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Presently, I fish electric-only lakes in Maryland. I have a 16' Carolina Skiff set up for musky fishing. I want to put a gas motor on my boat. I troll a lot. I'm considering either a 9.9 or 20 HP Honda. Both will allow me to fish the PA HP restricted lakes.
Wondering.......how much of a difference in speed of the boat can I expect between a 9.9 or 20 HP? Thanks.
ive personal never fished this lake, however i have been on kinzua and i get along just fine with a 9.9hp. i would check with the bait shops and anglers in your area
A 9.9 (Mercury Pro-Kicker) will get you about 6-8mph on a 19ft Lund full of crap and with a 225 on the back. Your boat is lighter so figure 10-13mph with the 9.9 if it is a Merc.....
I have a 9.9 Honda kicker on my 18' Sylvan with a 115 E-tec main motor and I get 6.5- 6.8 MPH max outta it.
It is a quiet little motor. 2008 model. It was $3800 with the controls, I connected it to the main motor for steering. I'd do the same so you can control the speed from the drivers seat, unless your a tiller boat.
$500 extra for electric start which I skipped but the motor came in wrong and I got that option for free.
Hope that helps, maybe someone who has a 20 HP can add to it.
I like mine, a 15 HP might of been better for larger waters with high winds but haven't been able to do what I want yet so......I like it.
I can fire the E-tec if I have to it will troll fine as well.
A 9.9 on a carolina skiff will not get you on plane and your speed will suffer greatly,A 20 hp with the right prop will plane it off and give you decent speed.I know they are heavy fiberglass boats.To me as long as you can afford it I would always want the extra HP for any stormy,or windy situations you might run into on the water anyway.As for trolling that 20hp 4 stroke will troll just as nice as the 9.9. but with a hair more gas.
I have a 1999, 15 hp Honda four-stroke on a 16' deep v Sea Nymph. I'm not sure if i even get 8mph out of it. The boat is rather old and heavy but i thought for sure when i purchased it that i would at least be able to get up on plane. Though for trolling there is no other motor i would rather have. I can run 2 full days on about 3 gallons of gas! If i were you i would steer towards a 25hp or so especially if you are going with a four-stroke.
A 25hp would not be the best being he wants a motor to go on PA hp restricted lakes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Streich
Great motor, whether you want to plan it or not I guess will let you decide your HP.........They sip gas, a full weekend of trolling and it's like 3-5 gallons of gas, awesome.
Thanks guys. Some good info. there - Tom