New boat, what motor!?

[DEERSLAYER]

Well, I finally got a new boat. I hope It will do everything I want, from river fishing to trolling for browns in Lake Michigan on a nice day.It's only 14' but it has 21" sides and a 48" bottom. It's all welded and wiegh's 295lbs. Problem is, I don't know how big a motor I need to get on plane with about 400lbs. of people and equipment. I know a 25 HP. would work great but I don't want too much weight as I want to be able to pop over logs a few inches out of the water and run up by Croton. Some guy's at work have told me a 15 HP. will do just fine. Others say no way. I wanted to keep the price in the 100's but have been considering the idea of a brand new 18 HP NISSAN 4-stroke because of the lack of pollution and they troll real well {although they weigh about as much as a 25 HP 2-stroke}. If I spend that kind of money I want to be sure it will do the job! I just don't know what to do. I don't have the boating experience to decide. I need some help from you boating Guru's out there! Help!!

P.S. Yes Shoeman, I said the "C" word. I know, I know, I should get a jet.

[STEINFISHSKI]

I'd put the maximum rated hp on it. It is a small rig, and woth the payload weighing more than the boat you'll need it to pop up on plane. That would be the most important thing to me.

[Mike]

DEERSLAYER,

I also have a 14' jon boat that I bought for river fishing. I have a 1954 15hp Evinrude that pushes it just fine. Even up-river loaded with gear.

Mike

[Erik]

Good luck finding a boat motor in the 100s dollar range.
I have a 15 on my 14fter and it will get on plane real fast if it's just me and my son. With three adults though you can forget it. It still does the job, but if I had it to do over again I'd go with the twenty or twenty five hp. Thirty is probably the max size for your boat, but I wouldn't max it out unless your talking about going with a jet prop.
As for running up the river and popping over logs? I don't recamend doing that without a jet prop. It's one thing to bump a rock and bend or brake your prop blades. A new prop is about fifty bucks for my motor, I carry a spare just in case. But if you hit a rock while going fast or up on plane, a new lower drive shaft for an outboard can easily cost three hundred dollars or more!
You don't need to go fast in the river anyway. Just relax and take it easy. You'll find other anglers wont wave to you with their middle finger as much, and you won't be erroding the banks from your wake:) Just a thought:)

[DEERSLAYER]

Erik,

I have no intentions of flying over logs. I don't go fast in the river. However, I do want to zip off lake Michigan if bad weather is blowing in. I plan on popping over logs like everyone else dose that I have talked to. Keep the motor unlocked, ease up to the log at just a few miles per hour and just as the front of the boat hits {or is about to hit} give it gas to push the boat over the log and let off the gas just before the lower unit hits the log.

[walleyechaser]

If you're planning on going out on bigger water like you said, stay away from a jet drive since they're only about 60% of the efficiency of an outboard of equal horsepower. You're better off with an outboard when it comes down to speed to weight ratio's and jet drives are more costly as well.
Since you're on a limited budget, go with a 25hp 2 stroke to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Another word of caution---horsepower ratings on small boats are not just a matter of pure horsepower. Its a combination of horsepower and engine weight that the transom will safely support. Going to a 4 stroke will lower the size of 4 stroke outboard you can put on your boat.
I've seen small boats with the knee braces cracked and broken
from too much weight on the transom and you run the risk of not being covered on the warranty.
In other words, STAY WITH AN OUTBOARD.

[Big Rig]

Just my 2 cents worth about the motor that you want to use !! if your planning on doing any Big Lake Fishing with it, I personally would not go with anything less than a 25 hp. i have a 16' alum and have been on the big lake when it's started to get rough and had to use ALL of the 25 just to get back to the harbor. I've been contemplating upgrading my Boat to a 40 hp just for that very Fact. My personal advise would be spend the money now instead of wishing you had later like myself !!!!

[DEERSLAYER]

Thanks for everybodies help! I think I will probably get a 25HP. The place I bought the boat from has a 1970 25 HP he said he would sell me for $400. He took it on trade and said the guy told him it ran great, but he said he was going to go through it anyway. He said he would rebuild the carb, put new points and condenser in it, a new plug, go through the lower unit and maybe put a new seal in it {although it is not leaking now} before I bought it. Being that old it has a stainless shear pin instead of a clutch in the hub but for $400 I'm not sure I can go wrong. He also said it is lighter than the newer ones because back then HP was measured at the motor, not the prop. like it is now so they didn't need as big of gears in the lower unit. Considerably lighter he said. Not as powerfull as a newer 25 HP, but it's gotta be a good 20 HP at the prop. I would think. What do you guy's think?

P.S. Anybody else got anything to add? Feel free to post it. I can use all the help I can get.