Is this boat underpowered?

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Circledog

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Oct 15, 2021
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Hello Guys, I’m new to the forum and am hoping for your opinions. I’m inquiring about a Gulfstar 49, with twin 150hp Cummins B4s. The owner said cruising speed is 7.5 knots and the max speed is 9knots. The broker had said he felt
It was underpowered, and that in an inlet or pass with a strong current it could be dangerous. I was kind of surprised as I see lots of Trawlers running single and twin 120hp engines and travel all over. I know sometimes you
May have to wait for slack tides for certain things, but I didn’t think it would be a common occurrence. I was curious to hear your thoughts and insight.
Thanks,
Paul
 
Doesn’t sound underpowered to me, but I have a 40’ boat with one 110Hp Yanmar and I’m used to going slow.

When I tried going up the Mississippi River after a flood I wished I had more power, but that’s the only time. I’ve bucked plenty of currents in inlets and channels and I never felt unsafe, just slow.

Now if I was on the west coast fighting currents all the time I might feel differently.
 
Last edited:
Of course, more power adds to the safety margin. But having said that, I'm 54', 100,000lb and 200hp (single) and haven't had any issues in flat waters with a current. Sizable swell will significantly slow my progress. I've been down to 3kn in bigger seas. Good luck.
 
Circledog said:
Hello Guys, I’m new to the forum and am hoping for your opinions. I’m inquiring about a Gulfstar 49, with twin 150hp Cummins B4s. The owner said cruising speed is 7.5 knots and the max speed is 9knots. The broker had said he felt
It was underpowered, and that in an inlet or pass with a strong current it could be dangerous. I was kind of surprised as I see lots of Trawlers running single and twin 120hp engines and travel all over. I know sometimes you
May have to wait for slack tides for certain things, but I didn’t think it would be a common occurrence. I was curious to hear your thoughts and insight.
Thanks,
Paul
Click to expand...

It is all about your personal comfort level. That broker has a low tipping point.
 
49 Gulfstar with twin 150 HP is NOT underpowered unless you want a planing boat.

I live on the West coast and had to deal with some very strong currents just to get in/out of the harbour.
On our trips to various places there are passes with even stronger currents.
Get the tide and current tables and learn how to use them and you won't have trouble.

If you miss a timing then be prepared to await the next slack current.
 
It isn’t underpowered unless you want to go fast. It will be fine but you may have to plan on the tidal currents some more. Check how the boat is at low RPMs because I think, maybe, that the 150 Cummins are not balanced so they may run rough at slower speeds. It may be fine, but something to check on the sea trial, if it gets that far.
 
Circledog said:
Hello Guys, I’m new to the forum and am hoping for your opinions. I’m inquiring about a Gulfstar 49, with twin 150hp Cummins B4s. The owner said cruising speed is 7.5 knots and the max speed is 9knots. The broker had said he felt
It was underpowered, and that in an inlet or pass with a strong current it could be dangerous.
Click to expand...

Sounds well powered to me with plenty to spare.

We are high windage 60ft @ 150,000 lb
Single 350hp nta855 Cummins has us doing our cruise of 7.5 @ 1150 and 9+ @ 1500
Never been game enough to spool her up to full noise 350hp @ 1800
 
I think it has plenty of power, AND redundancy.

We are 55,000 pounds with 107HP, and we operate in WA and BC. Planning passages through rapids/narrows/passes are required, but this does not decrease enjoyment.

I concur with Koliver’s comment.
 
Thanks for your input guys. Our plan is to travel the keys, Bahamas , and other parts of Florida. Our tidal fluctuations can be way less then other areas . With that said I would think this will translate into slower currents. I am not looking to run on a plane , I’m looking to travel at a reasonable cost. 7.5 and 8 knots are just fine with me. Thanks again guys.
 
Point of reference: DeFever 49’s (60k+ lbs) pretty much all came with twin 135hp. Unfortunately mine has twin 225hp but all I do is 9.7 knots. Unless you have a planing hull, that’s all you get thru the water. Broker’s advice is suspect. Yes there are some inlets that you shouldn’t attempt especially with wind against ebb tide. But more HP doesn’t change that fact in a non planing hull.
 
Concur with all the above. That Gulfstar is appropriately powered - sounds like a nice package, in fact. The broker's comment is a head scratcher.
 
Sounds as if that boat broker knows doodly-squat. Or, maybe he wants you to buy a different boat. Find another broker.
 
"The broker had said he felt
It was underpowered, and that in an inlet or pass with a strong current it could be dangerous."

The brokers last job was probably flipping burgers, he has NO IDEA what he is talking about.

The boat sounds great .
 
90k+ displacement with twin Deere 150’s. Cruise Gulf Coast, Florida, Bahamas. Slow but no issues so far. Prior owners cruised the East Coast as far as Nova Scotia and out to Bermuda.

Good luck with your boat hunting.
 
If anything, that boat is overpowered. Perhaps underpropped but certainly enough horses.
GulfStars are very efficient hulls. A pair of 90 hp engines would be enough. Or maybe one 120 hp diesel.

S.D. hulls will not go fast. period, point end. You could put a couple rocket engines in it and it wouldn't change anything.

(P.S. Here we go on a discussion of power, props, single vs dual engines, anchors, etc)

pete
 
If you do the math on it, with a LWL of 44.33 feet, the hull speed for that boat is just under 9 knots. With a displacement of 42k lbs (and then add several k for "cruising" weight), to drive it to hull speed should take just a little over 100 hp. With twin 150's you've got close to three times what you need to go hull speed.


No. Definitely NOT under-powered for a semi-displacement, trawler-style boat.
 
That broker is a moron.
View his advise with skepticism.
HOLLYWOOD
 
Circledog, if even 120hp singles are fine, then yours will be. The broker was probably just trying to sell you a different boat. And some guys are obsessed with power/speed, as we see in these fora all the time.
 
GoneDiving said:
Sizable swell will significantly slow my progress. I've been down to 3kn in bigger seas.
Click to expand...

And then again, no one but Zeus would attempt to push his boat at normal cruise speed in those types of conditions, so huge amounts of reserve power might not be necessary anyway.

My previous 50 ton was powered by twin Jimmies (176 hp) but I honestly wish it had been a single 6-71N, which would have been sufficient and would have loaded the engine better.
 
So what is the GulfStar’s displacement?
 
Mako said:
And then again, no one but Zeus would attempt to push his boat at normal cruise speed in those types of conditions, so huge amounts of reserve power might not be necessary anyway.
Click to expand...

Valid point. I was back down to 1200rpm so would have only been going 6kn even on a millpond.
 
I think Catalinajack is on the right track . . . .
Did the broker have another, more expensive boat, or one where he was the buyer's agent AND the seller's agent that he was trying to steer the op toward?!?
 
slowgoesit said:
I think Catalinajack is on the right track . . . .
Did the broker have another, more expensive boat, or one where he was the buyer's agent AND the seller's agent that he was trying to steer the op toward?!?
Click to expand...

That particular broker might be evil, or he might just be ignorant. Although I suppose it's possible to be both evil and ignorant all at the same time.
 
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