posted 10-10-2005 01:41 PM ET (US)        

Could this boat handle more weight and horsepower?

posted 10-10-2005 05:31 PM ET (US)            

If so, do a search for threads about performance and repowering these hulls. LHG has twin 115 HP Mercury outboards on his '86 for total transom weight of 612 lbs, and those motors are on 10 inch setback brackets. He also has his battery in the stern well. The hull can handle the weight, although I believe that in rough water, Larry's might benefit from trim-tabs because of all that weight (pure speculation). In normal conditions, the boat is a rocket, and behaves quite well.

I'm facing a repower scenario on my 18 soon. I've been putting it off for as long as I can and hope to perhaps even eek another season out of my current motor for next year, but under consideration in the twin HP category were the E-Tec 90 HP and the 90 HP Optimax. There's quite a long thread from early this year or last fall about this that was started by me. I'll try to find it and link it here, but if you do a search you may find it faster.

Good luck.

posted 10-11-2005 08:02 PM ET (US)            

Twin 75 or 90 E-Tecs would probably be my choice.

posted 10-11-2005 10:22 PM ET (US)            

Thank you very much for your advice. I am concerned about putting too much weight on the stern and affecting the performance overall. The boat is rated for 470 lbs and twin 90 E-Tecs would 640 lbs for an extra 170 lbs back there. The E-Tec 75 and 90 both weigh the same so I would opt for the larger hp. Since this is my first experience with a Whaler, I do not know if the bigger motors would be a problem. I am willing to spend the money to get it right but I don’t want to be wasteful either.

Buckda, I did a search for the thread you mentioned in your post and found the clips of you and your 15. Wow, I am proud to tip my hat to a man who knows extreme boating. Back in my Navy days I used to get some air under my RIB but that was 24’. Bravo Zulu!

I plan to use the boat in some rivers in addition to lakes. As you know, river running requires a shallow draft. I don’t want to be bumping the bottom with some heavy motors. I also considered jack plates but those would add pounds as well.

There was a post about some problems with a 60 E-Tec on this forum. Does anyone have experience with the 90 hp E-Tec?

Thanks again and I am looking forward to learning more about Boston Whalers and the people who own them. Everyone who I have talked to about their BWs seem very nice. I used to ride BMW motorcycles and got the same feeling from that group.

posted 10-12-2005 01:38 PM ET (US)            

Here are today's engine choices when selecting a single engine:

http://users.sisqtel.net/jkriz/drawings/Outrage18-QRG.html

It is my opinion (and many others) that twins are only necessary when venturing far offshore...
Other than that, a single main engine and a kicker is the best choice.

Twins will not give you better fuel economy or performance.. No Way..
Lots of discussion in other threads on this topic.

posted 10-12-2005 06:02 PM ET (US)            

Thank you very much for your post and link to your Outrage 18 power page. Lots of great info on your site.

Your Outrage is a fine looking boat. The pictures of your teak project are super. It didn’t look too bad when you started but it really looks sharp now. I could not get your QuickTime movies to download. Do I need any special software to view the files?

posted 10-12-2005 06:35 PM ET (US)            

Thanks for the kind words...

You may need to download Quicktime for Windows 2000 or XP if that is the platform you are using. They use to have it for Win 95 and 98 but I can't seem to find it at this time...

You can download Quicktime for FREE here:

posted 03-07-2006 07:00 PM ET (US)            

I hope to have some performance information soon on the boat rigged with twin E-TEC 90 HP motors.