New to this posting stuff so I hope I'm doing it right. I've got the chance to pick up a 20' VPLD for cheap. Once in a lifetime deal. The only thing is I can't afford a motor for it right now. Maybe in a year or two. I almost bought a small pontoon boat last year, but got a crestliner jon with a 25 efi 4 stroke instead. I thought about selling the boat and trailer and sticking the motor on the SA. I know there's no way it would plane off with that 25, but I wonder if it would push me around fast enough to cover a couple of 2-3,000 acre lakes in the neighborhood. I troll most of the time now anyway. If I knew I could roll around those lakes at 8-10mph, I'd get it. I saw a guy in a 20' lund Alaskan over the weekend, moving around on the lake with a 9.9 at about 8-10mph. I was surpised. The ower said the lund runs over a 1000lbs, similar to the vpld. If I could do what he did, that would be fine with me until I could afford to scale my power up down the line. Any thoughts on my predicament?
The nice thing about a SeaArk is it doesn't draft a lot of water. You might not plane with the 25 but it might be close. I certainly think you would move at 8-10 mph, you just might have to load EVERYTHING in the front to keep the nose down. If you get a great deal on a SeaArk, buy it and QUICKLY! How much did you say it was? And where can I find it if you don't buy it? BTW, I love mine with an 80 jet on it which does just under 30mph.
It belongs to a friend of a relative that owes me a favor. I could probably pick it up for 2-3K. The trailer isn't in the best shape though. Once I'm out of the picture, I have a feeling it won't last long. There's a long line waiting to jump in. I just get first dibs on it. I have a few days to mull it over. This 18'er I have may be enough right now. These lakes around here are awfully small and more than 18' is really unnecessary, unless bigger water calls.
If you think you will be trolling with a gas motor in the future, you may want to go with a smaller temp motor that will be used for as a secondary later. The 25 would be too much for that.
A 9.9 may be a better choice for a kicker. I agree. I bet that 9 would push that boat close to 10mph. What do you think?
I learned from a good source that mounting a 25 horse with regular shaft would be too short for a vpld with a 25" transom. So, I suppose any kicker motor on that boat wouild have to have a extra long shaft. Apparently, those motors under 25 horses are a rarity according to my source.
