Savage ranger 455

[hornet]

I had a 40hp on a streaker 458 fiberglass cuddy, horrible, slow to plane, handled flighty, a dog in a following sea, I upgraded a year later to a 75hp, it was a different boat ! it sat in the water more stable, it planed instantly with 3 aboard and all gear, it rode great underway not flighty anymore, tracked way better, the extra weight made a huge difference, and the power was awesome... ( from my personal experience.)

[bowl]

Are you doing long trips in tbe boat bowl or just little trups across the bay

Hoping to do trips to the channel at portarlington....ect....if bad weather comes either need more HP motor....or have to duck into nearest ramp n wait it out...

[bowl]

I had a 40hp on a streaker 458 fiberglass cuddy, horrible, slow to plane, handled flighty, a dog in a following sea, I upgraded a year later to a 75hp, it was a different boat ! it sat in the water more stable, it planed instantly with 3 aboard and all gear, it rode great underway not flighty anymore, tracked way better, the extra weight made a huge difference, and the power was awesome... ( from my personal experience.)

Agree....if I look at fibreglass in that size minimum of 60hp....

[skronkman]

Just to add some more thoughts. My mate has a 4.2 Quintrex Busta with a 30HP Yamaha 2 stroke. Full up with 2 adults and a 7 year old, plus fishing gear and lunch we can do 22 knots on the bay. I used to have a 5.2m aluminium hull express cavalier with a 50HP Honda four stroke and could do 23 knots with 2 adults, fishing gear and a big esky full of ice, beer, fish.

You could argue that both are underpowered but both were purchased for a good price and we got plenty of fishing in. Would I have liked more power, yep, did it really limit its intended purpose or could I justify spending more dollars? Nope. Both boats were fabulous bay fishing boats, neither were suitable for offshore work, big swells, constantly punching into 20 knot winds but then I didn't go out into that stuff so it didn't matter to me.

The 5.2 with the 50HP 4 stroke was far more fuel efficient than the smaller boat and smaller 2 stroke.

Take the boat out for a spin, see how it handles, if you still think you need more power then don't buy it and wait for something else to come up. Repowering is an option I would personally avoid when buying a used boat, better to just wait for what you're after to turn up for sale.

[purple5ive]

what size motor di you have on the old boat brenton.
i personally think this is underpowered, and thats the only reason they sit for a while on boatsales or boatyards and are cheap.

[ratbag]

I have a 455 topender, side console with a 4st 60hp, runs very well. It does not have the screen or canopy, so I'd think a 40hp would be average in any water. like the previous comments, you'd want at least 60hp & unto its rated hull motor esp when you throw in gear fuel, ppl, chop & the wind.

[barra mick]

I have a 455 topender, side console with a 4st 60hp, runs very well. It does not have the screen or canopy, so I'd think a 40hp would be average in any water. like the previous comments, you'd want at least 60hp & unto its rated hull motor esp when you throw in gear fuel, ppl, chop & the wind.

I had a 475 topender with a 60.....it was underpowered no doubt.
bm

[fishpod]

Way underpowered I would say, hence the reason why the person is selling it, I would say 60hp

[re-tyred]

I think it is mostly about load. My 4.3 tinny has 30hp Yammy 2 stroke, 3 cylinder. It has less windage that the one pictured. I fish alone offshore. Alone it does 22knts. I find I usually sit at about 16knts offshore, it planes at 11knts. It is very economical at that speed. BUT, if I put 2 people on it is a different boat. I would not take 2 people offshore unless it was flat calm. In the lake 2 is ok. I never put 3 on it unless I am just taking kids and grandkids on a short trip across the lake to a nice swimming beach.
The big test offshore is can you cruise at the same speed as the swell. If running before the wind and swell you do not want to have the waves catching up to you. A 2 meter swell will often travel at around 18-20knts. So loaded that wants to be a minimum speed at less than full throttle. If you are crossing ocean bars you must be able to keep up with the swells with some to spare.
So is 40hp enough? Well yes if you are going to cruise around the bay or lakes on calm days with a max of 2 people. If you are going to be more adventurous with a mate or 2 then no.

[barra mick]

Way underpowered I would say, hence the reason why the person is selling it, I would say 60hp

agree