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I have a 9' Colorado XT pontoon boat (been an awesome boat for me) and I was wondering if anyone out there has mounted a small gas engine on one before. Or mounted an engine on any personal pontoon before. I know they're not actually rated for an engine and I don't care. I just want to know if it's possible/worth doing. Does the transom need to be reinforced? I imagine it probably would be. I'm looking to put a small Johnson 2 HP on it (roughly the same as a 55 lb thrust from a trolling motor). I can't imagine that weight would be an issue since a trolling motor and battery weigh better of 70 lbs and a small gas engine is only about 25 lbs +/-. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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Have seen boats with gas motors, have done it on one of ours. 2hp is probably very do able. Not sure you would need any bracing, but a 2 X 4 across the back couldn't hurt.
Problems you might encounter, Can you flip it around so that it pulls you instead of push? They have no keel so they don't steer very well forward.
Having it pull you is a little easier and you can steer with fins or even dropped oars.
Next problem, does it have a neutral, or are you going to have to start it each time you stop. If so how hard is it to start.
9' is a long enough boat I feel. I had a 5hp on a 10'6" boat. But for the reasons I posted I sold it and went electric.
Nice thing however, you can go farther with gas.
Good luck and look forward to hearing how it goes.
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Thanks for the info and ideas. I hadn't thought about a keel or about an engine with neutral. (I haven't gotten one yet). I probably won't try and mount it in the front since my engineering skills are lacking. I'm kinda thinking since trolling motors don't have keels that it won't be a huge problem. I'm not looking to fast, just farther and lighter. I do have a swivel seat which makes it easier to turn around to get to a motor or engine. I'll keep everyone updated as I make modifications.
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