Rebadging Oversized Engine cowls to make them look legal

[Hell Boy]

I was looking at 2010::) Suzuki Brochure and i noticed that the 140hp is 186kg for the 20 inch. Now with my boat having a hp limit of 115Hp and a Weight Limit of 188Kg. Am i right to think that the boat could handle the Suzuki 140 as it is below the weight limit. Stabi's are built well.

Has any one just put on a bigger Outboard and changed the HP rating sticker on the back of the Cowl so it looks legal?

I know insurance would be out the window if you did this, unless you could somehow get it Replated for a larger hp rating, Any one done this?

imagine a 140hp on the back of a 5.3 plate. super fun and scary;D

[finga]

Have you thought about re-rating your boat??
A lot easier to do and the insurance man is happy.
Send Stabi an email to see giving them your hull number so they can identify it.
If they won't re-rate the hull I'd be giving the whole project a wide birth.

2kg isn't well below too matey. Pretty much border line in my books.

[ShaneC]

As far as I know it is not illegal to have a motor in excess of the manufacturers max hp rating but as you say your insurance will be a hassle. I dont see the point in changing the numbers for legal reasons if you are willing to accept the insurance risk.

I remember as kids when we used to "resticker" 8 hp motors on tinnys with 4hp stickers, remarkably we never got caught by the fishos even though we got pulled up a few times. Geez those little tinnys went quick!!!! That may well have been a touch hazy in the eyes of the law.....

[Smithy]

A 140 Suzuki cowl is different to their 115 and 90 cowl as well.

[Spaniard_King]

Bryn,

It happens more often than people can imagine.

Rob, unless the person questioning the sticker on the cowling is very familiar with the engines in question it will go un detected.

[Noelm]

if the boat is rated to X HP then I guess the max HP will give it good performance, so why then would you risk life and limb and over power it unless you are a racer or big time water skier? and with that HP I kind of doubt you will be either, but as mentioned, it would take a very keen officer to see that (say) you had a 140HP motor cowling but swapped to 90 decals.

[finga]

Might be cheaper to re-rate the hull.
Have you seen the price of stickers for outboards http://www.smileyhut.com/surprised/yikes.gif

[Noelm]

yep, that's a very good point, the stickers are as dear as poison. I needed a new cowl for one of my motors (A d!ckhead rammed it at the ramp) and I was quoted $1,200 for the cowl and $600 for the decals, Jesus, I ended up fixing the old one, looks a bit rough, but was way cheaper.

[shrunken pojie]

Instead of rebadging the cowl, why not just put a cover over it? I know of a few people who have done that.

Phill

[The-easyrider]

if the boat is rated to X HP then I guess the max HP will give it good performance, so why then would you risk life and limb and over power it unless you are a racer or big time water skier? and with that HP I kind of doubt you will be either, but as mentioned, it would take a very keen officer to see that (say) you had a 140HP motor cowling but swapped to 90 decals.

:o Because he is a red blooded male ogh ogh ;D

[cormorant]

As far as I know it is not illegal to have a motor in excess of the manufacturers max hp rating but as you say your insurance will be a hassle. I dont see the point in changing the numbers for legal reasons if you are willing to accept the insurance risk.

I remember as kids when we used to "resticker" 8 hp motors on tinnys with 4hp stickers, remarkably we never got caught by the fishos even though we got pulled up a few times. Geez those little tinnys went quick!!!! That may well have been a touch hazy in the eyes of the law.....


There is a couple of catch all laws that relate to being in control of a seaworthy vessel. Outside the manufacturers and Aussie standards could fit that bill and be considered not seaworthy.

Fisheries and police are unlikely to check or take action until there is a accident and then insurer, police and coroner will all check boat and motor combinations. That could lead to no insurance and charges.

Police are not totally stupid , are well up on what HP something is and with standard motor info plates if they are sus or just being painful they can easily look.

As for weight on transoms the manufacturers don'r take in to account all the crap we carry on our boats , extra fuel,ivve bait tanks etc so I would do some serious sandbags at the back of the boat and see where it sits in the water at rest and attitude when moving and have bad manners in a following swell..

Several very popular hulls never worked well with heavier 4 stroke motors even with extra HP as they just didn't get up and boogie. You may have limited performance gains and not much better ecconomy or load carrying ability especially as propping becomes difficult

Fair bit of trial and error and to be the tester is a expensive idea. Find someone else who has done it and speak with manufacturer as they will have played with that before and will also tell you if they can rerate and still comply with the law.

[Hell Boy]

$600 for new decals!!!!! holy moly, where do they get off charging that much







yep, that's a very good point, the stickers are as dear as poison. I needed a new cowl for one of my motors (A d!ckhead rammed it at the ramp) and I was quoted $1,200 for the cowl and $600 for the decals, Jesus, I ended up fixing the old one, looks a bit rough, but was way cheaper.

[Hell Boy]

Thanks guys, for the different views,

It was just an idea that came into my head, The way i was looking at it, was that it would increase my cruising speed ( i would imagine buy quite a bit) while still allowing good fuel economy.

i have been toying with upgrading from a 90hp to a 115hp, and if the 140hp is lighter than most of the 115hp four strokes , why not look at that option as well.

Ill shoot off an email to stabi and get there stance. But I don't think they would uprate the current plate. They would rather have me buy a bigger boat, plus im guessing the extra power would maybe cause extra stress on the transom.

Can any boat builder upGrade the HP rating? or is it only the original builder?

I found that QLD transport would only allow the original trailer builder to upgrade my trailer, due to it being supplied with an under load rated trailer.



Might be easier to buy a bigger boat::)

[sharkcat one]

Another point is if you are involved in an accident and someone is hurt or killed you will most likely be charged or off to jail.

Because they will say that if your boat had the right HP on it , you would not have been in that accident at that time or someone who is killed would have lived if you were travelling at a lower speed if you had the right HP.

Just a thought.

cheers

[O-3]

Rather small 200's ;D

[ozscott]

There is a boat that never leaves its birth...if it did that canopy would come straight off.....


Cheers

[Matt76]

I can see where you are coming from, I went outboard shopping yesterday for a 115 to go on a 5m plate side console I am getting built, and the salesman said the same thing to me, check your max limit because the 140 is only $700 dearer and is 3kg lighter. Hmmm, would be a rocket!

[mustang5]

I upgraded my old half cabin from a 90hp Yamaha to a 140hp Yamaha and regretted it straight away. There is a lot more that goes into speed and economy than simply horsepower, there is hull design, deadrise angle and the likes.

Sure in a milk pond the HP to extra weight ratio worked out, but when it was even slightly choppy and your on and off the revvs, the extra weight on the back cost me comfort, time and $$.

And you probably get 1/364 days in Moreton bay where it is a milkpond.

[stevej]

As far as I know it is not illegal to have a motor in excess of the manufacturers max hp rating but as you say your insurance will be a hassle. I dont see the point in changing the numbers for legal reasons if you are willing to accept the insurance risk.

I remember as kids when we used to "resticker" 8 hp motors on tinnys with 4hp stickers, remarkably we never got caught by the fishos even though we got pulled up a few times. Geez those little tinnys went quick!!!! That may well have been a touch hazy in the eyes of the law.....


in nsw it is illegal to either go over weight or over hp

the other issue is illegal or not, if the shit hits the fan and if your putting the extra hp on caused the issue your going to get slammed hard