Boat education needed

[FishHunterPro]

Hi folks, I'm looking at buying a Lund SSV 14ft. The boat comes with a 15" or 20" transom. What's the pros and cons between the two. My thoughts were that the 20" could probably handle bigger waves hitting the transom and would also need a longer motor shaft. But maybe the 15" is better I have no clue. Any advice will help . Thanks

[Pike fisher]

If you have the money, definitely get the 20" transom, you won't regret it.....especially when you regret staying on the lake a few extra minutes as that nasty storm blows in. Also, go with as big a motor as the boat is rated for. If you are a little underpowered, your boat will be fine until you put a load in it. Then you will wish you had 5 or 10 more horses.

[brohymn2]

If you have the money, definitely get the 20" transom, you won't regret it.....especially when you regret staying on the lake a few extra minutes as that nasty storm blows in. Also, go with as big a motor as the boat is rated for. If you are a little underpowered, your boat will be fine until you put a load in it. Then you will wish you had 5 or 10 more horses.

solid advice

[Kim473]

If you have the money, definitely get the 20" transom, you won't regret it.....especially when you regret staying on the lake a few extra minutes as that nasty storm blows in. Also, go with as big a motor as the boat is rated for. If you are a little underpowered, your boat will be fine until you put a load in it. Then you will wish you had 5 or 10 more horses.

The extra 5 - 10 horses help greatly. A buddy had a boat with a 15 hp motor on it and it worked fine. He had a 25 hp motor and installed it and we went to Calling lake. When the wind picked up and we headed back, if the 25 wasn't on it we would have been swamped as the 15 hp would not have helped us climb the rollers rather than them coming over our transom.

[Fishhunter]

Yes more power for sure I have a lund wc 14 with a 30 Yamaha and just love it.i have the 15 inch transome and never had any problems with waves coming over but with that said ive also had a lot of experience navigating smaller boats in big water. The extra 5 inches prob won't help that much if you get into waves where you need that height,more power will help weave your way through bigger waves and also gain speed to get you off the lake when the bad weather rolls in.best advice is to never go beyond your capabilities leave before it gets to bad.i would go min 30 hp on the ssv I think it's rated for 25, mine is rated for 20 and the 30 works well.

[FishHunterPro]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm going with the 14ft with the 20" transom and the new merc 30hp EFI. Should zip along the lake good

[Mayhem]

Nice....I ran the exact same set-up for a number of years but with a 2-stroke, loved it. Had it out in some pretty nasty conditions too with no issues. Four stroke would be even better, way less fumes. I bought it used with a 15" transom, which I didn't mind as it kept the stick down a bit lower and out of the way while fishing, for me anyways. You need a set of wave wackers though if you're doing any kind of back trolling and you get the ocassional splash over.

Do yourself a favor and get the drop in vinyl floor, you won't regret it. Enjoy the boat.

[EZM]

Another vote for a 20" transom and max HP.

I think everyone covered the why's pretty well.

Nice boat .... definitely the best choice for that size/application and price range.

[FishHunterPro]

Anyone have any idea how slow you could get this set up trolling? I hoping it should be good for trolling around without the need for an electric motor.

[cube]

Anyone have any idea how slow you could get this set up trolling? I hoping it should be good for trolling around without the need for an electric motor.

You could probably troll it ok with a 9.9 perhaps a 15. Anything more and you will have to back troll, use a drift sock or some other device to slow you down eg EasyTroller Trolling Plate http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/Boating-Outboards-Accessories/Trolling-Plates-Stabilizers%7C/pc/104794380/c/104752980/sc/104655780/EasyTroller-Trolling-Plate/737690.uts?destination=%2Fcategory%2FTrolling-Plates-Stabilizers%2F104655780.uts&WTz_l=undefined%3Bcat104655780.
One can always shift it in and out of gear but I have worried about repair bills down the road when doing this.

[EZM]

Propeller pitch is KING ...... so many guys mess with the idle, throw drift sock out etc...

My 150 Honda with a 17 pitch has a top speed of a little less than 70 km hr or so ..... put on a 27 pitch and the same boat, at the same rpm, it goes well past 90 km hr.

The same two props will troll my boat at 2.4 mph (17 pitch) and 3.8 mph (using the 27 pitch).

The advantage of a lower pitch is - slower trolling speed, faster hole shot and up on plane, better boat control and all you sacrifice is top speed.

Spend another 50-60 bucks and get the slowest prop you can, it take minutes to change it out if you are going to be doing some trolling.

[FishHunterPro]

Thanks EMZ this is what I was thinking too. I will just try it as is and if it's to fast I will lower it 2 sizes.

[cube]

For what it's worth I have a slightly bigger boat than EZM with a 9.9 pro-kicker which has a very low pitch and my one complaint if any is that it's hard to troll slow enough with the kicker for walleye. My boat would weigh about 5 X as much as yours. Hope that gives you an idea.

It's always a good idea to have a spare prop (and what ever you need to connect it, shear pins etc) along on holidays. And I too usually make this a low pitched prop.

If I were you I would get the max HP then get a very small gas kicker when you can afford it. Electric of course would solve the problem but I hate having to bring the generator along and I would not trust the electric to get me home after a day of trolling if the main motor failed. I certainly understand that most people however would pick the electric. I also hate the sound of 50 generators running at the campground. I go camping to get away from the noise but now a days fishing campgrounds that do not have electrical hook ups sound like industrial parks.

Good luck with your purchase I'm sure you'll love it.

[FishHunterPro]

I ended up changing plans a bit today and bought the Lund SSV 16ft with the 30hp merc and drop in floor. The dealer assured me that I will be happy with the setup and if I don't like it within a reasonable amount of time I can exchange the motor for a 40 and just pay the difference so I'm pretty happy with the deal. Pick her up just before the long weekend .

Cheers

[EZM]

I ended up changing plans a bit today and bought the Lund SSV 16ft with the 30hp merc and drop in floor. The dealer assured me that I will be happy with the setup and if I don't like it within a reasonable amount of time I can exchange the motor for a 40 and just pay the difference so I'm pretty happy with the deal. Pick her up just before the long weekend .

Cheers

Nice Boat ..... you will like it.

A electric trolling motor is the way to go on that boat ..... especially since that model is on a trailer anyways .... drop a big deep cycle battery in the battery compartment and she's ready to go. That boat is light enough you should get a days worth of walleye trolling on a electric trolling motor.

[SamSteele]

We have a Lund SSV 16 with a 25 hp Yamaha 4 stroke on it. 20" transom and the boat is rated for a 40hp motor. It is a fabulous boat. Very stable, and handles rough water really well. It does tend to wander a bit in crosswinds though. I have loaded this boat up with a ton of equipment and still handled huge waves on Pinehouse Lake in northern sask. It trolls nicely and gets up on plane well. We have pulled the kids tubing behind it and even had adults wakeboard behind it, just to prove that it could.

We got a great deal on the boat new out or Nipawin Chrysler in Sask. Showed our AB drivers license and didn't have to pay tax. Think we payed $6500 brand new with the EZ Load trailer and outboard, and they met me in Meadow Lake.


SS

[Sea Hawk]

The mercury website says that their 30hp motor has a 15 amp charging circuit which I think would be enough to keep a trolling motor battery charged up. You would only have to take a run down the lake every now and then to keep your trolling battery from getting too run down.

[FishHunterPro]

We have a Lund SSV 16 with a 25 hp Yamaha 4 stroke on it. 20" transom and the boat is rated for a 40hp motor. It is a fabulous boat. Very stable, and handles rough water really well. It does tend to wander a bit in crosswinds though. I have loaded this boat up with a ton of equipment and still handled huge waves on Pinehouse Lake in northern sask. It trolls nicely and gets up on plane well. We have pulled the kids tubing behind it and even had adults wakeboard behind it, just to prove that it could.

We got a great deal on the boat new out or Nipawin Chrysler in Sask. Showed our AB drivers license and didn't have to pay tax. Think we payed $6500 brand new with the EZ Load trailer and outboard, and they met me in Meadow Lake.


SS

That sounds like a smoking deal on that setup, I paid way more then you did. It's good to hear that your 25hp pushes it good. I should have no worry's with the 30hp then.