Building The Vera Cruise

[Bill Edmundson]

Carl

I have a Yamaha 115 on the Bartender with al kinds of stuff in it. Meranti plywood. It runs 34-35 mph. Just info. It is 24' with an 8'4" beam.

Bill

[mrintense]

THanks for responding Bill, I had forgotten about your boat being larger than mine and if I recall, quite a few more frames than mine (I have 6). So perhaps the 115 will be fine after all. The extra weight on my boat maybe comes from the beefier floor supports and the extra cabinetry but on the other hand, it contains less cabinetry than the original design and the cabin is shorter in length.

[Bill Edmundson]

Carl

I have 14 or 15 frames. The bottom is 5/8 thick and the topsides are 3/8. I also have a 24 gal water tank, 13 gal holding tank, head, and 6 gal. water heater. I think the 115 will be fine on your boat also.

Bill

[Soloboat]

Great going Carl. She is solidly built no doubt but I am willing to bet your boat is way lighter than a comparable glass boat your 115hp should be adequate . looking forward to launch. and fwiw I am still building my boat 6 yrs after it hit the water

[mrintense]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!!

I've completed enough of the motorwell parts to move on to the next step. I got all the motorwell parts out of the boat and will start encapsulation and fiberglassing tomorrow. I'll also be cleaning out the motorwell area and touching up any paint that needs it. I'll probably be in paint and clean up mode for the next couple of months as I start preparing for assembly. With any luck I should start laying wire early next year. Hoping it goes quick after that. But regardless, construction will continue.

And yes, I fully expect to be continuing construction on mine for years after she hits the water. There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done yet.

[chugalug]

I think the 115 would be enough.Might have to go with power prop depending on load.I like to pop up on plane quickly and then back off a little to save fuel(won't work with "Chug") but works well with my fishing boat-1700 MonArk w/90 Merc.

[neel thompson]

I'm with Matt on the HP issue. A 150 would be sweet and weigh about the same as a 115. You don't have to use all the horses, but they are they are there when you need them.... Everything looks great. You are amazing !!

[Hercdrvr]

Suzuki makes a 140 hp that’s the same size block as their 115 hp, weight is within 10 lbs and the price is about $1,000 more. It would be nice to prop up a couple degrees of pitch and cruise at a lower rpm. Once a year there’s 5 people and 2 coolers in our Malahini and they all want to ski and tube. I’m glad I have the extra muscle (90hp) to keep the fun meter pegged.
Matt B

[Bill Edmundson]

If your boat weighs in at 3500# the 115 will get you to about 32 mph, 150 will get you to 35 maybe 36 mph.

Your mileage may vary.

Bill

[kens]

Beautiful detail in your build.
If you are a bit concerned about being heavy, and undecided on the engine,,,,
I would look into which particular engine allows the largest diameter prop, and/or has a deeper gear ratio.
The engine makers might have 9 different engines offered, but only 2 different lower units to share all the different models.
They share as much basic parts as they can such as lower units, engine blocks, and wiring harnesses.
Bill is correct, the 150 might only get you 3mph over the 115.
But, if the 115 can be had with a larger prop and a deeper gear ratio, then I would opt for the gear ratio
just my $.02

[hoodman]

I know when I was looking at Suzuki, their marketing said something about a lower gear ratio allowing the engine to turn a bigger prop. They seem like really good lightweight engines.

[Bill Edmundson]

Suzuki is getting very popular on the Alabama gulf coast.

Bill

[kens]

our local Sea-Tow operator now uses only Suzuki.
I went out on a recovery trip with his captain, and the boat was a big, heavy, tow outfitted, with twin medium HP suzuki's.
I was really shocked, that heavy-tub-of-a-boat got up and moved out !!
then he yanked a boat off the hard beach.
yes, Suzuki does offer a deeper gear than the others, there is a 115hp & 140hp with 2.59:1 gear.

[mrintense]

Thanks Kens, Matt, Matt, Neel, and Bill. This is useful information. I never even considered a different gear ratio. That's what comes from going into this with little experience. The knowledge gained is very much appreciated. When the time comes to make the purchase, I will definitely bring this up with the dealer.


Started encapsulation on the motorwell parts yesterday and got fiberglass cloth laid down on one side of the motorwell bulkhead. Temps are a bit cooler but still pleasant here. However, the epoxy is taking a lot longer to cure so it slows me down some. Wish I was off of work this week. Supposed to be nice all week.

[Goodell]

I’ve been following this build since I started building, That transom isn’t going anywhere. Carl is meticulous about his joints. The only thing I ever wonder about on this build is the final weight of the boat might be on the heavy side. 150 hp maybe ???
Looks great,
Matt B

Yes, that has been a concern of mine for awhile now. I was so focused on getting the boat solid, that I kind of overlooked the weight issue. I have no idea right now how much it will weigh and I was planning on a 115 HP outboard as this is at the higher end of the recommended power range for this boat. But I think that I will probably get the boat weighed before taking it to the dealer for the motor.

I'm not looking for a ski boat or a lot of speed, but I do want it to get up on plane relatively easily. The good news is that the 150 weighs about the same as the 115 so I can go higher I think if needed.

Unless you used a lot more glass than specified - a few added stuff probably not as much weight as you think. It takes some work to get 200-300lbs over the estimated hull weight in the plans. I bet your hull will be no more than 1500-1600lbs. Motor, fuel, batteries, misc electronics, and gear probably will take it to 2500 lbs. tops.