size motor?

[Garrick]

I've got a twelve foot fiberglass sears gamefisher. If I decide to go with a gas engine, what do you guys think is the biggest that boat I can handle. I figure I'll have to reinforce the transom, but I'd really like some info from guys who know something about it before I spend money I don't have on a big engine and then break th boat I can't afford to replace. Thanks.

[YOTE BUSTER]

At least a 10 H P

[knotreelly]

Agree1

[Gary P]

not that it matters but what is it rated for? probably a 5 or so? I would still bolt on at least a 10 and don't make any sharp turns!

[Sledneck]

a 10 or 15 would be plenty...especially if it is a flat bottom. wouldn't go over that, a 25 would probably turn it into a submarine, I've seen it happen.

[Bigbear]

I have seen one of those boats before.
And I think it was rated for a max of 10 horse.

[Garrick]

How would I find out what it's rated for? Also, I thought quabbin requires that it only be half of that rating. Is that right?

[YOTE BUSTER]

That would be right, up to a 20 HP for 2 stroke 25 HP for a four storke.I'll tell you this right now if your gonna put a 5 Hp on just to fish the big Q you are wasting you'r money.The wind out there will blow you all over the place.

[knotreelly]

Agree1 the winds will jump on you like that

[Garrick]

so, a 10 horse would work on quabbin? It's the only place around that I know of where you can get lakers and salmon, so I'd really like to be well-equipped for it. One the other hand, it looks like motors cost so much I might be better off just renting one of their boats every now and then. I was up there the other day, the boat had a 6 horse that seemed to do okay. Not fast, but okay.

[YOTE BUSTER]

The ten would be ok on a good day.and i belive the rental boats have been up graded to 15 HP

[Garrick]

This one said 6 on it. It's probably a moot issue anyway, I doubt I'll have the cash for anything but a license in the spring. I've got my homemade oars made out of pvc, so that's probably what I'll be stuck with for a long, long, time. It's allright, I'm sure that as soon as I graduate they'll give me a job as CEO of a large corporation and a salary of about half a mil annuallyThumbsup. Sadly, that was a joke. Anybody know of a good job for a theater major???

[Sledneck]

Anybody know of a good job for a theater major???

Porn???Notsure Jenna Jameson seems to have made out alright? Just a thought...

[JayW]

Maybe in a bigger city like Boston or New York there are probably more oppurtunities for that major. Best of luck.

[noresman]

There should be a plaque somewhere in the boat telling you what the load capacity and horsepower rating is. On a 12' boat I don't think it would be over 10hp. If you're going to fish smaller ponds I agree with the earlier post about getting an electric motor(possibly ask for one for a christmas or Birthday present) and rent a boat for the occasional trip to the Q. Good Luck

[arlow]

You want to fish quabbin with it? A couple things you need to consider here if so. One has already been said in this thread and that is that regardless of the motor size the hull has to be rated for double whatever HP you have on the boat. So if you put a 10 HP on it the boat has to be rated for 20 HP.
The second is I believe some of those 12 footers were flat bottomed boats. Flat bottoms are not allowed out on the Quabbin. You must have some type of V-hull configuration or they will just send you packing home. They may however let you out on the Potapaug pond with a flat bottom but not the big side.

Good luck!

[Garrick]

It's a v-hull. I just got a new job a few hours ago, so we'll see what my financial status is like in the spring. Probably won't have much though. I'm planning a backpacking trip in the grand canyon with some of my family- that has to take precedence over fishing.

[grizbear13]

Wink1 Look on the inside of the transom between the cutout for the motor and the corner ,there should be a BOA rating label in tha area it'l tell you the hp and weight capacity of the boat. That has to be on all boats as that is the law..The Gamefisher I think would get around pretty good even with a six hp and they are not to over expensive and they are light and cheap to run..Wink1 Fishing1

[Crestliner]

I've never seen a 12' boat of any configuration rated for more than a 15 hp motor. That being said, the max hp you'd be allowed to use on the Quabbin, for this size boat, would probably be a 7.5 hp motor. This would be similar to the rig I used for many years on the Q. And this would be fine for the Quabbin IF you pay attention to the weather and know your limitations. When the wind kicks up and the waves increase, GET OFF! You should be able to see a small aluminum plate on the transom of your boat which will tell you the max. rated hp of that hull. If not, do an internet search on the make/model of your boat, investigate the links and you should find out the info (hp rating) you need. However, be aware, the gate keepers at the Q can be persnickety sometimes and if you do not have a hull plate in your boat, their perception of what is "O.K." goes - no matter what!