Is it feasable to take a motor off my fishing boat and put it on a pontoon?

My old cajun bass boat it in pretty bad shape but the motor (a 90 HP Johnson) runs like a top. At least it did when I last cranked it two years ago. I used to own a lot on a private 800 acre lake but sold it. Now, I want to explore the local public waters but my 16 foot boat doesn't take waves very well. There is a 33,000 acre lake near my house that gets quite rough in those unexpected summer storms. Anyway, is there any advantage to selling my old boat but not the motor then finding a pontoon boat with no motor and putting mine on it?|||A 90 HP motor is PLENTY big for a pontoon up to 24 or 28 feet. Most toons use 50HP, and 35 was the popular choice up until about 10 years ago.





I have a 24 footer and it will do 19-20 mph with a 50 on it.





Beware though, pontoon boats are not good in large waves. Three to four footers are pretty hard on a toon, and if water washes over the deck, you stand a good chance of losing rails, furniture, etc. Pontoons are really for calmer lakes. Just make sure that the motor is the right length (most are 20") so that the cav plate is in the water the correct amount.|||dont think that will be big enough|||Stick with a smaller pontoon and you should be fine.|||Sure, motors are expensive so keeping a good one makes sense. That is pretty good power, i have seen 40hp push pontoon boats reasonably well if you're not wanting to go 40 mph. However, pontoon boats are not good in rough water or cross winds. An 18' with some weight and a deep V hull will be better in rough water.|||Depending on how bad of shape your fishing boat is in, it may be better to sell it together. The price of a boat will dramatically decrease if it has no motor. Even if it is in excellent condition. You may be able to save more money by selling the boat and the motor and then buying a pontoon with both as well.|||I just did this, it works great. Cost me 500$ but works great.


If you can do it yourself, go for it.


It is plenty of hp if you are not going to pull skiers.|||Go for it . It is not hard to find a boat without an eng. Lots of people selling due to high fuel prices.|||You need to consider several things when trying this. 1. ensure you pull the throttle package including wiring harness and shift cables when pulling your engine off your old boat. 2. you may need to purchase longer cables and wiring harness to install on a different boat. 3. Pontoons and waves over two feet make for a rough ride.|||I have done the same thing with my 70hp Evinrude. At first we had problems with cavitation when it was just me and my father on the boat with the boat fully loaded, there was no problem. But after doing some research, we found out that the stingray fin we installed on the motor (used to make achieving plane easier) was causing the cavitation problems. So we removed the fin and now have no problems. The biggest factor is how far the engine sits down in the water. this will determine if you will encounter cavitation. I would think a 90 would go deep enough. The good thing about going with a pontoon is that the transom can be cut a little lower down so the engine can sit lower into the water if necessary without the worries that you would have in a standard boat from cutting down the transom. It is possible to do it, just make sure the person doing the work is a qualified marine mechanic.