference in freeboard, especially at the bow, which translates into aerodynamic drag for the 170. Look at how low the people sit in the Ranger, reducing drag, compared to the 170's relatively tall console and high seating position. What you may not be able to see is that the Ranger has a deck almost at the top of the gunwales, closing off the boat on the top and further improving aerodynamics, while air spilling over the 170 bow has a wide open boat in which to be turbulent. Look also at the short vertical distance from the chine to the keel on the Ranger, indicating very low deadrise and a lot of lift (as well as stability). And finally, look at the difference of boat surface in the water.

I see a lot of reasons that given the same length and horsepower, the bass boat will be faster, and more stable at the higher speed... on the glass-smooth waters they typically operate on. But you should see 'em in 2-4' chop on Lake Erie! >:-)

--
Moe

posted 02-12-2005 12:48 PM ET (US)            

The horsepower limit on over 20 foot boats is not regulated. Whaler could rate a 22 Dauntless for a 300 HP motor if they wanted to assuming the boat's transom is built to withstand it. Whether that hull is stable at speeds that a 300 HP is capable of pushing it is another question.

Brunswick has other boat lines that are considered "go-fast" boats so it makes no marketing sense to rate Whalers with a very high power to weight ratio even if their transoms are capable of handling the high power.

posted 02-13-2005 12:23 AM ET (US)            

I couldn't find any 17' bass boats tested with the 115, but, except for one, the 18s tested came in at 48-50 mph top speeds... about the same as I've heard here for the 170 Montauk with a 115. So I'm guessing 17' bass boats with the 115HP Yammie four-stroke would be at best about 5 mph faster than the 170 Montauk with 115HP. Given that, I'd take the much more flexible Montauk over a bass boat any day.

And as far as the 70 mph speed, I only see near that with the 225HP on a 21' bass boat. But I didn't look at the two-strokes.

And because of all the great wailing and nashing of teeth previously in this forum, about a 170 with 90HP being outrun by pontoon boats, I decided to browse through the performance bulletins for pontoon boats for both 2 and 4 strokes. By golly, I did find a pontoon that'll do it. It wears a 300HP HPDI and runs 48 mph. I also found a couple with 225HP that will run about the same speed, at 42 mph. I had no idea they were putting motors that big on pontoons, so I sure as heck wouldn't be bothered by being passed by one with more than 3 times the horsepower.

posted 02-13-2005 03:14 PM ET (US)            

99% of mt boating is done on TVA lakes, which are somewhat narrow expanses of water, shared with lots and lots of bass boats, and more than a few barge tows and 30-40 foot cruisers. I am always glad to be in my Whaler instead of a bass boat, when I encounter the 3-5 foot wake of the cruisers and barges.

posted 02-13-2005 03:53 PM ET (US)            

There are a few guys who take the big bass boats out on Lake Erie. On a calm day, with maybe 1' chop, they seem to do fairly well, certainly blowing by us, but I don't know how uncomfortable they are. When it gets up to a 3' chop though, they seem to be beating themselves to death, not even keeping up with our 150 Sport doing only 20-22 mph, or coming off plane, wallowing like a dying whale in the chop. The most popular boats out there, especially among the walleye crowd, seem to be the bigger, high-freeboard aluminum Lunds, and they appear to perform very well in heavy chop.

Marsh, if I know anything about bass boats, it's because my neighbor across the street is a part-time tournament fisherman, sponsored by Ranger, and his boat is huge compared to our 150 Sport. He's proud of his Rangers, as well as the Mercury outboard, as he should be. They're high quality boats.

I was really surprised about your reports of high speed pontoons. On the local lakes here, there are literally thousands of them, and most are powered by 50-60HP, up to maybe 115HP for the big ones.