Home › Forum › Ask A Member › Getting on plane with 55hp homelite › Re: Getting on plane with 55hp homelite
Not sure what the design or weight is on your Galaxy, but based on your 4500 RPM I think you are seeing about the best you are going to get out of the Bearcat.
Boat-to-boat there are huge differences in the way a motor will perfom depending on design, hull weight, etc…. For example, a 17′ Boston Whaler Montauk with a Bearcat was adequate. (As long as you didn’t overload it.) I had a 17′ Tripp Angler center console with a Bearcat 55 – it was a relativly heavy hull and had a fine entry-way. The crew had to go to the bow (with the gas tank!) and it took quite some time for the bow to come down and the boat to plane off. That boat was much better served with a 75hp motor.
The Bearcat is a fine motor, in many ways it’s probably the equal of today’s 4-strokes. But it is a 4-stroke, so it just doesn’t have the grunt of a 2-cycle.
EDIT: My 1965 ABOS Guide says the Bearcat was rated at 5,500 RPM – so you may be able to get a little more out of it with a different prop. But if you are not yet on plane at 4,500, I wouldn’t expect a miracle….