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How do you know what size ?????

Jelli Dikkin

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I have a 1995 sweetwater pontoon and it has a 45 force on it and i wanted to upgrade the motor .. How do i know what size motor the barge will handle ???
 

kiethco

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How long is it? I had a 28 foot Tri-toon with a 175 Yamaha on it and it was great for everything from cruising to tubing and wakeboarding with the kids.
What do you want to do with it?
 

Jelli Dikkin

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its a 20 ft .. im afraid its gonna be extra slow going up river with the current ..
 

Ragged Edge

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Somewhere on the boat (usually around the driver seat) there will be a Coast Guard rating placard. This placard will give you the weight limits, number of passengers and how much horsepower the boat is rated for. Look around some, the manufacturer is supposed to put this in plain sight.

If you put a 200HP motor on a boat rated for 150HP the Coast Guard or LEO's will write you a very large $$$ ticket. Only race boats are exempt and I don't know of anyone who races a pontoon, however I am sure that someone has.:D
 

Jelli Dikkin

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cool.. thanks alot for the help .. ill try and look for the placard.. do you think i will have a problem going up and down river with my toon ?? (mainly up river) 20ft sweetwater 40 force motor ?
 

NdaWind

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I have a Sweetwater 18 with a merc 40 and doubt I could make it up river.
 

Jelli Dikkin

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I found the placard that everyone was talking about .. It was right on the dash but didnt ever notice it cause it was so cracked up and sun faded that u cant even tell what it is..lol.. is there any other way to tell what the biggest motor i can put on it ?
 
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hallett21

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Somewhere on the boat (usually around the driver seat) there will be a Coast Guard rating placard. This placard will give you the weight limits, number of passengers and how much horsepower the boat is rated for. Look around some, the manufacturer is supposed to put this in plain sight.

If you put a 200HP motor on a boat rated for 150HP the Coast Guard or LEO's will write you a very large $$$ ticket. Only race boats are exempt and I don't know of anyone who races a pontoon, however I am sure that someone has.:D

How does that work for guys who have like 18 ft jet boats that have 500+ hp motors? I know over 21 ft and all limits are off but seems like on this guys 20 pontoon he could run like 150-200hp and be somewhat safe.
 

Jelli Dikkin

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im not worried about the law..lol.. catch me if you can ..haha.. i just wanna make sure my "toon" can handle it..
 

Jelli Dikkin

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i think thats what im gonna do .. ive been looking but no luck and im not buying new cause they way to much money.. im still on the fence though i might just sell it and buy a real boat..lol
 

Ragged Edge

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How does that work for guys who have like 18 ft jet boats that have 500+ hp motors? I know over 21 ft and all limits are off but seems like on this guys 20 pontoon he could run like 150-200hp and be somewhat safe.

An 18 foot jet boat is supposed to have the same placard, however the horsepower rating is not printed on the engine as with an outboard, so unless the LEO's have a floating dyno they have no way to know how much horsepower that V8 has.:D
 

Ragged Edge

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i think thats what im gonna do .. ive been looking but no luck and im not buying new cause they way to much money.. im still on the fence though i might just sell it and buy a real boat..lol

I would think that you could put anywhere from a 60HP to 125HP outboard on a 20' toon and LEO won't give you a second look.

Also not having a legible placard is a violation and gives LEO one more thing to nitpick you about, if they happen to notice it. If the manufacturer is still in business they should be able to provide you with a new one if not then there is nothing you can do about it. Myself, I would not worry about it until it becomes an issue.
 

Jelli Dikkin

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i contacted a sweetwater dealer in havi and the guy i delt with was suppose to call me back.. i think he dropped the ball ... haven't herd from him...maybe ill try another dealer
 

DRYHEAT

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I have a old 20 bass buggy w/ a 60 I believe vary similar to your sweetwater small diameter poontoons. 18.1 MPH up river:D I know of one running a 115 and has had no issues:hmm
 

Jelli Dikkin

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thanks for all the help guys .. i think im gonna try and find 90-115 .. and roll with the punches
 
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