Boating – June 2019

BOAT DOCTOR /// Q&A

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POWER PROBLEM

Q: I own a 2003 Benning-

ton 2575RFS pontoon boat

with a rating of 135 hp and

powered by a 2003 Honda

130 hp engine. I would

like to repower it with a

150 hp motor that weighs

20 pounds less than my

existing Honda.

1. Is there a legal require-
   ment to not exceed the
   stated horsepower on a
   25-foot boat?


2. Can the horsepower
   capacity rating be raised?
   By whom?


3. Does exceeding the rating
   invalidate insurance
   coverage?


4. Does exceeding the rating
   affect liability in an
   accident?
   5. What are your thoughts
   on this?
   Finn Duerr
   Lilburn, Georgia

A: Hi, Finn. If your boat ex-

ceeds the rated power, it may

be in violation of state law. If

it is not illegal in your state,

you still may have trouble

with insurance if you exceed

the power rating. What that

means is talk to your insurer.

The horsepower rating of

a boat cannot be changed for

an individual boat, though

a boatbuilder can change

the rating for a model that it

builds if its internal testing

warranted such. For boats less

than 20 feet in length overall,

the builder would have to have

the model rerated by the U.S.

Coast Guard, a lengthy and

expensive process not likely to

be done twice.

Hope this helps.

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