Quote:
Originally Posted by Yz2009
. . . I've sat on my engine when I was parked at the dock (total weight of me plus engine is ~570). With no one in the back it will still self bail. But barely. With 1 person in the back water will come in the scuppers. I always trailer and usually have the scuppers plugged anyway becuase with my current setup water will come in with 2 people fish the back.
What would you guys do?
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Although self-bailing at the dock is an obvious issue with a 500 lb motor, it's not the most important IMHO. The OPTIMUM motor weight for the 19-20' hulls is around 300 lbs because that's what they were DESIGNED FOR! As you increase motor weight above 300 lbs, your min planing will increase from around 12-13 mph up to the low 20's and the ride will get worse! You can offset some of that adverse CG shift by moving batteries, consoles and gas tanks, but the boat performs much better overall with a lighter motor. I'm speaking as a guy who's "been there, done that"! I ran my boat for over 30 years with a 300 lb V-4 and it handled great in all sorts of conditions. When I repowered, I increased motor weight by about 130 lbs AND added a bracket with 30" setback, both of which significantly shifted CG, with significant negative impacts on min planing speed and ride! Self bailing at dock is still acceptable because of the big flotation tank on the Hermco bracket (I would NEVER install a NON-FLOTATION bracket like a Stainless Marine or a Porta on a 20!) With the help of a 4B stern lifting prop and a fin, I finally got ride and handling back to about what it was, but it took a lot of tweaking!
Bottom line, the boat will perform best with a lightweight 2-stroke. As others have suggested, a Yamaha 2S V-4, an old Black Max Merc V-6, or a mid-90's OMC 60 degree V-6 all have good power/weight ratios and would work well. Send a PM to Big Shrimpin . . . I'm sure he can fix you up or help you find a good deal on a motor.