outboard weight on 12' Klamath

justasillyolgirl · 05-27-2009, 01:08 PM

I have an older model 12' Klamath Trailer boat that I need to put a new motor on. The one that I am looking at is a 4 stroke and weighs in at 120 lbs. My concern is that the bow will be so high when I'm in the boat alone that I won't be able to see over it. The boat is 5'wide. Should I be concerned about the stern being too low and possibly taking on water or am I just being overly cautious, even paranoid?

Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.....I'm sort of new to the boat owner thing.

Klamanite · 05-27-2009, 02:19 PM

Look at the Coast Guard placard on your boat. It will give the max HP rating and the loaded max weight for that boat. If the motor and loaded weight match up then put it on there. If the nose is too high when you are by yourself, then add some ballast to the front end to bring the nose down and even things out.

Tinman · 05-27-2009, 04:31 PM

Weight can be an issue. That boat was designed for a 9.9 or 15 hp motor that weighs about 75 pounds. The four stroke weighs 45 more pounds than that.

How much do you weigh? If you're a little guy at 150 pounds, you can get away with the 4 stroke. If you are a 230 pounder like me, stick with a two-stroke.

justasillyolgirl · 05-27-2009, 07:20 PM

The placard on the boat says up to 20hp can be used on it. My concern is that back when this boat was made, all you could get was a 2 stroke. Now it seems all you can get new is a 4 stroke. All the 15hp weigh the same as the 20hp, so why not go for the greater hp, right? You are right that the weight difference is about 45lbs either way.

I guess I better start eating rice cakes or something. . . . .

Loneangler · 05-28-2009, 12:33 PM

I have a 14 foot Klamath with the same hp max on the plate. I run a 15 hp 4 stroke on it. The 4 stroke is about 20 lbs heavier than a 15 hp 2 stroke, so not much difference. All small boats will have some weight balance problems but these can easily be solved. Some put their gas tank in the bow to compensate. I put my batteries in the bow to compensate -my outboard is electric start and I frequently use a trolling motor so always one or two batteries on board. Adjusting the trim will compensate for any bow rise due to weight distribution when planing but bow rise when trolling or slow cruising makes the boat very susceptible to wind and having weight in front helps mitigate bow wander due to the wind.