HP recommendation for 14' Klamath

[biederboat]

I was fortunate enough to get a nice 14' Klamath from my wife's grandfather. It's a thin-hull welded aluminum hull, weighs about 200 lb. at the most. Max. HP is 25. The most work I would ever put this thing through is maybe deer hunting on the Willamette or crabbing in a bay with two people and of course some gear (say 500 lb. max). What's the minimum HP I should consider? Most of the time I'll just be using it to lake fish or maybe Sellwood when I don't want to mess with the 19' boat. But, of course, I have to make adequate headway for my worst condition.

Thanks,
Biederboat

[fishkisser]

15 Hp...:twocents:

[RiverJohn]

15 Hp...:twocents:

Ditto



:twocents::twocents:

[fish junky]

Fished out of alot of those boats and a 15 hp was just right.

[biederboat]

15 it is!

Thanks very much,
Biederboat

[trap50]

I had the same boat. Put a 25 on it to run the Willy duck hunting. Worked great for that. Without the load it was scary fast. Later put a 15 with a happy troller plate on it . That was a real good combo.

[KingFisher85]

I've had one...No less then 20hp, better yet, a 25 2 stroke being your best bet.

[fisher5000]

I had the same boat for ten years before my Alumaweld. Put a Yamaha 15 hp four stroke on it. Loved it but wished I had another 5-10 hp when the weather was kicking up and needed to get back to the ramp/camp in a hurry. Also, fished alot with another person in the boat plus a Lab so the extra hp would have helped. You can always slow down but going faster is not an option if you are under powered. If you can, go with the four stroke.:twocents:

[sidewinder]

25...being under powered sucks! A 15 would be minimal, but a trade off would be a 15 would troll down better.

[ORtrapper]

Ive got a 12 foot klamath with a 25 two stroke on it. full of decoys, guns, dog and 2 other people it is just enough power....I wouldnt go any smaller than a 25 for your 14 footer

[Smitty]

I had a 14' Smokercraft with a 15 on it and would recommend going with a 25 for when you have another person and gear. 15 will work but as mentioned already I had a few times I wish it had a 25.:twocents:

[twisted lines]

I have a 12' Gregor with a old 18hp 2 stroke that goes 18mph tops with just me the dog and a 12V Battery for the minkota. Trolls Very well with no Plate, Has one don't need it.

[cptdarel]

had a 15 merc 4 stroke on mine, perfect!

[MattPark]

Had a 15hp 2 stroke on mine, 23mph just me (175 lbs), 16-17mph with another person my size, still on plane, but with a passenger over 250 lbs it was real difficult, if not impossible to plane.

15 would work, but more is better IMO.

[lundprov]

I had 14ft kalamath with a 25hp merc and a hydro fin on its more than enough power to fish umitilla and john day for walleye

[RiverJohn]

Ive got a 12 foot klamath with a 25 two stroke on it. full of decoys, guns, dog and 2 other people it is just enough power....I wouldnt go any smaller than a 25 for your 14 footer

My former 12 ft Smokercraft was tippy tippy tippy wth 2 in the boat.

I would never buy a 12 ft again unless it was primarily used for filling with water to wash my dog.

Anyone else out there - trust me, go 14 ft or more.. :twocents:

[1pump]

I had a 14' Gregor rated for 25, and that's what I put on it. It was fast with just me in it, but add another person and a bunch of gear and it would slow way down. I had a 15 on it before the 25, and it was a dog. The 25 didn't use any more gas than the 15, and the difference was day and night as far as power. The only downside to the 25 was having to use a trolling plate.

I now have a 15' Klamath rated for 45, and I have the same 25 Merc I had on the Gregor. It's adequate, but not impressive.

An underpowered boat can get you killed if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, like below Bonneville or near a river bar when the tide swings.

[Tinman]

15 is adequate for light loads and moderate speeds. Overall you will be happier with a 20 or 25.

[Empire]

My dad has a 15' Klamath with a 25hp Mercury 2 stroke. The boat runs fine with 2 or 3 adults in it. Start adding gear and it starts to dog. At altitude over 6,000 feet that boat cannot get out of its own way. Go with the 25 if you can afford the extra $.

[surfnfish]

I was fortunate enough to get a nice 14' Klamath from my wife's grandfather. It's a thin-hull welded aluminum hull, weighs about 200 lb. at the most. Max. HP is 25. The most work I would ever put this thing through is maybe deer hunting on the Willamette or crabbing in a bay with two people and of course some gear (say 500 lb. max). What's the minimum HP I should consider? Most of the time I'll just be using it to lake fish or maybe Sellwood when I don't want to mess with the 19' boat. But, of course, I have to make adequate headway for my worst condition.

Thanks,
Biederboat

There is nothing worse then being under powered, unless it's having an engine that is too heavy weighing down the ass end of the boat.

If you you're going to buy an older used motor, and will spend most of your time trolling, then a smaller motor makes sense. If you want to run to your locations and spend more time anchored then trolling, more hp is the way to go.

If you're going with a newer or new motor, however, you can get the best of both worlds.

A new Mercury 20, for example, only weighs 4 more pounds then a new Mercury 15. And that extra 5 hp means a lot more push with less throttle, which means less wear and tear on the engine over the long haul.

[Rainman]

I have a 15.5' Smokercraft Alaskan with a 15 hp Merc 2 stroke. While it zips along nicely when it's just me, going upstream with a loaded boat I'm wanting more. When the time comes to upgrade, I'll probably go with a 20 or 25 hp. w/ trolling plate.