How well do you think a 9.9 would push a 12' jon?

[92 5 oh]

Hello,

Hope this isn't a dumb question, but i'm looking for a boat motor for m y 12' flat bottom jon. I can put up to 15 horse on it and ideally i would like that but i'm having trouble finding a 15 at a decent price right now. I've seen a bunch of 9.9's for decent prices but i'm concerned if it will get the job done. I'd have 2 people in the boat and on very rare occasion i may have a 3rd and i was planning on putting in a small, basic deck. All the places i would go don't really have much of a current except 1 place. it's a brackish inlet that empties into the chesapeake bay, at times the current can be fairly strong. This is my only concern with a 9.9. I've been out there before with 15 horse during the tide change in friends boat and it did fine but he had a V hull...  :-/

[surfer]

Flat bottom is faster than V hull, but much rougher ride.  As a kid I had an 8hp on a 12 ft john and we used to ski behind it. Of coarse that was only two 70 lb kids and one 70 lb skier.  I am pretty sure the 9.9 would get you on plane.  Sorry that is the only comparison I can offer.

Try the 9.9.  If it isn't ideal keep looking for a 15 while you use the 9.9. Then sell the 9.9.

PS there are no dumb questions.

[Wayne P.]

When I use my 9.9 on my 12 jon boat, I am fishing alone (170 lbs.). I get 25mph GPS speed with the 9X9 prop and I run on plane. I've only had another person with me once and that was a kid that weighed about 75 pounds and it got on plane and felt like it ran almost as fast. When I use it on a (180 lbs) fishing buddy's 14 boat with both of us, it will not get on plane. His boat is extra wide. It's all about the amount of weight that you have to overcome.

I bought the 9.9 specifically for HP restricted lakes.

[92 5 oh]

oh wow, i guess i under-estimated the 9.9 lol.  i also assumed that a V would do better because it would 'cut' the water and a flat bottom would plow through it.   I've got a lot to learn.

thanks for the info!

[GooseBoots]

  Wayne, we have the same H.P. restriction here in Pennsylvania. Next spring I'll need to deal with this issue. I'll probably get a 9.9 also. From what I understand, I'll really need the outboard for river fishing locally because of the swifter current.

  My 14' jon calls for up to 15 H.P., so I'll have to get out on these lakes and rivers. As an example, if I end up concentrating the Susquehana getting after Smallmouth, I'll get the 15 H.P. I just need to fish some of the restricted lakes, and depending on how far away they are, that will make my decision.

Bruce

[ThomasL]

92 5 o,if you look under wareagle boats i had the 1436fld which had a low front deck,i bought a johnson 9.9 4 stroke that would plane the boat and run around 15mph,i sold the engine because the boat was camo and put a fourstroke mercury 15 on it in black and checked it out,i only gained  2 mph by gps.I believe if you buy a 2 stroke you'll think the thing is flying! ;D

[Wayne P.]

My motor is a 2-stroke. The problem will be finding a 9.9 2-stroke if Mercury is your choice. Mercury doesn't make 2-strokes any more except the Optimax in the larger sizes. My jon boat is rated for a 15HP. I sized the motor for the waters I'd be using it on. I been in boats with small 2-stroke HP motors of other mfg and they don't start as easily as the Merc., that is why I chose that brand.

I have a 150HP on a bassboat also.

[fishn bear]

I have an 8hp honda on a 14' jon boat that with two guys 180-200 lbs each it will plan but thats about it.  But it will get me anywere I want to go.  I would look for a 2 stroke for two reasons.  One it will be a lot lighter and two it is easy to change the jets in the carb to make it a 15hp.  

[92 5 oh]

that's great info. I never really thought about 4stroke vs 2 stroke either.  So do most perfer 2 stroke?  Some lakes around here have a 9.9 limit as well, which is another thing I thought about. sounds like 9.9 would be my ticket.

and thanks for all the input guys!

[Big T]

We had 9.9 on my buddy's 12ft Lowe. We used it for knee boarding, even though we didn't go very fast and even took that boat three mile offshore a couple times. Very slick conditions when did that. He used a Johnson tow stroke. I like my 25 hp 4-stroke Yamaha alot. It is consideralby quiter than my two was. More fule efficient. I have yet to run it out of gas and have ran a full throttle around 25-30 miles in a day on a 6.5 gal tank. The one thing I did notice in going from 2-4 stroke is that the take off on the 4 stroke is not as strong. That could be a prob issue. It isn't enough of a difference to really complain about however. Also the 4 stroke is alot heavier and more expensive.

[92 5 oh]

well i found a yamaha 9.9 from 1986 for sale. needs a head gasket. not sure what else, the description does get into detail.  i'm pretty well rounded with mechanics so im confident that i could do the work.  any idea if parts for yamaha motors are expensive or if the motors are even any good.  would this be a decent motor for $200 if all it needed was a head gasket?

thanks again for all the help!!

[HPBB]

if your having trouble finding a small outboard try www.smalloutboards.com  they have some nice motors. ther is a Merc 9.9 tiller there for $850

[farmpond1]

With some lakes having horsepower restrictions, a 9.9 horse motor is more versatile.  My 2 cents.

[surfer]

I am not fond of buying a motor that doesn't run. To much gamble. While you may think it only needs a head gasket you aren't able to test any of the other components due to the head gasket. It could have striped gears, dirty points, fouled plugs, etc.

Now that I think about it, isn't a blown head gasket a symptom of overheating?  Add water pump to that list.

[HPBB]

or they pulled the head off of it because they thought it had burned up a piston.