question about outbaords on a bass boat?

[NJfishinGuy]

ok in NJ porbably like 60% of gas allowed lakes have a 10hp limit. now when i buy a bass boat im sureill porbably wind up gettin a 40-150hp motor ddepending on the boat. i know my buddys tracker goes about 25-30 with his 40hp. now lets say i was to get a ranger/nitro style fiberglass boat how would a 10hp push that? slower or faster than a tracker with a 10hp.

[Way2slow]

Tons of variables are involved in your post.

First let me just say a 10hp motor probably will not get any of the boats you have mentioned on plane. A 10 hp motor is more for your 14 ft jons. Even a 15 ft jon would be a load for it if you had two people, a cooler and your gear. Anything more than that and you will only be able to go through the water like a barge. Forget about figuring MPH, it will be well down in the single digets.

You could get the boat you like, with the proper size motor on it and use a 10 hp as a kicker motor to push you around those limited hp lakes, but only figure speeds not much greater than you TM, just don't have to worry about the battery going dead before the end of the day.

[NJfishinGuy]

well would it push a fiberglass bass boat faster than a bass tracker.  it sucks nj has so maky lakes with a limit like that and they are not small lakes so without gass itll be killer

[Minuteman]

Here is what's on my 17' Tracker boat for just such an occasion. Pushes her along fine.

[NJfishinGuy]

so is thr larger motor offset so they are even or is the big one centered and the 9.9 on the side. see i dont think ill have the money for 2 motors so id probably buy a 9.9 and sell the larger motor. figure theres only like 3 or 4 lakes in nj that are unlimited and i probably wont fish them much anyway.

[NBR]

Your plan to push a large fully rigged bass boat with a small motor just doesn't make sense. You just won't be happy in the long haul and the boats resale value will be next to nothing. I'd suggest gettin by with the TM until you can afford to purchase a kicker and/or look around for a used kicker.

[NJfishinGuy]

Your plan to push a large fully rigged bass boat with a small motor just doesn't make sense. You just won't be happy in the long haul and the boats resale value will be next to nothing. I'd suggest gettin by with the TM until you can afford to purchase a kicker and/or look around for a used kicker.

why doesnt it make sense when most of the lakes i will be fishing limit me and i cant use a big motor anyway. wouldnt a 10hp on a bass tracker be better than a trolling motor the whole day. what is a TM and a kicker im new to the bass boats and stuff so i dont know all the terms

[Raul]

With a 10 HP you will move pretty fast even at the lowest speed, a lot faster than with the TM, that idea of having a fully operational aluminum prop gas outboard working while fishing just gives me the creeps.

[NJfishinGuy]

i didnt mean use the outboard all day while fishing but when i go to a bigger lake and wanna jump to diffrent spots i dont wanna look in the back and say d**n i wish i could use my 150hp on here then look forward and take 30 mins the cross a lake with a trolling motor ya know. i was just wondering if a 10hp will move faster or slower on a fiberglass bass boat of the same length as a bass tracker. my uncle had a tracker with a 9.9 merc and from what i remember it moved enough

[IneedAnewScreenName9886691]

For what it is worth.  I have seen very nice glass hulls for sale without engines.  For one reason or another the engine had been removed.  In older boats say 80's and 90's you can pick up just the hull very reasonable.  Then add your little gas tiller or high power TM and you have yourself a great - engine restricted- vessel.  I see these on E-bay all the time.  

[cart7t]

Hydrillagorilla's got the right idea.  If you've got to have a fiberglass boat look for one without an engine.  That's how I got mine.  A kid had a Champion DC but he blew the 175hp Merc up on it.  He was getting married and took on a new job that involved a LOT of travel and he couldn't afford to make payments on the boat and spend $3-4k for a new engine rebuild.  I bought the boat, parted out the engine and stuck my Yamaha ProV 150 on the back of the new boat. I turned around and sold my old 16 1/2 ft Champion also without a motor.  

As for your other question, of course a little 10 horse kicker will move an aluminum tracker quicker than a fiberglass boat.  There's quite a bit of weight difference between the 2.

[NJfishinGuy]

oh  i thought it might have been the other way around i guess fiberglass it heavy then huh

[Minuteman]

so is thr larger motor offset so they are even or is the big one centered and the 9.9 on the side. see i dont think ill have the money for 2 motors so id probably buy a 9.9 and sell the larger motor. figure theres only like 3 or 4 lakes in nj that are unlimited and i probably wont fish them much anyway.

The 9.9 is off to the side and the 45 is centered.

[SFC Hall]

I don't know about where you are, but some of the lakes in Pa, you are not allowed on the lake with more than the "allowed" hp... even if you don't use it...

[NJfishinGuy]

well that sucks royally some lakes in NJ they make u take the prop off before u launch. im almost pondering after i sell my car taking the rest making a down payment and buying a brand new bass tracker pro team 175 with the 9.9 fourstroke. i looked at the fiberglass boats and they seem to be around 300lbs heavier on a comparable size boat.  im not sure what im gonna do but im almost sure d get a 9.9 sor the boat and ill 95% get a tracker so god forbid i bump a rock or sumthin being new to a big boat i wont break my new fiberglass boat just geta dent

[NJfishinGuy]

my uncle used to have a bass tracker a 1988 what he did which i dought u can get away with amymore is he had 2 9.9's on the back

[SFC Hall]

I knew a guy once that had 9.9 stickers on his 25......    But I sure wouldn't want to get caught...

I just picked up a "fixer-uper" 17' Aluminum modified V for $1500.  I have to replace most of the deck wood and carpet, and I'll paint the hole thing, but it's fishable the way it is.   It has a 60hp Evenrude on it (it is going to stay) but I was offered $1000 for just the motor the other day.  Some day I may put a kicker on it.

[NJfishinGuy]

yeah ive heard of that but i think its pretty easy to tell the diffrence isnt it.

[trackernoleak]

I grew up in Jersey (from 9-19), originally from TN.  When I was up there my friends father had 15 or 18 hp merc that had a 9.9 cowling on it.  Apparently there was no difference in the cowlings size.  I remember he bought a blown motor just for that cowling.  That thing would scoot that little jon way faster than anyone else, we had to watch it though cause the game warden/rangers were like little water nazi's.

[bassnleo]

I don't know about where you are, but some of the lakes in Pa, you are not allowed on the lake with more than the "allowed" hp... even if you don't use it...

I've never heard that before here in PA.  It's quite common to see guys drop their big fiberglass rigs in at a 10 hp lake and only use the trolling motor. I've never seen a WCO even second glance at someone with a larger hp boat as long as that big sucker wasn't running.  I'm in NW PA by the way, maybe it's lakes in different part of PA that you refer to?

[bipr8]

You want an aluminum boat (yes, it will be faster and handle better than a glass boat).  No need for glass if you only have a 9.9 on the back, just a waste of $.

The main reason for glass is so you can do big water with a big motor.  In NJ, it seems, you have neither (big water and unlimited HP lakes).  

In the same breath, any gas motor would be better than none.

What lakes in NJ are 9.9 only?  I know Union is 9.9, what else?

Also, your vehichle will be able to tow an aluminum easier and save gas and the life of your car/truck.

Also, re-sale will be much easier with an aluminum with a 9.9 rather than a glass boat.

Also and most importantly, you won't look as goofy driving an aluminum with a 9.9 versus a glass boat with one.

*I have never seen a glass boat with less than a 90HP I think.  I cant imagine someone spending the $ on a glass boat and underpowering it so much that driving it would be such a pain in the butt.

**Of course, if you were to get a deal on a glass boat that didnt have a motor and you threw a 9.9 on it, that would be better than none at all.

If it were me, i'd get aluminum.  I would NEVER get a glass boat with a 9.9.  I would rather NOT FISH those lakes with restrictions than buy a glass boat with a 9.9.

[NJfishinGuy]

im not sure of all the lakes, in talking with my father he mentioned a bunch of lakes that are limited and my uncle also has mentioned it before to me but i dont remember any besides union off the top of my head. union is a lake i plan to start fishing and i royally hate trolling acroos a big lake. my buddy has a book that say all the restriction on nj lakes ill take look and see what ones maybe. ,, as menitoned above about the glass boat that makes sense, i will most likely get a bass tracker aluminum but i have seen some nice glass boats cheapand they look so d**n nice all sparkly and stuff lol.

[SFC Hall]

I don't know about where you are, but some of the lakes in Pa, you are not allowed on the lake with more than the "allowed" hp... even if you don't use it...

I've never heard that before here in PA. It's quite common to see guys drop their big fiberglass rigs in at a 10 hp lake and only use the trolling motor. I've never seen a WCO even second glance at someone with a larger hp boat as long as that big sucker wasn't running. I'm in NW PA by the way, maybe it's lakes in different part of PA that you refer to?

Where are you from?  I grew up in and around Meadville.

I was with my uncle when I was a kid, when he got stopped for to big of a motor.   It was at Pymatuning Lake, we never put the motor down, we used the troller.  I never questioned it, just took the warden at his word.  He said it was illegal to even be in the lake with the big motor on the boat, using it or not made no difference humm, I will have to look it up now

[NJfishinGuy]

yeah that just seems rediculous , i know in NJ all the tons of electric only lakes theres always guys with 22' rangers with 250hp motors on them but they keep em up and theres no problem

[Pabowhunter34]

pymatuming is differnt cause the lake is shared with ohio now the rule up there is you can have the big motor on you just cant use it. I stay up there for a week every year too fish . All other lakes you can have your big motor mounted just cant use it i even fish kahle lake it is just electric i can keep my big motor on just dont use it. Ps a couple years ago i switched too a 10 hp on a 18 foot aluminum bass boat no speed demon but i get too go where i need too .