1990 General Marine 19' HP vs outboard weight

[Christo25]

I run 18 foot seaway skiff with DF70 Suzuki. Scuppers are good lightly loaded or single handed. Any other situation and they sit below the waterline. I use scupper plugs based on boat loading and sea conditions. They can be pulled quickly if we take water over stern while drifting and fishing with people in stern. Running in rough conditions they can be pulled regardless of weight/loading on boat.
If it was me. I would lighten storage under leaning post as much as possible. Move weight from console forward including fuel. Possibly add weight to bow. Modify scuppers to be easily plugged. If at that point things are better, I would consider shaving 100lbs off transom by changing power.

 

[leaky]

By plugging your scuppers and not providing a way to allow for draining/pumping of water as I've read a few times here, you are basically just opening up the possibility of forgetting to unplug the scuppers and having the boat fill with water - without any way to pump it out as the water is trapped on deck (ie thunderstorm). That sorta problem could sink a boat if left unattended - as could low scuppers and say the current turning around w/ the stern into a current like we have in the Merrimack, a dock line a little too tight, etc..

Of course with trailer boats we get away with a lot since we are typically on the boat the whole time, but even my 17 ft skiff - I will tie it to a dock on occasion and leave it there for a day unattended. It's sure nice to not have to worry about that sorta thing, that one just drains into the bilge and has 2 pumps w/ 2 float switches - no stress at all with that setup.

Many small boats live in the water all season and do not have self bailing decks - it's really not a very important or effective feature with only a couple small holes, especially so if you restrict the flow of water (in an attempt to keep the deck dry) w/ flappers or one way balls, etc.. A couple good bilge pumps can bail just as quick, except instead of water rolling around on the deck after you took a wave over the side it will go down to the bilge - which is a much safer place to temporarily put 300 lbs of water in a small boat.

On the flip side if someone absolutely could not stand the idea of not having a self bailing deck and was starting to consider a new engine, a huge cost, as a hail mary to solve this problem (which again won't work): On the high end the easiest/lightest replacement decking material, pre laminated divynicell panels, would be < $2500 for this boat. You could raise the deck yourself for a lot less $$ and end up w/ a better boat (sounds like from feedback here there is room for this) or potentially pay someone to do it for not much more. If you are not the type to take on such a project (and I get that) - it very well might be worth calling the builder of that hull, asking what it would cost to see the deck raised 2.5 inches or something. It will be a huge cost, but if you love the boat that might be the sure fire method of making it just right, and the original maker is likely the one who can do it the fastest/least-expensive as they understand what's there 100%.

 

[NH-spear-n-fish]

Just be careful of moving too much weight fwd. I had a 19 seaway with a custom ss gas tank in the bow storage locker. Tracking was horrible with just me but awesome with friends and or gear

 

[zdahlmer]

I second @leaky, keep the HP so you have plenty when you are loaded up for the weekend and shift weight forward/eliminate it. Smaller batteries (i went to lithium) and mounting them further forward helps a lot. Where is the fuel tank? If you can, shifting it forward will help. You might look at what it would take to move the whole console forward 6 inches or so.

Small boats are very sensitive to trim fore and aft, I would think doing this would be the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to fix the "problem".

On my skiff (which is super light) I put a 15 gallon jug of water up forward, tied off to the bow cleat. It helps add some inertia to the bow and keeps the boat from squatting quite to much at low speeds. It also is easily removable if I have a couple of people that want to come out and see the farm.

Hey, sounds good guys thanks. Fuel tank and battery are under the console--I suppose it wouldn't take much to move that stuff forward, and if I built in a storage locker forward to house them, that would add some weight too. I did mess around with putting some extra weight forward last season, maybe 80lbs or so, which helped some but didn't quite do it. The console would be easy enough to move since it looks like it's just screwed down into the deck. It actually looks like it used to be about 8" further forward too, based on the deck paint, so that's probably a good thought.

 

[P18Flirt]

Not the same but similar... I have a 1978 Pointer 18 w/ Honda 50 4 stroke. Deal with some of the same issues. I have always thought a 60-70hp would be ideal, but my engine is fairly low hours and gets the job done with WOT around 23 knots. Honestly I find these hull ride best around 16 knots, or maybe 18-20 on a calm day. Anything more and the ride gets rough and wet! When loaded with 4 adults or lots of gear the 50 pushes fine... just a bit slower all around.

Regarding scuppers... I plug mine when using the boat as they do not drain well. Boat hangs on a mooring so I pull plugs before leaving her and self bails great well on its own which is nice. When I painting the deck a few years back I moved the console forward about 6-8"and made a difference in self-bailing and ride.

Never had a problem with the plugs in while using the boat rec lobstering, harbor cruises, etc... if running in rain or heavy spray I pull them and she will drain under way fine.

Nice rig and maybe see you around the North Shore.

 

[zdahlmer]

By plugging your scuppers and not providing a way to allow for draining/pumping of water as I've read a few times here, you are basically just opening up the possibility of forgetting to unplug the scuppers and having the boat fill with water - without any way to pump it out as the water is trapped on deck (ie thunderstorm). That sorta problem could sink a boat if left unattended - as could low scuppers and say the current turning around w/ the stern into a current like we have in the Merrimack, a dock line a little too tight, etc..

Of course with trailer boats we get away with a lot since we are typically on the boat the whole time, but even my 17 ft skiff - I will tie it to a dock on occasion and leave it there for a day unattended. It's sure nice to not have to worry about that sorta thing, that one just drains into the bilge and has 2 pumps w/ 2 float switches - no stress at all with that setup.

Many small boats live in the water all season and do not have self bailing decks - it's really not a very important or effective feature with only a couple small holes, especially so if you restrict the flow of water (in an attempt to keep the deck dry) w/ flappers or one way balls, etc.. A couple good bilge pumps can bail just as quick, except instead of water rolling around on the deck after you took a wave over the side it will go down to the bilge - which is a much safer place to temporarily put 300 lbs of water in a small boat.

On the flip side if someone absolutely could not stand the idea of not having a self bailing deck and was starting to consider a new engine, a huge cost, as a hail mary to solve this problem (which again won't work): On the high end the easiest/lightest replacement decking material, pre laminated divynicell panels, would be < $2500 for this boat. You could raise the deck yourself for a lot less $$ and end up w/ a better boat (sounds like from feedback here there is room for this) or potentially pay someone to do it for not much more. If you are not the type to take on such a project (and I get that) - it very well might be worth calling the builder of that hull, asking what it would cost to see the deck raised 2.5 inches or something. It will be a huge cost, but if you love the boat that might be the sure fire method of making it just right, and the original maker is likely the one who can do it the fastest/least-expensive as they understand what's there 100%.

Hey @leaky thanks for the detailed insight and feedback. All great ideas, much appreciated!