help me decide what horsepower

[willyqbc]

I have just gotten my hands on a 1998 Misty River aluminum. it is a 14 footer with a 71" beam. It is very deep and weighs in the neighbourhood of 350-400 lbs. I will primarily be using this boat in the interior on smaller lakes but will also be taking it on some bigger water Like Francois Lake and Quesnel lake etc. Considering that I have a family of 4 and all our gear, what would you reccomend as a minimum horsepower that will be able to get us off the water somewhat quickly if the need should arise?? Also I wouldn't mind being able to pull the kids on a tube, I do not want to have to purchase a kicker so something that will idle down to a real slow troll is prefferable . I am currently looking at new 20 and 25 horse 4 strokes...any thoughts??

Thanks
Chris

[threedhunter]

what does the transom tag say for max hp rating. that load would best be served by the max rated size, threedhunter.

[Buck]

I have the same boat and i run a Yammy 25 two stroke on it .You will have no problem with that motor.Buy the motor in the states you will save a ton of money.No Duty on outboards.I got mine in Oregon last week no sales tax just Pst and GST at the border. Payed for the trip and i still had money left over.If you get the 4 stroke go with at least the 25 though i'm sure the boat is rated for 30. 4 strokes are alot heavier.http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii159/Ramcam-Photos/IMG_0007.jpg

[Bow Walker]

In addition to the gas motor - why not consider an electric motor for those small lakes? Nothing like a bit of quiet tranquility to ease the soul.

[steelheadSABO]

the bigger the better:) i saw one guy at mission raceway he had a 300hp outboard motor:)

[4 point]

A lot of the interior lakes have a 10 hp restriction on them. So that may cause a problem for you.

[BlacktailStalker]

Chris I had a 14'6" princecraft that had a 35 johnson on it, went 49 km/h and wasnt over powered.
Great for a2-3 men with all your gear.
I'd go with the 25hp.

Most guys overlook outboards and go straight to the yammys or hondas but the Suzuki is the best outboard on the market right now (however a deal is a deal if you've found one)
I do have friends that love their E-tec's too though...