TOPIC: what motor do i need?

im new to boats and have no idea what to look for when it comes to motors.

its for a 10ft gw invader, has separate gear and throttle controls,

what should i look for? anyone got one they wanna get rid of?


thanks alot
cody

Hi Cody,
There are actually several ways to answer your question, but it partly depends on what you expect in performance, and the ease (or lack of) to find a suitable outboard to accomplish this performance level. You could use a fairly small sized outboard, but I think most would prefer to connect the steering and remote controls (these are going to vary with what brand and sometimes the year model). Very small and smaller horsepower outboards require optional kits to allow steering and shift/throttle operation most of the time, and electric start is preferred by many. These kits can be hard to find. You also need to be considering a "short shaft" outboard. It is pretty easy to find a 30 to 40 horsepower electric start with steering and control set-up, but short shaft length is often a littler harder. With 20 to 25 horsepower motors, the short shafts tend to not have steering and control set-up, and again the long shaft versions do. I may be making this sound very difficult, but I do not see a lot of sound condition short shaft, electric starting, steering and controls equipped outboards, others may disagree. For what it may be worth, our business does have an excellent mechanical condition (the appearance is pretty good also) 1975 Mercury Merc 200 E (20 horsepower, electric start) outboard which was removed from a boat with steering wheel mechanical steering, and remote controls. They are out there. Tells us the performance level you hope for, and we may be able to add more.

Regards,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com
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id just like to keep up with my brothers jet ski, around 40-50, but a little faster never hurts.

Cody

here is an 85 Marlin its a GW Invader clone I just cobbled together recently
with a Mercury MK58A in a MK55 tower this 45hp mercury does currently 37-40mph... I could get more if I worked on setup & props.Put a 50hp on it if you want to mess with your brother

you will find you need a turn fin/skeg on the bottom of the hull I didnt have one at the time this video was shot.....these things slide in turns "if" they turn, plan on mounting the fuel tank and or battery in the nose if you choose to run a heavy engine the CG gets messed up and it will cause the nose to porpoise on you

I changed the setup some, I moved the steering to dead center, I took out the bench seat and installed a bucket on the floor to lower the driver, I installed motorcycle mirrors so your not turning your body to look for traffic behind you at high speeds,the foot throttle is real nice for more smooth precise throttling in corners and a maybe a necessity if your going to make it go fast, 2 hands on the wheel you know! Im also not using a shifter as you will see because the quickie race gear foot Im now installing doesnt need one its forward gear only, this motor was just a test run to get the feel of the hull I will post another video in the next few weeks running the Mercury Mark 58A 45hp Quickie race motor
hope this helps if you choose to go sporty

MadProps, do you have any pictures of your foot throttle setup?

Those are way cool little boats!

I will take some tomorrow for you

Cody,
As "Mad Props" states you will need 50 to 60 horsepower at the propeller shaft (many outboards are rated at the flywheel, expect a 15 percent loss to convert the rating), or you will be playing second fiddle. Anything can be done with time and money, but a sound, short shaft, electric starting outboard that size likely will really be a challenge to find or assemble. I have not seen one for sale in quite some while. I have seen the important parts to assemble one once or twice in the last year. Good luck.
Note that such a craft will take serious attention to safely operate! I know that many PWCs have that speed capacity, but this is an older hull design that will need some upgrades/changes (again as Mad Props mentions).

Regards,
Joe

MadProps,

how much leg room do you have with a single seat?, i plan on doing something similar with mine.


what would i have to do to put a long shaft motor on it?
i can get this pretty cheap, would it be too big?


saginaw.craigslist.org/boa/1921417968.html

Cody that inline 6 will sink the boat....long shaft motor are not the way to go ....you will need a jackplate to raise the long shaft motor high enough to operate correctly, not only will that cost another $100 or more but the boat will be top heavy & off balance

you need a newer 50-60hp, that is max that can be safely run on this hull

there is a ton of room up front, even with a 6.5ft person and fuel tank, my foot throttle is mounted adjustable for long legged people

MadProps wrote:

Cody that inline 6 will sink the boat....long shaft motor are not the way to go

thats what i thought, just figured id ask,

if i can look at a motor in person how can i tell if its a short shaft or long shaft?

shaft length less than 17"

Depending on where you live the merc 500 in a short shaft isnt to hard to find, I just sold 2 last month (Indiana) Kmarty in StLouis has atleast 3, I find them on ebay all the time, match it up with a 2 blade 11x15 and your having fun!

JerrfyLube
here is what Im using T&H marine Hot Foot throttle works with Merc & OMC standard cables

ponyboy, i live in the small town of Montrose Michigan, got any more?

MadProps, does your motor not have neutral or reverse and the pedal is just for throttle?

In this case yes because that motor in the video was just a test run

Im installing a race motor on the Marlin now that has NO neutral or reverse...no need for a shifter

Thanks for the pics!

Ive been eyeballing those hot foot setups...would be nice to free my throttle hand up while driving.

Hi,
If you will reread my response, I discuss 50 to 60 horsepower at the prop shaft. A merc 500 while likely much easier to find in a short shaft, is 40 horsepower at the prop. I think about 40 mph (again as Mad Props states) is tops.
Mercury started offering some 3-cylinder (2-stroke), relatively light weight, 50 (prop), 60 (prop), 65 (flywheel), and 70 (flywheel) rated models from 1972 to the present (Mercury stopped production of short shaft models quite a number of years ago however). These are the models I very seldom see in short shaft in sound condition. These are also what will be required to try for 50 mph. Again, outboards heavier than these just will not float.

Regards,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com

atcrider1 wrote:

ponyboy, i live in the small town of Montrose Michigan, got any more?

www.iboats.com/T-H-Marine-Hot-Foot-Throttle/dm/cart_id.138102417--session_id.553859023--view_id.40112

The only short shaft motors I have left is 1 40hp McCulloch, 650merc. 950 merc. 1000 merc. 1250 merc. How far are you from Indianapolis?

here is a gw invader that was at the silver lake,ny meet,im sorry i forgot his name and what motor he was running,maybe after the picture posts illbe able to tell.
whatever it was this little boat screamed accross the water,
.
if cc100(dave albertson),or frank alguire (pc1000),or ron vuyosevich sees this,they may remember.

That is a 1965 merc 500

thanks pontboy,that guy ripped up the water with it,it was fast,john

Not sure about other areas, but Craigslist in areas in and around Grand Rapids, Mich. where I live usually turn up a half dozen 50hp Merc shorties every year. Just need patience and the cash to move quick when the right one comes up. BTW, anybody know the weight difference between the 50 and 65hp fours of the sixties? Just curious in case an opportunity presents itself.

Ponyboy wrote:

How far are you from Indianapolis?

about 4 hrs

you asked about an old Merc inline 6..I said it would sink you GW Invader..I just ran across this pic ....apparently I was wrong, it almost sinks it

I think If I was that guy, my friend would be riding on the bow.