I want a boat that I can use in both sal****er bays and in freshwater.

The body of fresh water is a very large reservoir (Quabbin in Massachusetts)
that has a 25 hp restriction and the boat must be rated for at least twice
the HP of the motor used.

I am considering purchasing a Mckee 16 foot skiff (990 pounds) and using a
Yahama 25 four stroke.
or going to a much smaller Mckee 14 foot skiff (665 pounds) using the Yahama
25.

Both boats will be fine in fresh water, but I'm not sure what would be best
in sal****er. The larger
boat has a lot more appeal for me. but the smaller boat will reach a good
plane with a 25.

Mckee states that the Minimum hp for the 16 footer is 40 hp and 25 hp for
the 14 footer.

I would appreciate any comments on what might be the safest boat. Would I be
making a mistake
in putting a 25 hp on the 16 foot boat. Taking a little longer getting there
doesn't bother me in the least,
but I don't want to sacrifice safety for comfort and convenience.

Both boats with specs. can be seen at: http://www.mckeecraft.com/

"Dudley Man" wrote in message
...
I want a boat that I can use in both sal****er bays and in freshwater.

The body of fresh water is a very large reservoir (Quabbin in
Massachusetts)
that has a 25 hp restriction and the boat must be rated for at least twice
the HP of the motor used.

I am considering purchasing a Mckee 16 foot skiff (990 pounds) and using a
Yahama 25 four stroke.
or going to a much smaller Mckee 14 foot skiff (665 pounds) using the
Yahama
25.

How are you going to be using it? Are you taking other people? Seems like
getting on a plane with 1000 lbs. plus two or three bodies could be a
problem.

Seems like you'd want to go lighter if possible.

My whaler (450 lbs including 2 stroke 25 merc) has a difficult time getting
on a plane with 3 adults (approx. 550 lb).

"

Dudley wrote
I am considering purchasing a Mckee 16 foot skiff (990 pounds) and using a
Yahama 25 four stroke.
or going to a much smaller Mckee 14 foot skiff (665 pounds) using the
Yahama
25.
JPS wrote
How are you going to be using it? Are you taking other people? Seems like
getting on a plane with 1000 lbs. plus two or three bodies could be a
problem.

Seems like you'd want to go lighter if possible.

My whaler (450 lbs including 2 stroke 25 merc) has a difficult time getting
on a plane with 3 adults (approx. 550 lb).

I have a 16' whaler with a 40hp 4stroke yamaha. I am happy but
realize many would consider this underpowered. Dealer told me unless
I had enough hp to do 30mph+ I would not be happy ( did turn out to be
a farce, most of the time I run in the teens, dead calm water WOT I
get ~22knts. Just last month I had one of the heaviest loads yet
carried, three POB with scuba gear, calm conditions WOT ~ 15knts.

even with the correct prop my whaler is weight sensitive, If I was in
the habit of carrying 3 POBw/scuba for 3 I would probably select a
prop with even less pitch than I have now.


If you are considering hp shy of manufacturers minimum
recomendations and accept the larger size space/ low horsepower trade
off one thing to be SURE to consider is getting the appropriate prop
for pushing a load, in your case you will likely be looking amoung the
larger diameter/lower pitch options available. a stainless prop will
also help,

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 09:51:12 -0400, "Dudley Man"
wrote:

I want a boat that I can use in both sal****er bays and in freshwater.

The body of fresh water is a very large reservoir (Quabbin in Massachusetts)
that has a 25 hp restriction and the boat must be rated for at least twice
the HP of the motor used.

I am considering purchasing a Mckee 16 foot skiff (990 pounds) and using a
Yahama 25 four stroke.
or going to a much smaller Mckee 14 foot skiff (665 pounds) using the Yahama
25.

Both boats will be fine in fresh water, but I'm not sure what would be best
in sal****er. The larger
boat has a lot more appeal for me. but the smaller boat will reach a good
plane with a 25.

Mckee states that the Minimum hp for the 16 footer is 40 hp and 25 hp for
the 14 footer.

I would appreciate any comments on what might be the safest boat. Would I be
making a mistake
in putting a 25 hp on the 16 foot boat. Taking a little longer getting there
doesn't bother me in the least,
but I don't want to sacrifice safety for comfort and convenience.

Both boats with specs. can be seen at: http://www.mckeecraft.com/




Given your motor restrictions, have you considered an inflatable boat?
An inflatable boat is much lighter than a regular boat and safer in
the 16ft range. You can get it with an inflatable floor or with
fiberglass hull (rib).

If you do look at ribs it should be a quality boat with hypalon tubes.
I've had a 14ft Zodiac for years, keep it inflated on a trailer in my
garage. Use it on lakes as well as the Pacific off northern CA.