ready for power

[Fr. Frank]

my redone 72 20 foot cc with bracket .... How many lbs of motor and horsepower can I hang on it for the best performance?

There's a can o' worms. As little as possible for as much as possible.

Seriously, the best performance numbers I've seen posted have been 2.5 liter, 225hp 2-stroke Mercs weighing in at 380-395 lbs, producing mid 50's for speed. Tim (BigShrimpin') is the best authority on that.

On my Seafari my previous motor was a 150 XR4 2.4 liter remanufactured to produce about 190/192 hp, and in perfect water and temperature conditions, I could get 50-52 mph. That speed was trimmed out, with a nose cone and low-water pickup, running a custom PowerTech 15.25"x16.5" OFS3.
Most of the time in normal load and usage, my top speed was in the mid to upper 40's.

I now run a Mercury 90 Optimax on the same boat, with a top speed of 33-34 mph, and 5+ mpg.