Repowering 18' Potter

[Terry England]

Originally Posted by BocaSeacraft

........... I know one other member mentioned that they used to rig the 20' with 85's in the old days. Will a new 70 be sufficient? I'm turning it over to all you guys who have been running these boats for years. Thanks for your help.

My old cut up 20' bow rider is probably lighter than your 18 if you have a standard console and tee top. If you have an electronics box up there in the fresh air too I know my drag coefficient is better. I usually run my '06 - 90 E-tec at 32-3600 which is probably only making 60 HP and it lopes along at 18-20 knots. You could get by with a 70 but you will probably be running at 80% throttle all the time and there is a lot of extra stuff "framing" around in a four stroke to make the same HP.

Think about a 90. Find a good, reliable, nearby marina and pick a color. Nobody makes a bad one. A lot of 4 -S are de-tuned 115's. The E-tec is a three cylinder 78 Cubic inch motor that is rated at 5,000 rpms. At 5,500 they actually make 101 HP. Do the math on the service intervals to keep the engine within the warrenty specifications for the warrenty period. $6.00 or $7.00 per hour required service plus fuel changes the picture somewhat.

Fr. Frank, Otto and Tiny's right - Almost everybody way overpowers these boats.
The Miami to Nassau race is over - go enjoy the sweet ride, Brother