Recently sold my longtail and wanting to upgrade to a surface drive. What HP could I safely run on this boat? Boat is rated for 30hp and I am thinking of either 27hp or the 35hp. Looks like the weight difference across the board is around 30lbs. I am a virgin when it comes to surface drives so any input will be much appreciated.

35 will float. Be kinda ass heavy, especially if it has the tapered transom. I would prefer moving up to a longer boat with a big block if possible, but that setup will work just fine as is..

Do you think I should stick with the 27 for weight purposes? I don't have any plans to upgrade anytime soon on the boat. Just gotta be content with what I have for now and get the most out of it.

Not really...30lbs isn't shit. Move your battery(s) and fuel to the front. The 27 is still heavy on a 1648. I wasn't real happy with mine... Get the 35 no matter what. Plan to upgrade the boat...who knows though, you may really like the way it runs and not want to change. We carry too much stuff for the 16 footers. They just fall off too fast with a load, IMO.

No. Run the 35. It'll do fine (and as cb said, it will sit a little low in the stern until you give it gas). Hunt with a guy that just sold his only to get a more family friendly boat (bigger, reverse, etc). It did fine with 3 and hunt load. He had it for 10 years, boat and motor still going strong in others' hands.

I've been running one for a few years now and it does fine. I bought a tall transom motor and built the transom up and would suggest it with the added weight. It's not the ideal boat but will it will run good. I had to put fuel tank and 2nd battery up front. I do want a little bigger boat but I love the way this one performs.