How much HP do I need for 6-7 ppl onboard and wakeboard?

[duckseatfree]

I'm looking to buy a new boat for me to wakeboard on. How much HP should I be looking for (I/O motor)?

How much HP would it take an 18 ft boat (i.e. bayliner or wellcraft - bowrider) to carry 6-7 people and still be able to wakeboard behind it?

I've heard that 135hp isn't enough (is it?)....would 150hp be good...or do I need to get up to the 200's

p.s. the boats i'm looking at are '88 and 89' bayliner and '91 wellcraft

[kartman]

i would want more than 200. i have 300 in a 21' bayliner, and it can be pigish when loaded with people and ballast.

[duckseatfree]

Which would be best for Wakeboarding (will add tower to all) - Which should I buy?

1) 135hp - 2003 Sea Ray 176 SRX - $4,500
http://www.newdimensiontowers.com/galleries/searay/04-05_Searay_180_Sport.html

2) 165 hp - '91 Wellcraft - $4,000
http://greenville.craigslist.org/boa/1856899583.html

3) 220hp - '89 Bayliner - $3,500
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/1860518646.html

or 4 (my fav.) 150hp - 88' Bayliner - $5,500
http://s621.photobucket.com/albums/tt297/jtmkustoms/88%20Bayliner%20Capri/?albumview=slideshow

[CrookedWake]

Personally I would try and get the newest boat I could, with the least hours, unless you are B.A. mechanic like Kartman!

[Brando86]

I have a 3.0 merc with 135hp and routinely carry 7 people. Thats 6 people in the boat, one person out of the boat. It has plenty of power to get moving and hold speed, but I would like for it to plane a bit faster (takes ~4 seconds). That should be fixed with a set of smart tabs though. While the boat doesnt make loads of power, it still pulls good and I have no real complaints.

[duckseatfree]

I agree, the newer the better. I am actually now leaning more for the '91 Wellcraft (160hp) and '03 Sea Ray (135hp). Any suggestions?

[CrookedWake]

I have owned a few boats and had one with a 4 banger, it worked just fine for wakeboarding. You had to distribute your weight correctly when pulling a skier, and it needed a hydrofoil. Fuel was never a problem due to the fact that it was a small engine, I have a 5.0 now and I do like the bigger motor, but I also have a 21 footer not a 18 ft. I don't like the fact that it takes 80 bones to fill up the tank and the gas gauge does move now.

[duckseatfree]

what does a hydrofoil do? And how much would it be to add it on?

[duckseatfree]

would smart tabs be a better way to go then a hydrofoil?

[kartman]

out of all those, i would get the sea ray. for being a 17' boat, 135 hp will be plenty.

[jmlloyd]

If this is a boat that you are planning on keeping for a while and putting money into, get more than you need or you will be wanting it a year from now. I have 20' SeaRay with a v8 and with 6 on board it is great. My best friend has the 18' model with the 3.0 and it is a struggle with any more than 3-4 people. Take your time and get what you are sure will work for you. Good Luck, JL

[duckseatfree]

This is a boat I'm goin to be keeping for a while and putting money into it

[Brando86]

Smart tabs are more difficult to install since you actually have to drill through the fiberglass, but they are said to work much better than a hydrofoil. That said, I used to have a hydrofoil and it did help the boat plane out faster, but I will be making the switch to tabs soon. I laugh at you guys saying the boat struggles with more than 4 ppl on board...if it is indeed struggling, these people must weigh 400 lbs each.

[pet575]

Guys, be careful sticking hyrdofoils and smart tabs on your I/O's. They are known to destroy the wake for wakeboarding purposes.

[kartman]

pet575, that they do, i took mine off and it got alot better.

[CrookedWake]

They really destroy the wake? I am going to take it off and check this. What exactly do they do to destroy the wake, smaller wake, wash-out???

[Brando86]

I cant really comment on the smart tabs, but when I had the hydrofoil on the wake wasnt much different. The other option for a quick plane would be a high-5 prop

[kartman]

the hydro foils create lift on the back of the boat, lifting it out of the water. thus displacing less water and that makes the wake smaller. if you need one to stay on plane, you will find that out when you take it off.

[brichter14]

yeah, i have a sea ray 18 foot and with 6 people or roughly 1100 lbs of people/ballast the 3.0 does fine. But i do have a 5 blade prop thats a 17 pitch, which makes alot of difference as far as torque for the hole shot. I would say that sea ray looks pretty nice, its 12 years newer than that wellcraft and will last longer.

[duckseatfree]

Well, it turns out that the guy selling the sea ray was a scam artist!

He offered to deliver the boat from NJ free, I just had to give him my name, number and addy - and I would get an email from ebay motors (the boat wasn't even listed on ebay).

Did some digging around and got his ad kicked from where I was looking

[CrookedWake]

well 4K for a 2003 sounded too good to be true. You will be paying 10-14K for a boat that new. Keep looking, there are boats everywhere.

[jmlloyd]

I still stand by my opinion that you want to look into a larger engine than the 3.0. Remember that everything you put on the boat adds weight, not just the people. ( coolers, tower, ballast, etc.. ) I am not saying that the 3.0 cannot do it. What i am saying is that it is much easier with a bigger engine. It is nice to have a little extra power if you need it. Also, realize that the smaller engine is going to have to work twice as hard to do what you ask it to do which may lead to problems, especially with an older boat.

[kartman]

jmlloyd, well put. i agree 100%

[abrider]

So,

The Sea Ray is a scam.

The Wellcraft has no tower and looks beat up.

The Greenville boat is no longer listed


Seems like there is only one left...

[craigk]

Smart tabs will flatten out your wake. I had a 18 ft Tahoe Q3 w/ Merc 4.3 v6. I think it was rated at 190hp. We put smart tabs and the boat did handle and plan a ton better but it made the wake much smaller and washed it out. I put the trim tab retractors on so that I could pull them up when wakeboarding and put them down when driving.

I've heard that hydrofoils don't affect your wake very much and give you similar handling results but make the but make the boat a little less stable at higher speeds, where the tabs will make it more stable at higher speeds.

After using that boat for a season learning carving and surface tricks and small jumps I sold it and bought a '98 Air Nautique, much more fun now.

[CrookedWake]

I took the hydrofoil off my boat to test it. First I have a 5.0L motor and a 21 footer. The test was to see if it affected the wake, no change what-so-ever, trimming it up a little cleaned it up and there is no effect on the wake that I could see, it helps so much to get the boat on plane that these are a necessity I think.

[Wakeboarder06]

CrookedWake, I agree. Trimming up about 1/8 of the way will offset the minimal change that you see in the wake...and will also clean it u a bit. I put a hydrofoil on my 3.0 a few seasons ago and will never go back.