Hey fellas, I'm new to this whole game. I just put together a 1436 Alumacraft with a 9hp Honda GDLT. I see a lot of people talking about getting their boats on plane and I'm pretty sure that aint happening for me. I'm a big guy at 6ft 280lbs and with just me, battery, and trolling motor it seems to come up to a decent speed but the stern is def still deep in the water. I dont have a gps to get a definate mph. The prop seems to be worn some and I'm planning on looking into that next time I'm in. In the future I plan to put a bigger engine but am afraid to put to much weight on a thin rivited boat. Any suggestions on my current set up and future upgrades would be great.

Is it a flat bottom? Where are you standing at? You want to stand as far forward as possible in that size boat when you are strutting that much mass. First step is the prop like you said

We've ran a 20hp on that size and it was fine...

It should get on plane just wont be very fast. 9hp just isn't that much power.

Yeah its a flat bottom and Im sitting just ahead of the rear bench seat. Any further up and I wouldnt be able to reach the handle. I dont need it to be a speed demon I just want to know I'm getting the most out of what I got.

two things:

Put a tiny tach on the motor, maby $35.00 or so. you should be turning 38 - 3900 Rpm with the prop in the water.

Measure the prop with a common tape measure. Compare the diameter with Go Devil's recommended prop size for your motor HP. it should be no smaller than 1/2" below the recommended size. and even that much smaller can make a noticeable difference in performance.

And third, enjoy your new boat and motor no matter what. Remember walking and carrying a few decoys?

Mark F. Cheney

Alright fellas thanks for the help. And Mark you're definately right about that.