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| I'm looking at purchasing a Rebel XL side console. I would like a larger boat, however I've decided to try to stick to a smaller budget so I can afford to use the boat more. Most of the time I'll be fishing calmer lakes and reserviors, but I want to be safe and secure for trips on Lake Erie, LOTW, etc. I'm looking right now at a 60hp Merc 4 stroke. It's max rated for a 75hp, however its almost 150 more pounds going from the 60 to the 75 and I"m not sure if it's worth the extra weight. What do you guys think? I had also checked with a couple Alumacraft dealers on some of their boats but seems like it's gonna be heavier, I'm assuming due to the twin plated hull which would translate to reduced fuel mileagle, more to tow, and slower speeds. So what do you guys think of the boat and engine delima? |
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| Get the biggest motor you can afford. Applies to outboards and trolling motors. Weight is always an issue, but you can sometimes actually get worse mileage from a smaller motor working harder than a larger motor working comfortably, and go faster doing it.
Not that a 60 won't push it, but 15hp to the 75 a 25% increase. That's a significant amount.
Larger motor will also help resale. |
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Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'd go with the 75. |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
If you have the option of going 75 as compared to 60, and the 75 weighs more, it will have higher displacement and probably acts more like a weak 90hp motor if there exists a 90hp of the same displacement as the 75.
When two motors are rated differently but have the same displacement (say a 75 and a 90 in this case) the 75 is probably rated below it's tested range and closer to 81 to 82 hp and the 90 is more likely to be over-rated and closer to 82 or 83 hp. So...you really aren't going to see that much difference between the two. It is not physically possible to have a huge difference in HP with engines of the same displacement, even with modifications. If my memory is correct on my research with this (as I did this with a yamaha 90hp 2 stroke for testing purposes) I could gain some on the 90hp by switching out reeds, exhaust tuner and a shaved head, which probably only gained me another 10hp. Worth it? Not really...as I still was unhappy with the performance of the engine.
I changed from that yamaha 90hp which is had the smallest displacement of any 2 stroke 90hp out there, to a Johnson 90hp and was highly impressed with the an increase from 69.6cid to 105cid in the same HP engine and what it did for my boat. I gained some 6 - 7mph (from 37 to 43) ,increased weight by about 100 pounds, and the boat jumps out of the hole with a higher pitch prop.
The extra weight, in my humble opinion, is actually a good thing. It allows the bow to trim easier as more weight in the rear moves the center of gravity back.
So...if you can swing it, I'd get the 75....well worth the extra money as the boat will be very efficient with the larger displacement. Hole shot will be better, mid range performance will be better, and it will be faster too...
Steve
If they are of different displacement, then definitely go with the 75.
Edited by VMS 5/15/2012 9:42 AM
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | Check to see if they have a max recommended motor wieght listed for the boat, some fishing boats do. The 75 is a very large and heavy motor for it's size. The 60 is a good motor and if you are happy with the performance go with it. Max HP on a smaller fishing boat is not as crucial as it is on a large fishing boat IMHO. |
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Posts: 79
| My Father in law has a Rebel Sport with a 60hp. With 2 people in it it is OK but 3 people that thing is a dog .It takes forever to get on plan. I do not know what size prop he has on it. The Mercury 75hp is high displacement same as the 90hp and 115hp... I was going to buy a rebel sport with a 75 hp but for $50.00 more I bought a Alumacraft 165 Navigator with 90 Mercury |
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| I guess I will price it out with the 75 and go big then. Couple more questions. Is a 55lb Terrova stout enough or should I go to the 80lb? And also you guys that have fished one of these boats. How shallow can you run and float? I've heard so much mixed input. Some people claiming they can't go where a bassboat can but looking at all the pictures I have saw it looks like hardly any hull is actually in the water and it would float in a foot or less. I plan on using it in some bigger rivers but there are alot of shallow objects that like to sneak up on ya. |
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| Muskiechaser - 5/20/2012 11:26 PM
Is a 55lb Terrova stout enough or should I go to the 80lb?
A 55 will push it, but you would want the 80 to hold your spot or move in strong wind, current, et cetera. Get the biggest you can afford, but bigger is generally better for trolling motors. |
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| if you switch to a 24volt system relocate the batteries to the front of the boat. With the heavier 75hp merc and 3 batteries in the back, the boat becomes quite rear end heavy especially w/ 3 or more people in the cockpit. make gettin on plane tough. seen this on the 16ft rebels, wasnt a problem on the 18.
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | With that size boat being under 900 pounds, you could get away with the 55 lb thrust motor. It will do the job in most situations. I have a boat that is almost 1000 pounds alone and I have a 65 lb thrust motor which is 24 volt and was wired to go either 12 or 24. My gut instinct says with that particular model it will be a 12 volt model as it only has 2 battery trays. I did a little searching on the lund site and it did not specify where the batteries were, so I can only assume one up front somewhere and one in the rear. It would be a long way to run wiring for a trolling motor from the rear but it could be done with the right size wire.
In most cases, if you get to a point you are trying to move that boat in a wind that requires you to be at full speed on the motor, the conditions will be hard to fish in as I would suspect wave action of around 1-1/2 feet or so and some white-capping. I have tried it with mine and to be honest for me, it is uncomfortable to fish in as adjustments move the boat quick and the amount of bouncing is a bit much to stand and cast on a boat of that size while keeping your body stable, and trying to figure eight if necessary...That is just my feelings on it and others may feel it is no big deal to stand in those kind of conditions. I have tried it, and if the motor cannot do the job, I will start a kicker motor in the back for forward thrust, then use the trolling motor to make my adjustments left and right as needed. It can be done, but it is not the easiest thing to do.
I say in most conditions I suspect you would be in, the 55 will do just fine.
Steve |
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Posts: 139
Location: Slippery Rock, PA | I have the 16ft xl ss. I only have a 20horse on it due to hp restrictions. My tm does just fine with the 55 on it. Both batteries are in the back, one on each side. The only negatives are lack of rod and tackle storage. I also extended the rear deck for my dad. Other than that, I like the boat. |
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Posts: 79
| Lund Rebel Sport has battery's in the rear.Lund runs 8 gauge wire from the back to trolling motor. If going with a 80lb Terrova. I would run 6 gauge wire it is easy to do.Lund has tubes under floor so tie onto existing wire and pull new wire.My Father in law has a 55lb TM Seems Ok for boat .I would go with a 24v more power.You can also buy a flip up seat for the back and when you flip it down it is a rear casting deck pretty cool Idea.I never test drove one with a Mercury 75 hp but I would think you would have no problems planing out better than the 60hp.Like I said before I had one all pick out and then went with a Alumacraft. |
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| One more question to throw out. Again, I'm cocerned about fishing shallow water. I'm wondering how well it might could work to purchase a jet drive lower kit and a small jackplate and have the ability to change it over for when I fish rivers during summer. I know my mileage/power will go down considerably but I'm more concerned with using a jet drive on that hull. I've used a small jet drive on a jonboat and liked the capabilities. |
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| This is right now the primary boat I'm looking at. I've looked at the Alumacrafts and after doing some pricing I can get the Lund for about $1000 cheaper than the Classic 165CS. I plan on sticking with the 60hp though if this is indeed the boat I choose due to better weight distribution. I saw a post somewhere with someone who had a 75hp and apparently had issues under certain circumstances with water trying to come over the back with how low it sat. I probably would go with the 80lb though and just run heavier gauge wire. Troll alot longer with more power. I can't tell ya much on shallow performance. I'm hoping it would do well enough since I will be using it on Melton Hill. |
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