what size engine

hi all any advice on what engine would be best to put on 17 foot inflatable preferably 4 stroke on tight budget( very tight ) would 6 hp be enough, would be fishing in cork harbour any advice helps thanks

what is the hp rating on the plate. 6hp seems to be very small for the size of boat you have.

17 feet that's +5 metres! A 6hp would potter it along at best. I'd say 6-8 knots at a a guess.
Save up for something bigger.

hi john there s no hp rateing on plate, lads would 8 0r 9 hp be enough for the harbour thanks

By the sounds of what you have i would be thinking at least around the 20/25hp,

what make of boat is it ? if you knew that it would be something to go on.

hi lads thanks for replys don't mean to be vage its 17 foot red inflatable chinese crest at front of it, no other writeing on it at all ,no plated weight at transom nothing it was bought at glenmarine some years ago by previous owner would a 9 hp do.

Yes. But as everybody else is saying, dont expect to be flying round the place with that size engine, it'll be fairly sedate.

The general rule for minimum engine size (usually used when working out auxilliary power) is one H.P. per metre length.

A 9hp will drag you around like a snail, if you are fishing harbours like Cork where there can be a lot of tide, you will be moving even slower... By all means if you have a 9 or 10hp engine or can borrow one, put it on and try it out in a sheltered area and see what the performance si like..

Kev

thanks lads for the sound advice, bit of thinking to do, go big or go home thanks again