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Author Topic:   9.9 hp for Classic 13 Whaler

Sal A posted 03-08-2007 08:14 AM ET (US)
I want to legally have my 13 year old son drive a small power boat. New Jersey regulations permit a 13 year old to captain a power boat solo if he takes a boating safety course, and the power boat is 12 feet or more with a maximum of 10 horsepower.
I am considering two options:
1) 13' classic Whaler with a 9.9hp fourstroke (I'd have to find a good hull, and then would buy a new motor, as you don't see these used with only 9.9hp).
2) New 11' Whaler tender with oar locks, and again buy a 9.9hp motor and rig. The 11' tender is 11 1/2 feet, so there is risk here regarding being legal.
I know the 9.9 would be enough horsepower for the new 11' tender. But would a 9.9hp be able to plane two young teens, weighing 280lbs-300lbs in a classic 13' Whaler? Usage would solely be in Barnegat Bay.
John from Madison CT posted 03-08-2007 09:54 AM ET (US)
Sal: I really don't think it will work on the 13'er.
Tom W Clark posted 03-08-2007 09:59 AM ET (US)
It won't work on either one very well. A Johnson or Evinrude two stroke 9.9 would be OK for one on an older 13 footer with a lighter hull weight.
There is not going to be much difference between the two hulls even if the HP is the same.
15 or 20 HP on the 11 footer would be legal, but the 13 is the better, more versatile boat. Tough call.
Sal A posted 03-08-2007 10:24 AM ET (US)
Well. Two really valuable opinions. Thanks gentlemen. It is not so much a question of what the boat can handle, but what I fell comfortable with regarding the law etc. My son already pilots my big boat with me next to him, and will be saftey trained. The dealer I like near my house has an 11 footer with a 15hp two stroke for sale real reasonable, and supposedly decals can be changed, but I am not sure how smart that is on my part.
The Judge posted 03-08-2007 11:56 AM ET (US)
Yes a 11 with an older 15 is a hoot for a kid but I believe a 13 will do just about the same performance due to longer length. I would not go with a 4s being he will outgrow this setup fast so why invest in a new engine when you can buy 4 used ones for the same price. You can also make the 9.9 about 13hp by swapping the carb but I doubt it would do much. Now my friend lives on Green Pond lake and runs a 17' alum bass boat with a modified 9.9 and she runs about 18mph WOT so I think a 11 or 13 would do better and is plenty for a 13 year old. Heck my first boat was a 9' Squall with a4 merc and she would not even plane and I ran the hell out of it for a couple years until I got a 13 w/25hp.
Whaler_bob posted 03-08-2007 12:46 PM ET (US)
Other thing to consider is that in three short years, when your son is 16... he's going to want a Montauk. So spend as little as you can on an in between 13' that you can easly resell when he and his friends want to waterski & tube (and impress the girls!!) with some power.
PeteB88 posted 03-08-2007 01:36 PM ET (US)
Our 11.5 is a perfect boat for so many reasons. I run 25 Johnson tiller most of the time - goes like a rocket throttles down to troll, cruises nice, sips gas. If I know someone with little experience wants to use it, I simply lift off the 25 - I can Armstrong it my self and put on 9.9. Boat runs great and will plane with me on board and very well with someone forward and not much weight - including individual weight of passengers. I am over 200, more than I want to be, and boat would plane no problem w/ fuel tank forward of thwart seat and even better w/ Std Poodle boat dog forward. We're talkin 9,9 now - if I was solo and needed quick plane I just lean my body forward and varooom.
Two sets of oar locks and this is one cool boat. I have sand bagged selling it but now I must, as soon as weather breaks we will be putting new rub rail on. But you never know, when we take it out it is a blast
stay w/ 11.5 even big kids can have fun with those boats. I can also flip the hull over by myself for maint, wax or cleanup, Armstrong off motor and flip. Can't do that w/ 13 and all the controls.
contender posted 03-08-2007 07:42 PM ET (US)
Sal A Do this insteed, find your 13 whaler put a 25-35 hp on the boat and but a governor on the engine as he grows older remove the governor, and if it is a set screw design you can increase it as with age and knowhow...good luck
Royboy posted 03-08-2007 08:05 PM ET (US)
I think Sal mentioned he would like to stay within the law, so unless 11.5 = 12 in his State, an 11 is outside of the law. A 13 will work, as long as it doesn't have over 10 ponies (again, to stay within the law), so I'd go with a ten hp 2 stroke. If it's an older hull it might actually plane with one kid, probably not with two though, unless you put a fin on it and then it might with a little coaxing. I would have mowed Kansas and part of Missouri for a setup like this when I was 13.
Roy
Bridgedeck posted 03-09-2007 01:28 AM ET (US)
You have a chance to get a good deal on an 11' with a 15? That's perfect. I'd get the 11' as well as buy a 9.9 cowling or decal like you said and call it a day.
Matthew posted 03-09-2007 10:52 AM ET (US)
When does NJ law allow your son to move up in horsepower?
Would the conditions permit a 12 or 14' aluminum boat to be run safely?
I would be thinking along the lines of a good used aluminum (Lund,Duroboat)coupled with a used 9.9 hp engine. A pretty durable combination that will allow him to get up on plane with more than one person in the boat. Many young boaters in the PNW have started with this combination.
andygere posted 03-09-2007 04:14 PM ET (US)
My vote would be for the 13, with a 9.9 hp 2-stroke. With good trim and perhaps a doel fin, it should plane with a couple of 12 year olds aboard. When he and you are ready to move up in power, it's an easy thing to sell the 9.9 and put on a nice 30 or 40. Having owned a 13 for many years, I can tell you it's a very versatile boat, and did mine did regular duty in my family as a beach taxi for 4-5 adults. We also skied, tubed and fished all over Cape Cod on that boat. My final suggestion is to find a 1973 or newer 13 so that it takes a long shaft outboard. This will give you many more options later on should you want to move up to more power.
Bert Zwueste posted 03-10-2007 06:07 AM ET (US)
I have a 1962 white mercury 110. I have tried this engine on a classic 13’ with only me in it and a tank of gas. I weigh approx 90 kg. The boat will plane and will actually go pretty fast. I did have to lean forward a bit to get it on plane. If the kids want to fish we sometimes put a 4hp on the transom. It gives the boat just enough speed for trolling.
For the kids there is some fun in trying to get the boat to plane too with a small engine
sraab928 posted 03-10-2007 07:03 AM ET (US)
Check out this older thread - its where I got the info I gave you on THT.
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002907.html
Wasatch Whaler posted 03-10-2007 05:18 PM ET (US)
Our first Whaler was a 1968 13' Sport and we started with a 1964 Evinrude 9 1/2. The motor had been on an aluminum boat of about 13' in length that we also had.
It worked fine (tiller steering) on the old Arkansas Traveler aluminum boat. But it was pretty pathetic on the Whaler. Within no more than two weeks we upgraded to an Evinrude 25hp.
I applaud the idea of teaching your son seamanship and responsibility in this fashion. But I think you will be disappointed with a 13' Whaler with only 10 HP.
PeteB88 posted 03-11-2007 12:51 AM ET (US)
Just get him a 12 ft Crestliner or Mirrocraft or Sea Nymph aluminum boat and a 3 hp or 5 hp, get him something kind rough so you two can fix up - man, I had more fun in a 12 or 14 Crestliner when I was a pup blasting around w/ 5 hp or 7.5 Evinrude, tippy enough to teach me how to balance and be careful (maybe Whalers are too stable and forgiving), aluminum so it was bomb proof, I could hit the beach WOT and it'd go all the way up on the lawn - very cool and to impress the chicks AND it was light enough I could ground handle it myself when I was a kid - drag it up on the beach, take the motor off myself, clean it, tip it over if it rained or was full of water, I say it's a right of passage.
best
I found some old photos of me and the Crestliner - skippering mom, dad, grandma, seeester - maybe I'll put on Photobucket.
Binkie posted 03-11-2007 06:58 AM ET (US)
Buy a used Evinrude 15hp, and put a 9.9 hood on it they interchange.
Binkie posted 03-11-2007 06:59 AM ET (US)
2-stroke
Royboy posted 03-11-2007 06:39 PM ET (US)
Can you put an extra zero on a ten dollar bill and make it into a legal hundred?
Roy
brisboats posted 03-11-2007 07:56 PM ET (US)
An older 13 will plane off fine with a light load and a newer 9.9 horsepower. The OMC 9.9 hp and 15 hp (and most other brands) make about the same amount of torque so no need to decal swap. I think a 13' would be perfect with the 9.9hp in this case. Put two testosterone filled "yutes" aboard and you probably don't want it to plane or barely do so. My Newphew now 14 years old runs our 13' with a 25hp. He spent the better part of his first season piloting the boat with a 9.9hp and is better for it. I think the 25 hp is a bit much and may adjust the throttle stop this year.
Brian
Bridgedeck posted 03-11-2007 08:18 PM ET (US)
Are kids growing up slower these days? I had zero problems with a 35hp on a 13' when I was 9. Come to think of it, I might even have been younger. An experienced 13 year old should be more than competant to run an 11' or 13' with a 15hp. Get a 40hp and put the 9.9 decal on it. Yes Roy, addding a zero to a ten makes it a legal 100 dollar bill.
:- )

Royboy posted 03-11-2007 09:22 PM ET (US)
When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not - Mark Twain.
Times were a bit simpler back when a pack of lawyers from an insurance company wouldn't sue you right into financial oblivion without the slightest hesitation, for something dumb a kid did in a boat.
Kids still grow up at the same speed: too fast.
Roy
themclos posted 03-11-2007 10:00 PM ET (US)
Sal,
I live in NJ as well, and have been contemplating a classic 13 Standard or Sport with a 9.9hp for my son when he turns 13.
If staying solely within Barnegat Bay, a pretty compelling argument can be made for a 12' to 14' aluminum with a 9.9hp.
My recommendation would be to keep it legal. There is nothing to gain by swapping decals or cowlings.
Good luck.
Dan
Sal A posted 03-12-2007 08:02 AM ET (US)
Great feedback everyone.
I can get a 2006 leftover 11 Tender with a 15hp two stroke (trying to get him to take it off and credit me, and put on a 9.9) for $5500. I have also seen a few used 13's, but the nicer ones are far away, and about $4,000 with good power that I would have to strip off.
I think the smarter money is that the classic 13 will plane easier than an 11 tender, so I remain "in search of".
blkmtrfan posted 03-12-2007 06:25 PM ET (US)
All legal issues asside, as far as planning boats are concerned, I believe that a 13' sport w/ 25+hp is much easier for a youth to learn on than a tillered anything (that planes).
I currently have two such setups, a 9'inflatable with a tiller controled merc 15 hp 2 stroke (hood has 6hp stickers on it, for such legal reasons) that I have used for the last 5 seasons to tow my kids on water toys and our 13' sport with a merc 2 stroke that we accuired last season.
My son is just truning 12 next month and is already becoming quite the skipper with the whaler plus he is currently talking the coast guard auxillary course so he can get an official operators tag. Yet he is still quite reserve running the inflatable (granted is launches like a rocket w/ 15hp, which is important for towing toys and drag racing other inflatables, LOL).
The whaler with the steering wheel and remote controls is much more stable of a platform and very predictable with the 35hp on it. Granted I currently just have a 10" pitch prop on it for towing toys w/o power trim and it seems to top out right around 25 mph or so.
The point I am trying to make, is that I believe the 13' sport is the perfect platfrom for teaching young ones and I would definately chose the classic 13' over the new 11' tender as the calssic is lighter and will retain its value better over the next few years....
Perhaps a 15hp 2-stroke with remote controls and different stickers, I amy have to try that combo myself before we hang the 35hp back on (currently restoring our gelcoat and mahogany)
WOW sorry for the book, I guess I got on a roll
The Judge posted 03-14-2007 01:27 PM ET (US)
Take that 11 tender out for a test run and see how it does with the 15. If it is OK for you and son then a 9.9 will be just as good.
jgkmmoore posted 03-14-2007 07:02 PM ET (US)
Harley 'V Twin' with a straight shaft on an 11 footer.Outboard rudder with a tiller.Foot throttle.PFD.
jgkmmoore posted 03-14-2007 07:05 PM ET (US)
8" trim tabs to make it legal.
Sal A posted 03-14-2007 07:50 PM ET (US)
Going to try this weekend. The bad part is we just got junior's mid term progress report, and I have a ship to right. I want the boat, but what kind of message will I be sending. Decisions decisions. My Whaler dealer also called me today and says he found a 2005 brand new Merc 9.9 4 stroke that he would put on it for me, still at a great price (at least I think so). It's never easy.
SpongeBob posted 03-14-2007 08:34 PM ET (US)
Incentive. Buy the boat, rig the 9.9 4 stroke and park it where it can be seen every time your son comes home from school. Grades come up he gets use of the boat, grades go down boat sits. I would have made honor roll every grading period. Also you don't need more than a 9.9 to have adventures. Heck a 6hp would have sold me on the need to study.
Jeff

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Author	Topic: 9.9 hp for Classic 13 Whaler
Sal A	posted 03-08-2007 08:14 AM ET (US) I want to legally have my 13 year old son drive a small power boat. New Jersey regulations permit a 13 year old to captain a power boat solo if he takes a boating safety course, and the power boat is 12 feet or more with a maximum of 10 horsepower. I am considering two options: 1) 13' classic Whaler with a 9.9hp fourstroke (I'd have to find a good hull, and then would buy a new motor, as you don't see these used with only 9.9hp). 2) New 11' Whaler tender with oar locks, and again buy a 9.9hp motor and rig. The 11' tender is 11 1/2 feet, so there is risk here regarding being legal. I know the 9.9 would be enough horsepower for the new 11' tender. But would a 9.9hp be able to plane two young teens, weighing 280lbs-300lbs in a classic 13' Whaler? Usage would solely be in Barnegat Bay.
John from Madison CT	posted 03-08-2007 09:54 AM ET (US) Sal: I really don't think it will work on the 13'er.
Tom W Clark	posted 03-08-2007 09:59 AM ET (US) It won't work on either one very well. A Johnson or Evinrude two stroke 9.9 would be OK for one on an older 13 footer with a lighter hull weight. There is not going to be much difference between the two hulls even if the HP is the same. 15 or 20 HP on the 11 footer would be legal, but the 13 is the better, more versatile boat. Tough call.
Sal A	posted 03-08-2007 10:24 AM ET (US) Well. Two really valuable opinions. Thanks gentlemen. It is not so much a question of what the boat can handle, but what I fell comfortable with regarding the law etc. My son already pilots my big boat with me next to him, and will be saftey trained. The dealer I like near my house has an 11 footer with a 15hp two stroke for sale real reasonable, and supposedly decals can be changed, but I am not sure how smart that is on my part.
The Judge	posted 03-08-2007 11:56 AM ET (US) Yes a 11 with an older 15 is a hoot for a kid but I believe a 13 will do just about the same performance due to longer length. I would not go with a 4s being he will outgrow this setup fast so why invest in a new engine when you can buy 4 used ones for the same price. You can also make the 9.9 about 13hp by swapping the carb but I doubt it would do much. Now my friend lives on Green Pond lake and runs a 17' alum bass boat with a modified 9.9 and she runs about 18mph WOT so I think a 11 or 13 would do better and is plenty for a 13 year old. Heck my first boat was a 9' Squall with a4 merc and she would not even plane and I ran the hell out of it for a couple years until I got a 13 w/25hp.
Whaler_bob	posted 03-08-2007 12:46 PM ET (US) Other thing to consider is that in three short years, when your son is 16... he's going to want a Montauk. So spend as little as you can on an in between 13' that you can easly resell when he and his friends want to waterski & tube (and impress the girls!!) with some power.
PeteB88	posted 03-08-2007 01:36 PM ET (US) Our 11.5 is a perfect boat for so many reasons. I run 25 Johnson tiller most of the time - goes like a rocket throttles down to troll, cruises nice, sips gas. If I know someone with little experience wants to use it, I simply lift off the 25 - I can Armstrong it my self and put on 9.9. Boat runs great and will plane with me on board and very well with someone forward and not much weight - including individual weight of passengers. I am over 200, more than I want to be, and boat would plane no problem w/ fuel tank forward of thwart seat and even better w/ Std Poodle boat dog forward. We're talkin 9,9 now - if I was solo and needed quick plane I just lean my body forward and varooom. Two sets of oar locks and this is one cool boat. I have sand bagged selling it but now I must, as soon as weather breaks we will be putting new rub rail on. But you never know, when we take it out it is a blast stay w/ 11.5 even big kids can have fun with those boats. I can also flip the hull over by myself for maint, wax or cleanup, Armstrong off motor and flip. Can't do that w/ 13 and all the controls.
contender	posted 03-08-2007 07:42 PM ET (US) Sal A Do this insteed, find your 13 whaler put a 25-35 hp on the boat and but a governor on the engine as he grows older remove the governor, and if it is a set screw design you can increase it as with age and knowhow...good luck
Royboy	posted 03-08-2007 08:05 PM ET (US) I think Sal mentioned he would like to stay within the law, so unless 11.5 = 12 in his State, an 11 is outside of the law. A 13 will work, as long as it doesn't have over 10 ponies (again, to stay within the law), so I'd go with a ten hp 2 stroke. If it's an older hull it might actually plane with one kid, probably not with two though, unless you put a fin on it and then it might with a little coaxing. I would have mowed Kansas and part of Missouri for a setup like this when I was 13. Roy
Bridgedeck	posted 03-09-2007 01:28 AM ET (US) You have a chance to get a good deal on an 11' with a 15? That's perfect. I'd get the 11' as well as buy a 9.9 cowling or decal like you said and call it a day.
Matthew	posted 03-09-2007 10:52 AM ET (US) When does NJ law allow your son to move up in horsepower? Would the conditions permit a 12 or 14' aluminum boat to be run safely? I would be thinking along the lines of a good used aluminum (Lund,Duroboat)coupled with a used 9.9 hp engine. A pretty durable combination that will allow him to get up on plane with more than one person in the boat. Many young boaters in the PNW have started with this combination.
andygere	posted 03-09-2007 04:14 PM ET (US) My vote would be for the 13, with a 9.9 hp 2-stroke. With good trim and perhaps a doel fin, it should plane with a couple of 12 year olds aboard. When he and you are ready to move up in power, it's an easy thing to sell the 9.9 and put on a nice 30 or 40. Having owned a 13 for many years, I can tell you it's a very versatile boat, and did mine did regular duty in my family as a beach taxi for 4-5 adults. We also skied, tubed and fished all over Cape Cod on that boat. My final suggestion is to find a 1973 or newer 13 so that it takes a long shaft outboard. This will give you many more options later on should you want to move up to more power.
Bert Zwueste	posted 03-10-2007 06:07 AM ET (US) I have a 1962 white mercury 110. I have tried this engine on a classic 13’ with only me in it and a tank of gas. I weigh approx 90 kg. The boat will plane and will actually go pretty fast. I did have to lean forward a bit to get it on plane. If the kids want to fish we sometimes put a 4hp on the transom. It gives the boat just enough speed for trolling. For the kids there is some fun in trying to get the boat to plane too with a small engine
sraab928	posted 03-10-2007 07:03 AM ET (US) Check out this older thread - its where I got the info I gave you on THT. http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002907.html
Wasatch Whaler	posted 03-10-2007 05:18 PM ET (US) Our first Whaler was a 1968 13' Sport and we started with a 1964 Evinrude 9 1/2. The motor had been on an aluminum boat of about 13' in length that we also had. It worked fine (tiller steering) on the old Arkansas Traveler aluminum boat. But it was pretty pathetic on the Whaler. Within no more than two weeks we upgraded to an Evinrude 25hp. I applaud the idea of teaching your son seamanship and responsibility in this fashion. But I think you will be disappointed with a 13' Whaler with only 10 HP.
PeteB88	posted 03-11-2007 12:51 AM ET (US) Just get him a 12 ft Crestliner or Mirrocraft or Sea Nymph aluminum boat and a 3 hp or 5 hp, get him something kind rough so you two can fix up - man, I had more fun in a 12 or 14 Crestliner when I was a pup blasting around w/ 5 hp or 7.5 Evinrude, tippy enough to teach me how to balance and be careful (maybe Whalers are too stable and forgiving), aluminum so it was bomb proof, I could hit the beach WOT and it'd go all the way up on the lawn - very cool and to impress the chicks AND it was light enough I could ground handle it myself when I was a kid - drag it up on the beach, take the motor off myself, clean it, tip it over if it rained or was full of water, I say it's a right of passage. best I found some old photos of me and the Crestliner - skippering mom, dad, grandma, seeester - maybe I'll put on Photobucket.
Binkie	posted 03-11-2007 06:58 AM ET (US) Buy a used Evinrude 15hp, and put a 9.9 hood on it they interchange.
Binkie	posted 03-11-2007 06:59 AM ET (US) 2-stroke
Royboy	posted 03-11-2007 06:39 PM ET (US) Can you put an extra zero on a ten dollar bill and make it into a legal hundred? Roy
brisboats	posted 03-11-2007 07:56 PM ET (US) An older 13 will plane off fine with a light load and a newer 9.9 horsepower. The OMC 9.9 hp and 15 hp (and most other brands) make about the same amount of torque so no need to decal swap. I think a 13' would be perfect with the 9.9hp in this case. Put two testosterone filled "yutes" aboard and you probably don't want it to plane or barely do so. My Newphew now 14 years old runs our 13' with a 25hp. He spent the better part of his first season piloting the boat with a 9.9hp and is better for it. I think the 25 hp is a bit much and may adjust the throttle stop this year. Brian
Bridgedeck	posted 03-11-2007 08:18 PM ET (US) Are kids growing up slower these days? I had zero problems with a 35hp on a 13' when I was 9. Come to think of it, I might even have been younger. An experienced 13 year old should be more than competant to run an 11' or 13' with a 15hp. Get a 40hp and put the 9.9 decal on it. Yes Roy, addding a zero to a ten makes it a legal 100 dollar bill. :- )
Royboy	posted 03-11-2007 09:22 PM ET (US) When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not - Mark Twain. Times were a bit simpler back when a pack of lawyers from an insurance company wouldn't sue you right into financial oblivion without the slightest hesitation, for something dumb a kid did in a boat. Kids still grow up at the same speed: too fast. Roy
themclos	posted 03-11-2007 10:00 PM ET (US) Sal, I live in NJ as well, and have been contemplating a classic 13 Standard or Sport with a 9.9hp for my son when he turns 13. If staying solely within Barnegat Bay, a pretty compelling argument can be made for a 12' to 14' aluminum with a 9.9hp. My recommendation would be to keep it legal. There is nothing to gain by swapping decals or cowlings. Good luck. Dan
Sal A	posted 03-12-2007 08:02 AM ET (US) Great feedback everyone. I can get a 2006 leftover 11 Tender with a 15hp two stroke (trying to get him to take it off and credit me, and put on a 9.9) for $5500. I have also seen a few used 13's, but the nicer ones are far away, and about $4,000 with good power that I would have to strip off. I think the smarter money is that the classic 13 will plane easier than an 11 tender, so I remain "in search of".
blkmtrfan	posted 03-12-2007 06:25 PM ET (US) All legal issues asside, as far as planning boats are concerned, I believe that a 13' sport w/ 25+hp is much easier for a youth to learn on than a tillered anything (that planes). I currently have two such setups, a 9'inflatable with a tiller controled merc 15 hp 2 stroke (hood has 6hp stickers on it, for such legal reasons) that I have used for the last 5 seasons to tow my kids on water toys and our 13' sport with a merc 2 stroke that we accuired last season. My son is just truning 12 next month and is already becoming quite the skipper with the whaler plus he is currently talking the coast guard auxillary course so he can get an official operators tag. Yet he is still quite reserve running the inflatable (granted is launches like a rocket w/ 15hp, which is important for towing toys and drag racing other inflatables, LOL). The whaler with the steering wheel and remote controls is much more stable of a platform and very predictable with the 35hp on it. Granted I currently just have a 10" pitch prop on it for towing toys w/o power trim and it seems to top out right around 25 mph or so. The point I am trying to make, is that I believe the 13' sport is the perfect platfrom for teaching young ones and I would definately chose the classic 13' over the new 11' tender as the calssic is lighter and will retain its value better over the next few years.... Perhaps a 15hp 2-stroke with remote controls and different stickers, I amy have to try that combo myself before we hang the 35hp back on (currently restoring our gelcoat and mahogany) WOW sorry for the book, I guess I got on a roll
The Judge	posted 03-14-2007 01:27 PM ET (US) Take that 11 tender out for a test run and see how it does with the 15. If it is OK for you and son then a 9.9 will be just as good.
jgkmmoore	posted 03-14-2007 07:02 PM ET (US) Harley 'V Twin' with a straight shaft on an 11 footer.Outboard rudder with a tiller.Foot throttle.PFD.
jgkmmoore	posted 03-14-2007 07:05 PM ET (US) 8" trim tabs to make it legal.
Sal A	posted 03-14-2007 07:50 PM ET (US) Going to try this weekend. The bad part is we just got junior's mid term progress report, and I have a ship to right. I want the boat, but what kind of message will I be sending. Decisions decisions. My Whaler dealer also called me today and says he found a 2005 brand new Merc 9.9 4 stroke that he would put on it for me, still at a great price (at least I think so). It's never easy.
SpongeBob	posted 03-14-2007 08:34 PM ET (US) Incentive. Buy the boat, rig the 9.9 4 stroke and park it where it can be seen every time your son comes home from school. Grades come up he gets use of the boat, grades go down boat sits. I would have made honor roll every grading period. Also you don't need more than a 9.9 to have adventures. Heck a 6hp would have sold me on the need to study. Jeff