Northwest Fishing Reports

I have an older 70's 13ft Livingston Boat. I have two motors I can put on it.

1)90's 9.9hp Mariner Long shaft tiller 2 stroke.

2)early 70's Johnson 20hp long shaft tiller 2 stroke.

I will be using the boat mainly for fishing small lakes. I will be fishing Kokanee and Sockeye. Those need a Slow trolling speed. My question is, which motor would better serve me. Will the 20hp idle down slow enough to troll? Can the 9.9 push this boat fast enough to plane with me 190lbs, wife 140lbs, daughter 70lbs? Again Not Water skiing here just enough to get me where I need to go...

I have drilled holes, repaired cracks, filled holes and painted the boat. There is no trapped water in any of the compartments or the center keel. The boat should be as light as possible. I've added a Lowrance Color Fish finder and have Light weight clamp on down riggers as well. I have a small sealed 12vt battery to run fish finder, trying to keep from running a deep cycle battery to save space and weight.

I'd think the 9.9 would do fine. We used to rent 14'ers with 9.9's and they pushed a couple of 200+lb guys with gear around pretty well.

I dont know that boat, but you might want to check the transom height. It may only work with short shaft motors.

The first thing I thought is the long shaft is probably wrong for the Livingston to perform correctly on the water with either motor. Personally I would use the 9hp, and even with the long shaft it should move the boat, just not "plane" like you want it to

I'd vote for the 9.9. That is a heavier boat, but if the 9.9 does struggle to get on plane then you can add a Doelfin or hydrofoil to it and it should do the trick. If you go the 20 route you'll probably want an electric trolling motor or trolling plate.

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The nice thing is, if the 9.9 doesnt work out, you already have a replacement on hand

Just a note, my 9.9hp kicker pushes my 18.5' boat around at 1.4mph while at idle speed, with no wind blowing. This can be a bit fast for kokanee, sockeye, walleye, etc. Also, prop pitch plays a huge factor in your motor's performance. I suspect, if you want to have any chance of getting your boat on plane with the 9.9, you'll need a prop with a relatively short pitch, like a 7. Even then, you'd only be moving at around 12 to 13mph. I'd go with the 20 and look for an electric or opt for a pair of small drift socks, that you can attach to the front port and starboard tiedowns, to help get you down to the speed you need.

I agree with G-Man. I had to get an electric because my 15hp Honda trolled too fast for my liking. My boat is probably lighter than yours though because it is 15ft aluminum. One thing i regret about getting the 15 is that its not as fast as I'd like on plane. My boat is rated for up to 25hp but i figured 15 was good enough to have a good top speed while being able to troll at the same time. Next time around I am going to get a bigger motor and leave the trolling to the Minn Kota.

I agree with the rest of the guys, 9.9 and put the right prop on it to get your trolling speed where you want it. WIth all of you in the boat the motor might go slow enough but take out the wife and child and it will go faster so it going to come down to water testing both and using what works best for you. Not sure if the LS is going to be an issue so start there first, you might wind up selling both and getting a SS four stroke like a nice Honda to fit the bill.

Here what some others are saying on Different forums. The Livingston being a Cat hull design wont exhibit the Roll effect that a similar sized Vee bottom would with the Long shaft motor... so only thing you might gain is 5 or so inches less draft in shallow water and a bit more drag... And the drift sock is a good idea, guys saying they run it between the hull when trolling and it stays out of the way when fishing... all for whats its worth.

Oh boat is Registered already

That "bit more drag" is likely to be more than enough to kill any chance of planing - maybe even with just you in the boat. The extra depth the prop hangs down in the water may also be enough to make beaching trickier than other wise.

I tried running and old (early 70's) 35 Johnson LS on a small boat once but it would not idle with the motor that far down in the water. Too much back pressure on the exhaust for that tired old thing.

The only way to know for sure is to try it though.

Hope it works out for you!

You can use a long shaft by raising the transom by adding a 2" x 6" or whatever is needed to achieve the proper height. Even cutting a 12" down to whatever works. It's been done many times. They even have kits to do it. Maybe look at Cabella's web site, or your local marina/boat sales place.

Well, I found a 18HP Short Shaft Merc and it runs like a swiss watch its perfect for that boat and I have an Electric Motor....