Hey folks
Struggling to find useful info on the web so thought I'd come back to ole faithful for answers...
Right then. I'm looking to buy an inflatable boat (Badger Heavy Duty 390 AL)

The manufacturer says the max engine I can put on is 35hp... Clear so far

But what I don't understand.. is the performance difference of say a 25hp or 30 hp engine much less? I need to know if the performance is much better in the 35hp to compensate for the extra cost and extra weight over the lesser powered engines

The boat will be mainly 2 up but occasionally there could be up to 4 adults in it

Also approximately how fast in mph would a 35hp engine carry this type of boat with 2 adults, some fishing kit, flask of coffee, some sandwiches and perhaps an apple or 2?

Thanks
Mike

a 30 will do 15+knots in one of those.
the problem with them little dingies is as soon as you ramp up the speed they get very nose light coz of where the 60kg engine is and where the ??kg driver sits. 2 up the other bloke will be leaning over the front if you get fruity
it may handle better loaded with 4 people and I guess that's where the recommendation is for a 35 which would get you up to nearly 20knots whereas a 30 wouldn't
your shout - a 30 would be cheaper, easy to handle, lighter but slightly less fast than a heavier, expensive 35
whatever the case - it's not a rhib in the true sense so will not handle high speed maneuvers. it is a tender by design.

Great advice thanks.
We will 2up 90% of the time so I'm guessing 30hp will be fine
Do you have any recommendations of such a motor. Price isn't the most important factor. More of a performance/reliability and weight considerations
Cheers
Mike

Here's one with a 30hp suzuki engine. The front does go up as described.



Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated

^ Only goes up on the nose until the speed builds up enough for the boat to plane over the top of the water

Thank you John - I also watched the video.

Didn't watch the video, but have now, doesn't look very fast. Invest in the bigger engine for more fun

Remember, horsepower needs go up MUCH faster than speed achieved. How are you transporting the boat? If the boat us going on the roof and the engine lifted into the back of the FFRR, then WEIGHT may be far more important than power.