I’m having a hell of a time finding the information I need in order to make the right decision on engine size. If you don’t mind and have some free time, this is what I’m trying to find out. Any help is much appreciated!

BOAT QUESTIONS:
1975 Aquasport Center Console, 19’6”
What is the maximum horsepower this boat can handle and what is the maximum weight the transom on the boat can handle?

ENGINE QUESTION:
1981 Evinrude 115 HP, with Power Trim and Power Tilt
How much does this engine weigh?

Again guys any help is appreciated

Cocco - figure that that is a carbed V-4, right? It certainly will weigh less than a carbed V-6 so you can check evinrude.com and get an idea that way. There is probably specs in an outboard repair manual too...

As far as the transom, there are several things to keep in mind. The transom, when new may have been rated for say a 125 HP outboard (wild a$$ guess plucked from air). Now that 125 in 1975 measured horsepower at the flywheel. Current engines are rated HP at the prop so a 2002 125 might be equivalent to a 1975 140 - just something to keep in mind.

Second thing, if you have this boat and are considering a repower, you are going to want to make certain that the transom is not rotted. I'm not familiar with that boat but typically, the transom ideally would have been made up of 2 pieces of resin impregrnated, 1/2 inch plywood boards encased in fiberglass. The only problem is that water may have gotten in there and rotted out the wood. In which case the actual load rating of the transom now could be a lot less than when it was new. Does the transom flex when the motor is raised up/down out of the water? You may widh to have a marine shop or a surveyor do a core sampling on the transom. It would not be fun to repower for several thousand bucks only to find the transom cannot safely support the engine...

Rebuilding a transom is not the easiest thing in the world to do or something to be taken lightly - this is from what I have seen and the people I have talked to that have done one or more transom rebuilds...

The transom is in great shape, i've already had it inspected by a mechanic but never asked him the engine question. I'm pretty sure it's a carb 4, but I was thinking about replacing it with a 4 stroke yahama 100 HP (356 lbs) or a 115 HP 4 Stroke (398 lbs). The last thing I want to do is under take a repowering job only to find some imcompatibility issues along the way. Thanks for the tips

Other things you need to consider - a current v4 carbed johnson runs 320 pounds - going to 400 pounds shouldn't cause that much pain but how does the boat sit with 2 guys standing at the transom now? Also, is that a 20 or 25 inch shaft motor and how close is the water at rest to the transom notch? Have you had waves come through the notch before??

Hey anyone know where I can find information about older aquasport (pre 1990 models) boats online? I called their customer service department and the guy was a total {richard ;) }

When I asked about the particular model I have (1975) I was told it's impossible to find anything about models produced before 1990. I then asked him if there was somewhere I can look or some archives I can do some research in, he told me there weren't any, but if I find any I should call him and let him know.

Finally I asked him if there was some industry trade paper or magazine that may have some older records of some type (like issues around the time of the model launch with specs) and he told me the company wasn't responsible for refering past customers to outside sources. Does anyone know of any place that may have some info into older model boats from Aquasport??

Cocco, try this site, someone may have had one, http://thehulltruth.com ... Good site, a lot of floridians that may have han an aquasport or four...

I'm pretty sure the max is 150 HP. That's the max on the current Aquasport Osprey 200 which is the exact same hull. These boats are typically rigged with 115 HP engines and do just fine. 150 is probably overkill for the waters around here.