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Author	Topic:   15-Footer Performance
elvis	posted 10-13-2013 06:38 AM ET (US)         Hi all. I completed the restoration on my 1985 Boston Whaler 15-foot boat. I bought it at a government auction. I found a great deal on a motor: a 1988 Mercury 70 in good condition with trim and tilt. What top speed can I expect [from a Boston Whaler 15-footer with a 70-HO outboard engine]? The outboard engine has the original factory propeller. My buddy has the same year and size Whaler with a Johnson 50-HP; it runs about 32-MPH. I plan to buy the 70-HP today. Thanks!
wannabe	posted 10-13-2013 08:14 AM ET (US)             My friend had a 15 footer with a [70-HP; that boat went] around 40-MPH. It feels faster sitting so close to the water.--Drew
jimh	posted 10-13-2013 09:52 AM ET (US)             [Moved to PERFORMANCE]
jimh	posted 10-13-2013 09:57 AM ET (US)             Please look at the REFERENCE section article on the Boston Whaler 15-footer. The article has a table of estimated speeds for different engine horsepower which was published by the factory. Below is a hyperlink to the beginning article of a series of five articles in the REFERENCE section on the 15-foot boat: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/15/
jimh	posted 10-13-2013 10:02 AM ET (US)             Also be sure to read the article on testimonials to the 15-footer; that article contains a great deal of commentary about boat speed and horsepower: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/15/testimonials.html
dgoodhue	posted 10-13-2013 11:29 AM ET (US)             42-45mph with motor mounted 2-3 holes up on the transom with a proper SS prop. Some of the testimonies in the link above are using speeds from pilot tube speedometers (those speedos are known to be inaccurate.) I have a hard time believing any 70hp motor would do more than 45 mph without a jack plate.
Peter	posted 10-13-2013 01:01 PM ET (US)             I had a 15 Super Sport with a Yamaha 70 2-stroke mounted as low as it could go on the transom. The Yamaha 70 turned a 3-blade Yamaha aluminum 13 x 19 propeller. With me and a single tank of fuel I consistantly saw 42 MPH and sometimes 43 MPH on the GPS. Prior to the Yamaha 70 I had a Johnson 48 SPL on that boat and it would get to 37 MPH under same load.
elvis	posted 10-13-2013 01:23 PM ET (US)             Awesome info. Thank you.

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