What size outboard?

[pike slayer]

Hey guys, I’m looking at purchasing this boat 

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-motorboat/oshawa-durham-region/2022-mirrocraft-3696s-utility-fishing-boat/1606800821

it’s rated for a max of 25hp.

The lake that My camp is on is a large inland lake but with tons of islands rock piles and shoals. It’s a dangerous lake if you don’t know where your going. I was originally thinking of getting the 15hp. The dealer is trying up sell me and get the 25hp. What should I get? Go in between and get the 20hp? I do all walleye fishing with a lot of trolling. I do not need a speed demon but don’t want to be pushing water either. Im going with a Yamaha outboard. 

[Fisherman]

If you don't go with the max, then 3/4 is pretty much the low end or 20HP.

[Terry]

It’s a 16 ft boat, go with the 25

[smitty55]

7 minutes ago, Terry said:

It’s a 16 ft boat, go with the 25

The only issue I see with a 25 over a 20 is the 25 might not troll down slow enough without a trolling plate or drift sock. For instance I like to troll lead core or copper and gang trolls for Lakers where the optimum speed is 1 mph and I doubt a 25 would go that slow, although with the newer 4 strokes it might with the right pitch prop.

[Steve]

I would assume the Yamaha would have the rpm button that will allow you to troll down to 600 rpm.

 

[dave524]

A 25 seems very conservative, back in the day dad had a 14 Mirro , basically their popular at the time deep fisherman model but with a steering wheel and a 35 Rude, friend's dad had the 16 foot version with the side console and he had a 55 Johnson, maybe the hulls were wider back then but I'd stay with the max.

Edited March 12, 2022 by dave524

[RandyLinden]

Hi

There are usually not many negative things when maxing out the HP on a boat. Maybe a few dollars more but I suggest that you consider the benefits of the 25HP before deciding. The 25HP will make the boat perform the way is was intended to work. It will get on plane in a shorter distance and in the most efficient way (I have experienced better fuel economy with a 25HP over a 15HP because the engine isn't working as hard) You will get the best speed performance and I know you indicated that speed was not a factor for you but its nice to have it when you want it. Just because it will go quicker doesn't mean you have to run it fast all the time but maybe if you want to get off the lake because of a T storm you might appreciate the extra speed. As I mentioned before your fuel economy should also be good if you don't need to run it hard. Another thing that might be a factor is the weight or load you have in the boat. If you only ever go alone with your fishing gear that's a pretty light load but what if you decide to add an extra fuel tank, maybe a battery or two and a nice bow mount electric steer/spot lock trolling motor? What about bringing another angler and his gear plus a cooler etc.? You might not do any of these things initially but down the road you may want to and the boat will be ready for that with the 25HP. I upgraded a similar boat (Lund) from a 15 to a 25 and the difference in overall performance was night and day. It also increased my travel range because it was faster and made the boat work properly. I actually traded in that new 25HP only a month old for an upgraded 25HP with electric start and power trim/tilt and I would highly recommend this as well. It is worth the extra money without any doubt. The power trim/tilt, it makes a huge difference in the way the boat works including being able to dial it in on those rougher water conditions. You will need a battery on board but that was also a bonus because I added running lights, a really good sonar/gps and a plug to run my radio... It goes on and on but at the heart of it is the 25HP.

Best of luck and enjoy that new boat! 

Edited March 12, 2022 by RandyLinden

[glen]

Boat is 64” wide. Weight 343lb.  
very similar to boats I have used.  
two people 400lb. and 200lb of gear.  
with the right prop. 
a 15hp will work.  20mph.  
a 20hp 25mph. 
a 25mph. 30 mph.  
 

I would take one over the other. If efi is an option. 
is the 25 a lot heavier then the 15.  
 

 

[glen]

25 is 126lb to 146lb  and  EFI   

15and 20 is 111 lb.  Carb.  
 

so I’d give up the efi to have a lighter engine.  
If I was going to load it heavy then 20 if not I’d go 15.   

[pike slayer]

A lot of the time there will be 3 ppl in the boat. The 25hp does have the variable trolling switch to dial it right down. And the 25hp is very close in weight. I only priced the 15hp I think I’ll be going back to the dealer to see the price difference. Yamaha site says the 15 is $3600-4000 and the 25 is $4600-5800 not a huge difference 

[glen]

Between 20 and 25 then. 
how heavy are the people 

if heavy (600) then 25.  

[DanD]

I had a 16' starcraft with a 40 Suzuki oil injected 2 stroke. That was the max HP for this tiller boat. With the factory settings on the motor, I could never get my speed down to where I wanted it. So I popped the hood and lowered the idle speed: great I got the boat down to the speed I wanted. But then I ended up with an engine stall if I dropped to an idle too quickly. If I took my time bringing the motor to an idle, the thing would plug along all day long. To cure this I added an electric solenoid to the throttle stop, connected to a toggle switch. When I was out cruising around I turned the solenoid on, keeping idle at the recommended speed. Then when I wanted to troll I would turn the solenoid off dropping my idle. My point being is don't be afraid of the larger motor, there's always a way around one issue or another. You may also want to increase the number of friends you have? On a day you're going to be drifting and casting, invite slim. Then on a day you're trolling ask BUBBA, on days both slim and BUBBA are with you, the 25hp will have a day to stretch its legs and love it. LOL

Dan.     

[tomO]

My1994 Merc 25 hp trolls down to 1mph, it's on a 16.5 ft. jon boat. 

[Gil Levesque]

I have a 3696 with a 25 Honda on the back! Trolls down to 1.8 .about the slowest i need to go! Love it!! If u need to go slower hang a couple of buckets over the side! Cheers!

[aplumma]

When the weather blows up or someone gets hurt the 25 will get you back to the dock quicker. 

Art

[pike slayer]

2 hours ago, Gil Levesque said:

I have a 3696 with a 25 Honda on the back! Trolls down to 1.8 .about the slowest i need to go! Love it!! If u need to go slower hang a couple of buckets over the side! Cheers!

Hey Gil, beauty boat! Do you have more pics? I was wondering about a bow mount trolling motor and what canvas top is that? Does it get in the way when it’s down? 

[Dara]

I saw that boat up at Northshore the other day.

Not a heavy boat but you want at least the 20.

I had an old Mirrocraft 14' with a 15 2 stroke and that was just enough.

Actually I sold it to a guy on your lake.

[Gil Levesque]

Slayer, ive got a minnkota pd55 with ipilot on the front and boat is a little heavier as ive added front and rear casting platforms plus storage areas. The bimmini folds down out of the way right in front of the motor!

[pike slayer]

North shore has 3 of them I’ll be going in this week to price the 20 and 25.

gil that’s an awesome set up I may have to steal a couple of your ideas. 

[Gil Levesque]

Aww! Shucks! Its just a n old fishin boat....... but it works!

[Gil Levesque]

[kickingfrog]

8 hours ago, Gil Levesque said:

Slayer, ive got a minnkota pd55 with ipilot on the front and boat is a little heavier as I've got a glorious 'stash that adds to wight and wind resistance. 

 

Had a add some key details that were omitted. lol

[porkpie]

Get the 25.  I had a 30 2 stroke on my SSV 16 and never regretted It.  You add a load of anything and you’ll be glad you got it!

[Loonietoon]

What size boat is that Gil ???

[akaShag]

I have been a tiller boat guy for a very long time.  "EVERYBODY" says get the max hp your boat is rated for.  That also jives with my personal experience on quite a number of boats, both mine and others.  An under-powered boat struggles a lot, it's harder to steer, and has been noted, your fuel consumption sucks.  The only reason I can think of to get a smaller motor is if you are putting it on and off the transom all the time.  (Assuming, of course, that you can afford the extra $$$ for the bigger motor)

Doug