Quote:
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Originally Posted by cowgirl
"...Our boat is a 13 ft Boston Whaler, so one concern is weight...."
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Whaler -- great boat -- and you are to be applauded for cleaning up the Lake's air and water with the four-stroke.
You're right to be concerned about weight.
You don't say what year your Whaler is -- and the factory's horsepower recommendations vary -- even among their own 13-foot models. Another factor is the condition of the hull. Do you know its history? (Was it previously in commercial or rental service?) How sound
is the hull?
Four-strokes are heavier motors than
the equivalent 2-strokes, and the Whaler factory's
imprinted horsepower maximum recommendation can precede the introduction of the heavier 4-strokes.
You could be stressing the transom either while boating or trailering over pot-holed roads.
Here's a site that helps determine the year/model and how to survey a
Boston Whaler hull:
http://continuouswave.com/reference/buying/html