Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Ok I am new to the board and posted my first post in the welcome page, but of course I need advice already

A few weeks ago we ordered a 2010 Harris Cruiser 20' with 50hp Merc 4 stroke and 25" toons. Our original intent was crusing and fishing a little, maybe letting the kids 9 and 11 tube a little. After reading on this board it looks like the 50hp will work for tubing for the kids but maybe not for long and would be kind of lame for the adults, so my question.

If I am not tubing my preference is a efficient gas sipping cruise, speed is of no concern to me. From what I understand this boat will do about 17 or 18 with avg load and 4 people is that correct?

However when tubing with Avg load this may only do 14-15 is that correct?

If I upgrade to the 90hp (max allowed for boat) will there be much difference in speed, I am estimating avg load 21-22 and tubing 18-19 is that low or will it be more?

I know eveyone says always go for the most motor you can afford and the boat will allow, but unless I am tubing I don't care about the power. Also if the upgrade will not make much of a noticeable difference for tubing then I don't want to spend the extra money and I will just be content with what I have. I am really struggling to know if there will be a difference worth the money. I mean if I go with the 90 will adults tube and be fun, or will it still be fairly lame? The upgrade will cost $1750 to do now before I take the boat, do you think it will add the entertainment value for me? Will I notice the gas difference crusing? Does $1750 sound right or a little high for the upgrade?

Hope this isn't too long, thanks in advance for any advice!

$1750 doesn't sound bad to me. I would do it. I'm going say you would get 23-25 mph with the 90hp.
A 90hp would pull the kids pretty good, not sure about large adults. You could always get a wake board. They are actually easier to pull than a tube.

Here's my son learning to wake board behind my 20 ft w/50hp motor. Was able to get up to 17mph.

Tube will drag you down to 12 MPH with four on board and you can alway's run the 90 slower and get the same fuel mileage you get from the 50.

I say go for a 2 stoke and drop the engine weight, the new 2's are getting good mileage and the E-Tec doesn't even require service for 3 years,plus you could forget to put oil in the mix tank and it will go into limp home mode and run for 6 hours without oil and not be hurt.

IMO do the 90. You have plenty for pulling tube with passengers and can still go slow. Like Herb said you pull a tube with 4 on board your gonna pull speed way down and drink more gas then a 90 pulling a tube with 4 on board. Also you will be full throttle on 50 when tubing but can run 90 at more efficient throttle setting.

Thanks for the quick replies, it sounds like the logical choice to upgrade. Makes sense from full throttle too, the 50 will be pushed hard to do it. Still thinking, but leaning really strong to the upgrade. I just think I'll be happier in the long run, I don't want to wonder what if? But at the same time I don't want to wonder was it worth it? Well I will decide in a few days, I'll let you know. Thanks!

If you're buying a new 2010 then the $1750 is probably less than 10% of the cost of your boat. I think its well worth that price.

You cant have too much power, but you can definitely have too little. Your kids will be much happier tubing behind the 90. Remember too that your speed will drop significantly when you turn. And the kids wont want to be pulled in a straight line.

I have a 20 ft with a 60 merc 4 stroke. My logs are 23" so smaller than yours, but i have 10 more hp. My kids could have a picnic without spilling their drinks tubing behind my toon. And if i zig zag, they could take a nap back there. Get the 90, you won't regret it.

I bought my toon used for 8500 with the 60, if i could upgrade to a 90 for 1750 id do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately i think a new 90 is about 7 grand and dont know what i could get for my used 60. If i had bought my toon new for around 20K and passed up a 90 for 1750 more id be pissed at myself.

plus, if you ever want to sell it, a toon with a 90 on it will be a lot easier to sell than a 50.

I agree with the majority here... upgrade to the 90 hp. The cost to upgrade isn't substantially more, the extra power will come in handy and if you ever decide to sell it, the 90 will attract more buyers. While my experience with the new 4 strokes is very limited, they do weigh more than the 2 strokes ( my Yamaha 75 horse 4 stroke weighs 379 lbs.) but also seem to run pretty good. At about 3/4 throttle on my Bennington 20 SFi I am getting about 22 mph ( using gps ) with just me and the wife on board. I'm assuming at wide open throttle ( which I have not used yet ) I should get around 24 or 25 mph, which to be honest with you is plenty fast enough for me to cruise the lake. Enjoy your new boat.

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 SFi
Yamaha 75 hp 4 stroke

I have a Harris 20' with the 25" tubes and a 90hp would not go any less. With the 90 at WOT I get 24MPH with the day enclousure on and clean tubes two adults and a 30pk. My buddy has a 70HP and
wines all the time. First thunder/lighting storm that catches you out and you will wish for more engine.

Go with the 90. I had a 40hp on my first toon and a 90hp now. There is a huge difference. Sooner or later you're going to have 10 people on that boat and that 50 will be crawling about 8mph and pushing water. Don't make the mistake that many boaters make. I'm a tight ass and always looking to save a few extra bucks but don't do it here.

Could look at it like this.........almost doubling your hp for $1750. If I could double mine for $1750, I would be writing a check right now.

doc

roland with my bennington i get around 15 with 4 people on board that is with gps so i would think you would be around the same although my transom pod is set back farther then yours as mine is a gli anyway i dont know if that would effect speed or not. i do like the boat. glad i went benni

tkrein wrote:roland with my bennington i get around 15 with 4 people on board that is with gps so i would think you would be around the same although my transom pod is set back farther then yours as mine is a gli anyway i dont know if that would effect speed or not. i do like the boat. glad i went benni

tkrein, took my Benny 20 SFi out last weekend, and also took my gps just to see what kind of speeds we were getting.. On this particular day the lake was really smooth with virtually no wind.. ran it up to about 3/4 throttle, maybe a hair more and according to my garmin we were running about 20-21 mph. thats with a yamaha F75. Also, that's just with two people on the boat. Don't know if the transom pods would change anything, but I would assume that my boat, being a fishing model, is also alittle lighter than your gli. Also, my boat has 25" toons so it should sit a little higher in the water which I would think would help speed wise. But that's me just guessing. Since we're still in the engine break in period, I may go wot for a few minutes next time out just to see what I get. When I bought my boat I had narrowed my choices to either a G3 208F w / a 90 4 stroke or the benny 20 SFi with a 75. I really wanted the 90, but my son had a bennington and we really liked his boat, plus the GM at our local bennington dealer was a former neighbor so I was able to get a little better deal on the benny. That's primarily why I went with bennington, but so far no regrets. really like the boat, comfortable, easy to use and seems to be put together pretty well. I also love the "wine" color. I see you have the same taste

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 SFi
Yamaha F75

Well thanks for the good advice and convincing, I made the call to upgrade....now I am even more anxious for warm weather!

dparr wrote:Well thanks for the good advice and convincing, I made the call to upgrade....now I am even more anxious for warm weather!

You won't regret the 90. Trust me.