new outboard motor

[mike pingatore]

greetings i am in need of you guys input on motor size for my 1959 20 ft skagit express i like the new 90hp e tec but thinking i would like a bigger 115hp e tec,,,,,,,,can the 20 take a motor that big..............help

[Kelly]

The boat can certainly handle the power, as long as the transom is solid. My 21 ft bass boat has a 225hp Merc on the back of it, granted the boat technology is different today, but a 20' boat can handle that and more if the transom is good. My .02

[Helmar]

greetings i am in need of you guys input on motor size for my 1959 20 ft skagit express i like the new 90hp e tec but thinking i would like a bigger 115hp e tec,,,,,,,,can the 20 take a motor that big..............help

I don't remember the stats myself but I know Bruce B knows what they will handle as fare as weight.
Dave in our Technology area will be able to tell you more about the engines as he is our Hight Tech guy for sure.


Me, I have always went over kill in a sense do to the fact that if you don't work the crap out of something, they last longer.
So by that, I would say if they state that the fuel consumption is about the same between the 90 at WOT and not much more with the 115 at WOT, then running the 115 not as hard, might? use less fuel.

The thing I Do remember about the 20ft Skagits or all skagits I guess, is that the Hull's were not designed to go super fast. I like to think of them (and still own a 20 off shore and 16 Skimaster) as a barn door with a big motor on them.

Even the Inboard hot rod Skimasters, around 40mph and they start porpoising Bad.

Marty had a 90 early Merc on his 20foot Green Hornet and that motor would take him right to that point were it would just start porpoising. The 4 strokes tend to put out a little more power from what I understand.
(its not like Guns, no such thing is too much fire power)

But again, with a bigger engine, you get up to speed faster and can pull skiers if you like

[DMCI]

If you are looking at Mercury four strokes you will find that there is a wide range of motors that are based on exactly the same block, so that the main concern of hauling extra weight is a nonissue. The next major concern is fuel consumption. The bigger the motor horsepower the more fuel it burns per hour. Therefore it gets down to the same old question and that is what do you wish to do with the vessel.

Chuck had very good luck with the 115 Merc on his boat. It seems to me that that power was sufficient.

[61_express]

Those new e-Tec motors are pretty sweet. I would imagine the Skagit shouldn't be much different than my Uni, the 90 is plenty 115 better but a 150 ...... they are still a 2 stroke but you would never know. And New amsoil or Lucas synthetic 2 stroke oil make smoke and smell a non issue.

[Skagit Hideaway]

Might the Skagit hull 40mph porposing issue be caused by the factory mold radiused hull/transom edge?

[bruceb]

When Skagits were under production, there was no requirement by the CG on placing a plaque on a hull for it's limitations, whether it be HP or persons aboard. As Dave has posted, that's changed. I've come across manufacturers listing from old boating magazines. In the Skagit section, the 20 express models have a maximum HP rating of 140. If my spotty memory recalls, 6 adults (?).
So experience of previous Skagit 20 owners would suggest that the sweet spot for power is 90-115hp. Unless you're planning on carrying a lot of camping gear AND a lot of passengers (more than 4) , you might not need anything over 90-100. Doug Griffith had a new tech 100 Yama on his 20 Skagit- lots of power. Clint S has a 115 Merc on his 17 express- more than enough !
The point to keep in mind was made by Kelly- a solid transom is a must, even if you're mounting a smaller motor. It won't do you any good to have the fastest boat on the lake- especially if you lose that expensive motor to Davy Jones and risk swamping /sinking the craft.....
Our 56 years of running a Skagit express , including a run the length of Lake Chelan with 5 adults, Irish Setter and overnight camping gear, suggests that 90hp is just fine. Mount a 90, take the difference in $ with a 115 and put it in a retirement account ! Or future fuel !

[Helmar]

Might the Skagit hull 40mph porposing issue be caused by the factory mold radiused hull/transom edge?

You never know some of the tricks that people have pulled off unless you can talk to them about it.

I had the rare opportunity to work at the shop that was owned by the famous George Calkins who built the Bartender boats (for one design, he built a Lot of different types of boats)
The Bartender was a double ended flat bottom boat. George had a 20 footer until the good wife Wilma begged him to sell it.
I used to take long lunch breaks just listening and picking his brain as he was as sharp as a tack until the last breath.

Anyway, I have this one 17 foot Skagit that is now setting at John Nelson's place that needs Everything done to it. I mean glass and all the wood.
That boat had a 4 cylinder chevy with a OMC outdrive. I mean Big hole in the transom. It had a modification on the sides of it that looked just like what George designed on his Bartender boats so I had asked him, what those were for ??
He said it helped to bring her up on plane faster but also stopped the porpoising ???

Putting 100 plus horse power in the back of a 17 skagit will not take much to push her up on plane and thats for damn sure.

So, makes me wonder, did this fellow put those on the chine edges for porpoising or ???

Lets see if I can find a picture of that skagit.
I just don't remember how far forward it came. Seemed to me it was about 4 plus inches at the rear and came up about 5 feet to a point and blended into the chine edge. It was at a angle too.
Just don't have any other picture of it and the boat is up in Darrington Washington up from that Oso major mud slide area.
I tried to give it away but had no takers back then. Now that is safe and sound, who knows what I might do with it.


Dscn3674sm.jpgTrimboard2sm.jpg

[bruceb]

Oh, forgot to mention the ideal speed for a 20 express hull- they cruise best around 25-27. That'll give you the best economy. Anything near 34-35 it starts to feel a little squirrelly, 40 would be scary. Also, since we get some messy conditions on our trips, going fast in 1-3 foot water is crazy in these flat bottom hulls. So the question would be, all that HP and 10-15 mph ?

[Skagit Hideaway]

From what I understand, the old hull molds did not produce a sharp transom chine, and even a slight radius there will reduce hull speed and hull stability considerably - (pp. 56/57) - http://books.google.com/books?id=5gQ...ransom&f=false. Is hull blueprinting advisable to get the most out of a hull? The transom chine on my boat was not sharp in the least.

[Helmar]

From what I understand, the old hull molds did not produce a sharp transom chine, and even a slight radius there will reduce hull speed and hull stability considerably - (pp. 56/57) - http://books.google.com/books?id=5gQ...ransom&f=false. Is hull blueprinting advisable to get the most out of a hull? The transom chine on my boat was not sharp in the least.

That is very interesting.
One thing to remember, I think Skagit was one of the first Glass boat builders and I am pretty sure that the Saratogan was one of the First Large boats built from Glass. All those boys back then were experimenting pretty much...

We have several of the boys that understand and know this kind of thing., Tim, Bruce Tim Mattson jus to name a few.
Most of the information I have is from Marty at Island Boat Shop (use to be Wooden Boat Shop) and George Calkins, the famous Bar Tender boat builder but I know there are others..

Like that skagit 17 I have with those glassed trim or whatever boards down the side at the same angle that Georges Bartenders had. With that horse power, you would not have Any problem blasting up on plane, so, why were they there ???

[Skagit Hideaway]

Bill Roberts' '56 Tyee with 150hp Merc (375lbs dry), doing 40+mph nicely. Same 20' Skagit hull, laser-true planing surface, different weight distribution + foamed hull.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/...t/image029.jpg

I read, if you spend any time in seas where you have to accellerate up the face of large swells, you will find use for the extra hp.