Motor Size

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Marc Lanteigne

What is the biggest motor that can be put on the 25 and can it bring it on a plane the same way a 50HP does with a 26? Marc
 
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Ol' Dave West

So Sorry ... No Way Jose'

The Mac 25 and the Mac 26X are two different animals. The 25 is a displacement hull which "pushes" the water out of its way, giving it a practical speed of maybe 7 knots. (the naval engineers out there have a formula which is much more precise) Consequently, most Mac 25 owners have a 5hp or 10hp outboard and the transom is not designed to bear the weight of a really large motor. The 26S and 26D models are also displacement hulls and have similar limitations. The 26X however is a true planing hull.
 
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Bob Cassel

You can put on as large as you want....

but that boat won't go much over 6 knots. That is a displacement hull, or at best a semi-displacement hull. The theoretical maximum hull speed of a displacement hull is 1.34 times the square root of the boats waterline length. Since the boat is a semi-displacement, you may be able to get a little more speed from it, but it still won't matter that much. I'd put a maximum of six horses on that boat, any more is overkill
 
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Doug Rodrigues

Mac 25 7.3 k with the iron sail.

I was trying to get to Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe late one afternoor before it got dark. With the 6 hp outboard at full throttle, and the wind filling the sails at about 20 knots, my GPS readout said 7.3 knots. Geeze....almost fast enough to peel the paint off the hull!
 
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Mike

Yes Size Counts...Up to a Point

The classic choice of motor for a Mac 25 is a long shaft Honda 10Hp here in Southern CA. Sturdy, reliable, cheap and clean and quiet, the Honda 10 has all the power the hull can use or take. You don't want too much Horsepower or you can rip the motormount right off the transom. Too little and you may have a hard time fighting your way into a headwind against the tide when you are running for port to beat a storm. The Honda 10 also has a nice little charging coil built in to charge your battery. Picking up an old Honda 10 (Check out its sister the 7.5hp) may be difficult as those that have them generally want to keep them. Look around though, they are out there. Mine was given to me by a skipper who didn't know how to fix it. $50 in parts and it works great. Happy Sails to You, Mike
 
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