Buying a new boat is a thrilling exercise but deciding just how much power you need for your boat might not be as easy as you think. Take the tour with us as we go deep underwater to get the facts.
Boat dealers will often have pre-matched their boats and motors and this is done to match a particular price point deemed right by the market trends of the time. This means that less consideration is afforded to the particular types of uses the boat will be commissioned to do. This is why it is imperative to tell the boat dealer what your desired boat will predominantly be used for.
Another factor is when the buyer’s decision is determined by price.
If money is not an issue, then it makes sense to purchase the largest motor that the boat can handle, allowing for the best possible performance, top speed and acceleration.
The other benefit of the higher powered motor is that once cruising speeds are attained, improved fuel consumption is attained compared to that of a smaller motor.
Access to unlimited funds to purchase the boat of your dreams is not possible for most buyers, and this means you might have to drop down an engine size or two to bring the purchase in line with your pocket. Dropping down an engine size will shave thousands off the ticket price, making the purchase that much more affordable.
Don’t fall prey to purchasing a motor that is too small for the boat. It can happen easily when you have your eye on the boat of your dreams. Having a motor that is too small to effectively propel your boat, pull skiers or take a full load of passengers will only lead to frustration and it will take the joy out of boating.
An underpowered boat is no fun at all if it struggles to get onto the plane, will barely tow a skier and is sluggish with a full complement of friends on board. At this stage, it might be necessary, and well advised, to go down a boat size to even out the cost of the boat to motor ratio.
