Any of you have or know someone with a 20' roughneck? I had a deal or two slip through my fingers and am now looking to buy the roughneck. I have a 25hp mercury 4stroke paid for that I could slip on it. I only 2-4000 acre lakes in my area and have no need for speed. I do like large fishing platforms though. Thought this boat might do the trick. How fast would that 25 push that boat. Anybody?
I have a 20 ft Roughneck but have no clue if that small of a motor would even get that big a boat up on plane or not. :confused2: What year and model roughneck are you looking at?
Given the 12 degree V of these, a 25 horse will probably be like a really big trolling motor. I got mine with a 115 on it and would have gone bigger if they would allow it. I'd think a 50 or a 60 would be on the small side. Tough call considering you already have the 25 though.
20 ft is way too big for a 25hp 4-stroke. 90hp is about as small as you'd be happy with, even on a small lake. Anything less and the boat won't get up on plane unless you're not in it...
I had a 25hp merc on my 17ft bass tracker and it sucked. I would have never been able to go on a river of any kid and keep up with the current. Buy a 50+ and sell the little 4 stroke to a pontoon owner that want to putt putt around the lake. Sorry!!!!!! I am nothing but jelous as i dont have a motor or a boat
Appreciate the feedback. The only reason I thought it would be possible is because I had an older couple move along side me in one last spring at Sanchris Lake---25 hp max. I have an 1860 jon with a 25 for that lake that moves 18-20 mph depending upon the load. That old couple was keeping up with me just fine. Go figure. When I asked them later, they said because of the extra width the boat was able to get up on plane just fine. Saw it myself. I suppose I could try it, if it didn't work, go to plan B. It would be nice to have that extra space thought, regardless of speed. I agree about the river or large lake fishing, 60-90 hp minimum. But for these couple of small lakes up in my neck of the woods, I use my trolling motor most of the time anyway. By the way, it's an '08. This might be the last year a fellow could by a 20 foot roughneck. I heard they were doing away with it next year to be replaced with a 1970 instead of the 1966 model. Decisions, decisions--
I ended up buying the 2070 roughneck. Now I need to decide on power. I'm going with a 90hp, but can't decide between an optimax or 4 stoke mercury. Some dealers really push the optimaxes, others the 4 strokes. The opti's are less expensive, so that's definitely a factor to consider. I'd like to hear from any of you that have experience with those engines. I hear pros and cons on both sides.
Sounds like a lot of boat for such a small motor. I'm sure it will get you where you are going though.
That roughneck is only rated for 115hp. The 90 is several hundred less and I'm told will push it mid to upper 30s.
Congrats on the new boat. Which one of the two motors you are thinking about is lighter? I would bet on the Opti-Max being lighter. If it was me I would go with the Opti-Max if I were buying Mercury. I have heard only good things about the Opti-Max.:big_smile: I have heard even better about Evenrude E-Tec's and that will be my next motor. Unless something better hits the market soon.:big_smile: Congrats again on the new boat. Post some pics when you get it riged up.:big_smile: Thanks David
David, there was one thing that I forgot about when considering the opti vs 4 stroke motor. My wife reminded me this afternoon. She and my son are allergic to alot of things, including oil/exhaust smoke. I just talked with a dealer who told me the opti's will emit a noticable oil smell. But, the 4 strokes do not. I know my 25 efi is cleaner than a whistle--can't smell a thing. So, the opti is probably out. Come to think of it, alot of the pontoons around here do us opti's and my son does react when we're near one. I just don't know if I want to spend the extra 2k for the 90 compared to a 60hp. Do you think a 60 would work ok for lake fishing. I fish pretty light, anything over 25 is fast for this family. Thanks Danny
Danny, These are pretty big boats, not all that heavy but big. I am not sure if the 60 would work out or not. If it were me I would call Lowe and ask what they would suggest. They may have the answers you are looking for. They have been very helpful to me every time I have had questions. No matter what it was they did there best to give me a solid answer. Speed would not be the biggest thing to be concerned about. If you can't bet on plane its not going to be enjoyable. IMHO You can always throttle back on a bigger motor but your not going to get more than max from a smaller motor.:big_smile: I would hate to buy the smaller motor and then find out I needed (wanted) more and that is almost always the case. More than less.:big_smile: I have talked to very few (if any) people that say they wish they would have bought the smaller motor. oooh: Thanks David
The more I think about motor selection, the more I'm convinced that going with the 90 4-stroke is the ticket. I've been underpowered before, didn't like it then and definitely wouldn't like it now. To counter the weight of the engine, I've been thinking about moving the console forward some and instead of pedestal seats, building 2 boxes, one on the passanger side and the other on the driver side to put seats on and store the batteries in. That would leave just one battery in the back and distribute more weight forward to compensate for that 400lb motor. I saw a Alaskan that was built that way and it made sense. What do you think about moving those batteries forward like that Dave?
Mine has a 115 Johnson 2 stroke on the back and seems to float plenty high with two batteries in the back. Did you get the center console or side console? If you got the side console it is not going to be pie to move the console. There is a center channel in the very middle of the boat about 16+/- inches wide. Aluminum walls on each side and flotation foam between that cavity and the side walls of the boat. You would most likely have to pull the side walls at a minimum and possibly pull the entire floor to move the side console and do it right. I have had mine apart now for several months and am pretty familiar with how its put together.oooh::crazy::roll_eyes: I'm just now getting close to having it finished and i started last Oct.:crazy::big_smile::sad2: What year / Model is your boat?
It's a '07 2070 side console. I moved a side console on an 1860 crestliner jon awhile back and installed pedastal seats. I moved the console up about 15 inches. Didn't even have to replace cables. There was quite a bit of slack already there for me to play with. It was really easy to do----popped the rivets, slid the console up and rivetted back in. With the extension of Mercury's 5 year warranty on motors until June, I guess I have a couple of months to make up my mind about getting the right power on this boat. Do the larger motors also make the package length, boat, motor, trailer, longer? Or do the bigger engines sit more into the boat so not to take up more room in back of the transom? I need to find one and measure.
I think I would go with the 90 4-stroke also. I have a Alumacraft 2072 tunnel with a 115hp merc 4-stroke and love it. The optimax is lighter, and might run a couple mph faster but I love the four stroke. Both the opti and the 4-stroke will do great on fuel while on plane. The 4-stroke will get better mpg while trolling, and never load up like all 2-strokes do. I troll a lot while snagging and walleye fishing and the 4-stroke is ideal for this so I dont have to get a kicker motor! On size recomendations: The 115hp four stroke pushes my 2072 tunnel to 40mph by speedo, the tunnel causes it to run a few mph less than a non tunnel boat! A 90hp 4-stroke would probably push it to 34-35mph. I would say the 60hp would be underpowered for this size of a boat. I know a guy who has a 50hp 2 stroke on one and it tops out at 24mph. It requires him to run pretty much wide open to stay up on plane. I'm getting ready to sell my old boat which, like you were talking about, I moved the trolling motor battery and put a 24 gallon fuel tank under the front deck to balance out the boat. The boat is an 1860 lowe which I built the way I wanted from the hull up. Putting the weight up front made the boat plane out more level, and draft out equal and shallower overall. Would love to do something like that to the new boat, but it has a center console! Hope all this rambling helps out on your decisions. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM. Jerrad
The bigger engine really makes no difference in package length If you use the same length shaft. If you use a heavier motor on the back you might want to move the boat up on the trailer an inch or two to balance out the tow load, resulting in a shorter package!
If you run all the wires and cables down the side wall I can see where it would be pretty easy to do. I was thinking about bringing the in from behind the side wall and up through the floor. With the side console I can see where you would not have to do it that way. That is if you run everything along the side wall. Measuring the motors would be the best bet. I am not sure on that one. Streamer78 may be correct on that but I can't honestly say. Thanks David
