guys please help the newbe to chose a engine for his first boat

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mohaxars

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Hi guys i am a new member of the forum and new in to the boat world ( so new i never bean on the water yet).i have just got a project boat from e bay please see the link
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=221314208067
I need to fully refurb it ans buy a engine for it what size engine will be the best for it ..... I need it to be good on fuel . And what size engine will be good if i want to pull a water sky?
Thanks in advance guys
Regards
Valentine
 
I'd go for a 2-stroke in the region of 90 to 130hp for skiing, but check the maximum rating as going beyond the design spec would invalidate insurance. 50hp would be more economic, but you're only going to get perhaps 20-25kts without the skiing and probably struggle to pull up a skier IMHO. Even without the skiing, I'd look for around 90hp on a 16' to get the best out of it. Our 14' Fletcher has a 50hp 2-stroke and with a spotter and driver, I'd doubt we'd have enough oomph!
 
Depending on budget, an Evinrude ETEC or Tohatsu TLDI? If budget is limited to older motors then a more traditional (read less economic :nonchalance:) 2-stroke like a Mercury or Yamaha perhaps? No holy grail as far as I'm aware - they're either new & expensive, 4-stroke frugal and heavy or older thirsty and cheap(er)! (That said waterskiing will be expensive anyway - too much wild acceleration and short runs... :rolleyes:)
 
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From new these usually came with either an 80hp Mercury 2 stroke or a Yamaha 75/85 2 stroke. If you want to ski you are going to need at least 80hp and as every one else has said 2 stroke for a good power to weight ratio.

At this age Glastrons were a well built boat with a heavy lay up. Make sure you check the integrity of the floor, its usually ply and at this age usually rotten. When looking for an engine try and get one with the control box and cables included, a new set could cost you more than the boat did !

Good luck, they are nice boats.
 
mohaxars, a very warm welcome to the forum. I can't add anything to the advice above, but please keep us updated on your progress, and pictures always go down well here too.
 
The plates in the boat should state a max recommended hp. Do not go for less than 75-80% of this and make sure you get the right shaft length!
Mercruiser is an inboard with sterndrive and will not fit this boat.

Being a Glastron (US design) it isn't sensitive to load on transom, if in good condition. Engine weight is merely of interest re. total weight.

I have a 1979 brochure and your boat most likely is a model SSV-176. If so, the specs are

L.O.A: 17' 1-1/4"
Beam: 83"
Transom width: 79"
Depth: 46 3/4"
Motor shaft length: 20"
Capacity: 1550 lbs
Optimum performance range: 70 to 140 hp
Fuel: 18 US gallon

In 1979 a 140 hp outboard weighed 290 lbs or 131 kg but the same boat was offered with Mercruiser i/o 165hp that weighed significantly more.

http://www.classicglastron.com/
79gl-ssv176.jpg
 
mohaxars said:
And what size engine will be good if i want to pull a water sky?
Click to expand...
It makes quite a difference if you wish to pull out a skier also with monoski or not.
If not, 80/100 hp would be fine, but if yes I'd guess that you need at least 150.
 
80/85/90 two stroke Yamaha absolutely bulletproof & well capable for that size boat unfortunately whatever you fit is going to be hungry on fuel but once you go over the 3cyl yams the fuel consumption gets eye watering

you don't need 150hp to monoski I ski behind our 4m rib with a 40hp Yamaha & I deepwater start with both feet in the ski which gives the boat more work to do that trailing one foot till your up I've waterskied for 30 years & i just never mastered the one foot start!

if you do find the boat a bit slow on the holeshot with a skier just switch down a pitch in prop you'll lose a little top end but gain the grunt you need to ski

i think we used to run a 19 pitch for skiing & a 21pitch for just cruising on a 17 foot hull

best of luck with it just remember its the engine you get the fun out of.You can have the tattiest boat & still have a good day out but a ropey engine wont get you anywhere

Its worth waiting for the right engine to come up,you will pay a little more for a yam but they are realy worth the extra but don't be tempted to go for the larger v4 115 or 130 they may be cheap but you will pay for it in fuel in the long run

ken
 
Chapeaux it is, then. To your RIB, I mean.
I also tried deepwater start with a mono and 40hp a few times, 'cause here in IT it's a popular choice for rented boats (above 40hp a license is required).
But I never found one which was up to the task. Actually, with one of them I even struggled with two skis...
 
When you know your budget for the engine and know that you must have a short shaft, there will be a limited selection to choose from.

I'd suggest you get the newest, biggest major brand engine in good condition that you can find. Remember that you're going to need remote control and instruments to be included and that you most likely will need a propeller to suit your boat and use.

Any used boat engine should be checked thoroughly before buying. Some aged oil/fuel mix systems are not reliable but if beyond reapair the simple solution is to use premix both in tank and oil reservoir.
2-strokes come in old fashioned (referred to as 'classic') and later designs where newer is more attractive for good reasons. New two-stroke engines, of conventional design, placed on the market in Europe after the end of 2006 cannot meet CE regulations and therefore are not legal to sell. Older engines already on the market may be used regardless.

As mentioned an Evinrude E-TEC is state of the art (and the only E-rude still in production), but as always that comes at a price (Johnson/Evinrude had a series called FICHT, certain models known to be problematic to be careful)..

4-strokes are a delight. Much sought for and rather pricey.
 
As a rule il never buy a mercury/johnson/ervinrude, yam or mariner (yam built) for me my broom has an old 70 yam and it's never given me any troubles
 
First i want to say thanks for your time guys i realy mean it .
to be honest i am not a fan of speed and i was not aware pulling a sky will need so much power . I will use the boat with my family and friends for non thriling water experiance like cruising up and down rivers and mainly fishing so power and speed is not important for me .the important part is to be as good as possible on the fuel so i can aford to go out and actualy do it.so as long as it is not slower then the current ( so i am not in 1 way street) i am happy
 
mohaxars said:
First i want to say thanks for your time guys i realy mean it .
to be honest i am not a fan of speed and i was not aware pulling a sky will need so much power . I will use the boat with my family and friends for non thriling water experiance like cruising up and down rivers and mainly fishing so power and speed is not important for me .the important part is to be as good as possible on the fuel so i can aford to go out and actualy do it.so as long as it is not slower then the current ( so i am not in 1 way street) i am happy
Click to expand...

It's a tricky one, fuel economy means 4 stroke which is expensive, either way you need to have a big enough engine to get it on the plane, a speedboat is most economical when it's on the plane, anything less and your spending money pushing water
 
First step would be to check if there are speed limits on the sections of river you intend to use it on.
If you are limited to around 6 knots ten you really dont need much in the way of power, 10hp would do to potter along.
No speed restrictions then getting the boat to plane will require around 40hp but depends on how many people in boat / weight boat is carrying.
All depends on how fast you intend to go.
 
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