my first time hi i have a 20ft cuddy cabin boat im looking for a back up motor. i need to know what ize of motor i could use. i have a 55 hp johnson is it to big or could i use it as a back up. please anyone let me know anyone.

On Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:08:35 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:30:27 +0000, peter paul
wrote:


my first time hi i have a 20ft cuddy cabin boat im looking for a back
up motor. i need to know what ize of motor i could use. i have a 55 hp
johnson is it to big or could i use it as a back up. please anyone let
me know anyone.

Something like a 5hp class 2 stroke is light enough to handle by
yourself (50 pounds or so) and still has enough power to get you home.
Any little kicker will hit the wall at hull speed and you are not
getting up on plane anyway. I doubt a 15 would make much difference
and be almost twice as heavy.

I used to have a 15 horse kicker on my old 24 ft I/O because that's
what I happened to have laying around. It was on the heavy side at
around 100 lbs. If your boat is basically reliable and you don't
venture too far offshore, you're almost better off with a SeaTow or
Tow Boat US membership assuming they offer service in your area.

Other than weight, the biggest issue with a 55 horse kicker is finding
a suitable mounting bracket and attachment point. Most of the popular
retractable brackets top out at about 20 hp. Peak thrust of a 55 hp
motor is in the range of 1500 pounds so the attachment point needs to
be very solid.

On 2/14/11 10:30 PM, peter paul wrote:
my first time hi i have a 20ft cuddy cabin boat im looking for a back
up motor. i need to know what ize of motor i could use. i have a 55 hp
johnson is it to big or could i use it as a back up. please anyone let
me know anyone.





What is the main power on the boat? Inboard, I/O, four-cycle outboard?
You probably want an auxiliary engine to match the sort of fuel you have
in your main tank, which should supply the engine(s) through a
Racor-style filter. 55 hp seems much too large for a backup engine for
the boat. How would you mount it on the boat? I've never seen an
outboard that size on an auxiliary bracket. I've seen lots of 25-footers
with backup outboards of 10 hp.

On 2/15/11 2:08 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:30:27 +0000, peter paul
wrote:


my first time hi i have a 20ft cuddy cabin boat im looking for a back
up motor. i need to know what ize of motor i could use. i have a 55 hp
johnson is it to big or could i use it as a back up. please anyone let
me know anyone.

Something like a 5hp class 2 stroke is light enough to handle by
yourself (50 pounds or so) and still has enough power to get you home.
Any little kicker will hit the wall at hull speed and you are not
getting up on plane anyway. I doubt a 15 would make much difference
and be almost twice as heavy.


You think it is a 15 hp? The OP typed 55 hp. Could be a typo. I agree,
though...15 hp is a lot more than is needed.

Harryk wrote:
On 2/15/11 2:08 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:30:27 +0000, peter paul
wrote:


my first time hi i have a 20ft cuddy cabin boat im looking for a back
up motor. i need to know what ize of motor i could use. i have a 55 hp
johnson is it to big or could i use it as a back up. please anyone let
me know anyone.

Something like a 5hp class 2 stroke is light enough to handle by
yourself (50 pounds or so) and still has enough power to get you home.
Any little kicker will hit the wall at hull speed and you are not
getting up on plane anyway. I doubt a 15 would make much difference
and be almost twice as heavy.


You think it is a 15 hp? The OP typed 55 hp. Could be a typo. I agree,
though...15 hp is a lot more than is needed.
Not if he's on a river.