I am finally thinking of buying a boat and I have a couple of questions.
What is the ideal motor for a 15ft open boat that may need to carry 4 people and what is the minimum motor size that would push such a boat.
What type of boat ( size 15ft) is the best for fishing and pleasure,which is the best for each activity.
What would be the market price of a decent 15ft boat with a 40hp motor.
I am aware that I am asking a lot of questions at one go but I have no idea where to start.
Well, it all depends on engine age and boat condition. So price might vary. But I think that a 40 to 60 HP engine should be fine for a 15 foot boat. If you intend on going offshore you should make sure that the motor is not very old.
I suggest that if you see a particular boat you like, you should post the details and we can provide feedback on that particular boat and engine.
Now is the right time to buy a boat because many people want to sell now that summer is coming to an end. So you might get a good deal.
for a 15ft boat and 4 persons a 40hp motor is a bit small. a two-stroke 75hp or four-stroke 90hp is better. for fishing and pleasure go and see the 15ft kaptan. a very good boat for its size.
Thanks to all for the feedback.
Can anyone suggest where I can look apart from maltapark, The Times and boats parked outside with 'for sale ' on them?
I heard that there are a couple of dealers that specialise in second hand boats,even though the price would be hiked up at these dealers I can get an idea of what is available since I know very little on boat models ,sizes etc.
You can also try in the classified section of di-ve.com
http://classifieds.di-ve.com/classifieds/CPViewInCat.asp?ID=60
One more question because I forgot to list it in my previous post.
What size of motor requires the driver to have a maratime licence?
i might be wrong but from whet i heard any thing from 9.9 does not need a licence
Thanks Gottie but I didn't put the question right. I am referring to the mariner's licence for the driver not the motor. I heard that under 75hp one does not need to go through the training course and get a licence but probably I have the wrong info.
There is still some doubt on the mariner's licence. You definately need to have one if you drive a motor above 100hp but then there is another clause in the legal notice that says you need one also if your boat reaches a certain number of knots (if I'm not mistaken 12 knots) irrespective of the motor size. the second law does not seem to be being enforced yet but it soon will! therefore, if I were you I'd apply for the basic seaman course but be prepared to spend lm55.00 and also for a wait list!
if i bought a boat is it possible to register the boat in my friends name who has a licence then take it out my self ?
Possible of course, but you'll STILL get busted and so will he probably as a) you wont' be licensed to drive it and b) you won't be insured to drive it either, making you both responsible.
If he always comes out with you, that's a different story. Do the course, it's not that hard and evenings.
can you post the number or the address i need to apply? Thank you in advance. Also could you post the exact laws and needs of the boat and the driver as no one really seems to know exacly what is required
Basic Seamanship & Safe Boathandling MI/MC 31hrs 2 weeks 55.00 128.12
Safety and management of risk begins with the measurable skills of shiphandling and piloting. During this course delegates will cover the following topics: Basic navigation, signals, local regulations, seamanship, rules of road, and basic engine knowledge. Candidates must be of a minium age of 18 years. Delegates would have to sit for and oral exam and a practical assessments at the end of the course. On successful completion of the course ans examinations, candidates will be issued with a letter (from MCAST) authorising them to apply for a mechanically driven craft driving licence issued by the Malta Maritime Authority. Price in Euro 128.12 (for official use)
You can apply online http://www.mcastshortcourses.gov.mt/
Contact MMA with any specific questions info@mma.gov.mt
I can confirm that so far the obligatory requirement for a Nautical licence is for over 100 HP. However in the near future it is intended that this goes down to 75hp. Nevertheless as I said, at the moment its definately 100 hp or over.
Thanks guys for all the info.Keep it up!!!!!!!
thats why i come to this site so often its very helpful and the people here are always willing to help. Thanks again guys
in my humble opinion if you want to buy a boat: first spend time going round and checking new boats and their prices. Get as much information as possible especially Width of boat (makes a differrence, shetland are 18' but quite narrow in beam, so makes them fast but roll about in stationary). Once u have compiled all info check prices of Outbaords. Nowadays E tech by evenrude are very economical and a 75hp will be just right for a 15' and the occasional 4 people. Once you have all this info then look for 2nd hand boats. I calculate a new 15' with new 75hp would cost in the region of Lm7000.
Finally dont rush to buy something you are not 1000% happy with.
Regarding the licence please go apply today as when we will be pressed by EU the exams will get harder and harder just like the car driving licence. Also when the time comes whoever has a motored boat will have to have a licence.
happy shopping
15' Kaptan with 60 hp
same 15'Kaptan
that kaptan has an 85hp motor not 60hp. i know people who have like that kaptan with 115hp 4-stroke. very good boat for 15ft. they use it for everything deepsea fishing, long lines for swordfish and even catching lampuki with net. olso good for pleisure.
With outboards you can go bigger so long as their overall weight doesnt exceed specs. It's especially imp in Malta because of a few factors:
1) Not all outboards produce their rated hp, they merely have to be within 10% to comply
2) In hot and humid countries you can lose 10-20% of rated horsepower, in winter you will always notice much better power due to relative air density
3) Our crappy low octane fuel doesnt do any wonders for power.
regarding the licence,its correct that you need one for 100HP or over,but when I did the course in March of this year,there were many on the course who had much smaller engines e.g. 40HP and they were doing the course because they could,nt get insurance for the boat.The insurance companies were insisting they had a licence to prove that they were capable of handling a boat safely,and they had knowledge of bouys and navigation lights etc.
Quote from: skip on September 20, 2007, 07:41:15 CET
3) Our crappy low octane fuel doesnt do any wonders for power.
Sorry for reviving this old thread, but i might add some info re the quote. My other hobby is car engine tuning, so i had bothered enemalta to bits to give me exact specs of the average octane ( in RON) of our unleaded fuel supply.
The number quoted was 96 octane, which considering everything else, is quite good. To get something better you might need to buy Optimax, which is made by BP, 98 octane, but that doesn't come to malta. You might consider buying your fuel from Japan hehehe ... premium is 101 octane.
The best option though is ... run 96 octane in winter and in summer mix in some octane booster, I have found one Bardhal Octane booster to be the best, followed by ProBoost.
Just a quick point. Adjusting octane will only really work on engines that are controlled with an electronic control unit. However, it will be very beneficial in the hotter months, to avoid detonation, on ALL engines ... except diesel ofcourse, which are another case alltogether.
HTH ... I'm still very new to marine engines and propulsion, but the basics are the same.
P.S. ... keep the fuel cool and out of the sun.
Do you believe them though? That we actually get 96RON here in Malta. Last I heard it was more like 89RON or less depending how long it sits in the petrol station tanks for as octane decreases over time.
Surprised they are saying 96RON, but could be.
PLEASE CAN SOME BODY TELL ME IF I AM DOING ANY HARM FOR MY MARINER 50 HP 2 STROKE MOTOR? I TROLL AT 4KNTS FOR HOURS AND SOMETIMES EVEN 1.5KNOTS WITH LIVE BAIT.IS IT GOOD TO MAKE IT WORK WITH SUCH SLOW SPEED?
HI KING , if you invest in an aux motor it will be better in my opinion , you're leaving the motor idling for hours , heq pretty good question? , regarding consuption obviously you cousume less but i don't like to run a motor for a long period of time both in very slow speed or full trottle.
thanks sirena for your reply.what power in HP would you suggest for the aux will be the best?imy boat is 15' and i need to troll max 4.5knots.the aux motor should be able to move the boat in this speed without keeping in full trottle a assume.but i do not need it that big because i will need to remove it when not going fishing
Hello Spiru,
In my opinion the auxiliary motor should be between 8HP and 9.9HP so that you can troll with 1/2 gass and leave the aux engine running comfortable without any stress.
bear in mind that an aux engine is needed mostly to get you back in port when your main engine is down and if the sea gets rough you will never return to port with a smaller engine.
one other thing that you should consider is the weight of this aux. 2 stroke although noisy and smelly are much lighter than 4 stroke engines which are 45-50kgs.
the best and lighter aux you may have is the 9.8hp tohatsu which weighs less than 20kgs and it's a 2 stroke engine. I don't know if mecca still gets these models but you will surely find second hands.
thanks fish,and do you think i am making any damage to my 50hp motor by trolling?
Don't think Mecca still have them. I bought a 9.8hp 4 stroke Tohatsu and it pushes my 18.5 foot 1150kgs boat (all up weight, fuel, engines, people) at around 4.5-4.9 knots at half throttle. After that the engine seems to do very little between half and full throttle maybe getting it to 5.4 knots but I feel stressing things.
Might consider a 4 blade high thrust prop for the aux. Today I noticed the Tohatsu 90TLDI DID NOT appear to like running for extended periods of time at low rpm's, 1700-2000rpms in fact it occasionally seemed to splutter a little almost like a tiny fuel blockage.
Also tried running both engines together, aux at 1/2 throttle and main at 1400rpms to get around 5.5knots but seems a mighty waste of fuel. One things I am noticing is that the 9.8hp seems to be using ALOT of fuel to push that weight through the water. 12 litres isn't lasting very long at all, maybe 3-4 hour which isn't good in my opinion. The main according to my flow meter uses around 5 litres per hour at 5.7 knots, and 15 litres per hour at cruise doing 20-21knots @ 4000rpm
I too wonder if I am doing some damage!
Hi Nick,
The speed which you're achieving with the aux is probably due to what is known as the hull speed - every boat is limited to a certain hull speed according to the length of its waterline and to exceed this hull speed you need sufficient power to push the boat onto a plane and no way will a 9.8hp have sufficient power to plane a boat weighing over 1 ton. The hull speed is calculated by the formula: 1.34 x ( the square root of the waterline length in feet). If you assume your LWL at being somewhere along 16ft, you get a hull speed of 5.36knots which is pretty much the speed which you mentioned at flat out throttle using the auxiliary.
when I've asked my seller if my 115 four stroke works with low revs for trolling, he replied that all 4 strokes are capable to work for a long period of time in such conditions without doing any damage. But when i've asked for the 2 stroke he replied to me that 2 stoke engines over 25hp will not work properly, they consume much more and there's a big probability that they over heat.
what Jonathan said it's true but with an 8hp and a 9.9hp on a 15' boat you will surely get 5.5knots with half trottle. then there's the issue of the propeller as Skip said, a 4 bladed can give better results on aux.
Jonathan, didn't think about the hull speed in fact that sounds about right then. Hopefully what it means is that if in pretty good conditions I manage a reasonable speed at half throttle, if the current and wind was high in an emergency I should still be able to move at the same speed.
I would still like to try a four bladed high thrust prop to lessen the stress on the engine, just not sure whether to stick with the same pitch or try something different.
In general what your seller told you about 2's vs 4's is correct, but Direct Injection ECU engines should be different and should be able to adapt from what I've read. Could be that the engine is still new and therefore wearing in but will be an interesting one to watch.
The 4 stroke is using quite a bit I must say.