Why won't this dinghy plane?

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Rick

I've got one of those new BossBoats dinghy. Appearance wise, it looks identical to any inflatable rigid bottom dinghy. The big difference is that it's fiberglas instead of rubber. No, you can't collapse it for storage but it won't rot, puncture or leak. My question is this. It's only 8.5 feet long and weighs about 120 pounds. I've got a 6 hp Suzuki on it but it won't plane. Never having had a dinghy before, I wonder how much horsepower do you need to plane. For those of you who have an inflatable, should 6 hp do it or do I need to upgrade to a 9.9 or bigger outboard. Somebody told me that 6 hp should be sufficient and, since mine won't, do you have any idea why the engine isn't giving me the power I need? It's a brand new, out of the box engine. Any ideas appreciated.
 
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danknoxsf

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Jun 25, 2004
52
Islander 36 San Francisco
I think it should.

OK please forgive me on this but how much weight to you have in the boat? And are you sure the engine is attached correctly. A 6 hp outboard is very powerful and even if it is not in peek condition that's plenty of power for a dinghy. How fast can you go in it and how fast do you want to go? --Dan
 
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jmcclain

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Jan 18, 2004
221
Beneteau 321 Houston
Should Plane with Ease

I have a 10'+ RIB with a 6HP Mercury and have no problem planing with 350lbs. on board. It will plane quickly when solo. Something else must be going on here. As Dan suggested, check the motor mounting, etc.
 
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Rick

Thanks guys, here's some more info

I weigh 200 lbs. The boat weighs about 120. There is no gear or other weight in the dinghy. When I give it full throttle, it just pushes through the water like a sled. I tried moving forward to encourage it to plane but the bow just pushed down and I plowed through the water. Any ideas on how I could check to see if the motor just isn't putting out the HP it should? It doesn't sound like the rpms are that high.
 
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danknoxsf

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Jun 25, 2004
52
Islander 36 San Francisco
How does it rev out of the water?

This is something you can try. Rev the engine before you put it in the water. If it will rev higher and easier without a load (while it is not in the water) than it will with a load (while it is in the water) there is a good chance the engine has a problem. Good Luck. --Dan
 
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Rick

Thanks Dan

Dan, thanks for the idea. I hadn't thought of it but it makes sense. I'll be at the boat this weekend and see if the Suzuki passes the test. Rick
 
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