On Nov 6, 8:14?am, "Paul G." wrote:
I have a 12' fiberglass boat that is rated for "up to 14 hp". What's
a practical size outboard for this boat? Should I go for the max or
what? Thanks,
-Paul

What do you want to do with it?

If speed is a high priority, go for the larger motor.

Be aware that if this is an older boat, that 14HP designation was
likely made with a 2-stroke in mind. Four stroke engines are heavier,
so from a weight standpoint you may want to back off on the max HP if
you're gong to use a four stroke.

You can move the boat with a very small outboard, beyond that it's a
question of how important you think speed will be.

On Nov 6, 6:21 pm, Chuck Gould wrote:
On Nov 6, 8:14?am, "Paul G." wrote:

I have a 12' fiberglass boat that is rated for "up to 14 hp". What's
a practical size outboard for this boat? Should I go for the max or
what? Thanks,
-Paul

What do you want to do with it?

If speed is a high priority, go for the larger motor.

Be aware that if this is an older boat, that 14HP designation was
likely made with a 2-stroke in mind. Four stroke engines are heavier,
so from a weight standpoint you may want to back off on the max HP if
you're gong to use a four stroke.

You can move the boat with a very small outboard, beyond that it's a
question of how important you think speed will be.

Thanks, that's useful info. Speed is not a big deal, but I do want to
get it planing efficiently. I hadn't thought about the weight issue,
it is 25 yr old or so Sears fiberglass 12' boat. Sounds like the 9.9
hp would be OK, and I know some lakes around here limit boats to under
10 hp.
-Paul