Glastron GT 150 w/ Rude 150

[rsp4574]

Does anyone know how a GT 150 will run or if it can handle a 150 V6. Boat has a 115 Chrysler on it now and performs great. I know you guys here love big motors and little boats! So should I go for it and hang my V6 off the back or will it be to much?

[bsullivan403]

I have a gt 150 also. It would be sick with a 150 on it. as long as it keeps floating.

[pool boy]

had a gt 160 once with a merc 150 on it.would go like heck till around 60 then you couldn't drive it.no pad.cool boats though.

[rsp4574]

Thanks guys for the input, but I need a little more info before I try it. I think it will float the Rude V6, the Chrysler 115 that's on it is a heavy motor. Hear is what I think, 1. Extra transom support, 2. Small jack plate, 3. Balance the boat, 4. Prop. I have the boat, the motor and I think I have the balls, just need some advice on rigging or should I even try it before I loose my life, motor and boat. My wife would hate to loose the boat!!

[tj309]

Make sure it is solid before hanging that kind of power. Then take it easy until you really get the feel of the boat. Nothing is more important to a new high performance driver than seat time. Your 1,2,3,4 approach will work - just don't do it all at once. I had a boat once - an 18' Baker - typical low profile CA jet - that I got before any holes were cut. I modded it for a 135 Merc and did add some steel to tie the motor mounts to the stringers. Peace of mind if nothing else.

Once the go-fast bug bites be prepared to open your wallet. That is really the limiting factor in your quest for more speed.

[glastron dan]

i have a glastron 1982 with a pad just got it i plan on running a 1989 v4 tunned /bubble back on its rated 140hp at the prop why carry all the weight for 10 more hp my friend has a 1978 cv16 round bottom boat we put a strong v6 on ran great just to much weight when we where out in the chesepeake bay in rough water we ended up with a a small bore 140 17 inch prop has ran great for Years 45 mph all these years i know thats not fast but it goes faster with prop change hope this helps i will let you you know how i make out with my padded bottom and a true 140hp keep in touch good luck.

[rsp4574]

Torque that's why and V4 would be nice for the GT150 but I love little boats with big motors. Your not going to look at a boat with a little motor but a little boat with a`big motor now that always gets my attention!

[bearclaw]

You didn't mention the year or condition of it, but be aware that those boats were notorious for weak transoms. Check it out thoroughly before you repower it. The motor you're talking about is a whole different ball game than a 115 Chiseler.

[Instigator]

came within a nats eye lash of doin one. Love the look and the histrory.
Was looking at doing a 16' w/300+ HP just to piss some people off but ran ouy of time. (still want to do one)
Check the floor, transom, stringers before going too crazy.
Gary

[gregpro50]

You are going to hate that thing with a 150. Mine is more than a handful with the 115. Once you get past 55 or so you just can't drive it. Although it does look cool with the big black stack on it.

Also as the previous poster mentioned. the transoms are weak since they don't have a full transom. You really need to reinforce it.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj306/gregpro50/P8231348.jpg

[rsp4574]

Transom, floors and stringers were redone 3 yrs ago. The transom was remade thicker than original. I will add bracing to transom and thinking about trim tabs to give it more of a pad, if it will help.

[QuarterHorse]

Any more info on this? Looking at going 140 ish on my GT160. I have most of the list checked off, just no pad.

Thanks

[rdkvector]

As stated above, why put more engine than the speed the boat can handle. Any old 115 crossflow is going to give you all the speed the boat can handle. An inline 6 Merc would look the best on it, great motors if you're running in fresh water. If you go V6, you'll upset the balance. Is looking cool worth an ill-handling boat?

[QuarterHorse]

I'm not above building a pad and moving balast for this boat, why does it matter in the end, it's not your money/time is it? I appreciate advice, but along with advice I like reasons why/why not, and specifics etc....

In my instance, you don't see many GT160's, and when you do, how many have a 140 Johnson on 'em? None that I've seen.

[tj309]

I agree about little boats with big power but in this case I have to side with less power due to weight. If you really want the power Merc made I6's up to 150HP which would look really cool, and OMC made V4's up to 140HP. Either of these is more power than that boat should handle but light enough that it would handle. Stepping up to a V6 will giver serious balance problems. That boat flat out was not made for the speeds that a V6 could give.

[rdkvector]

I'm not above building a pad and moving balast for this boat, why does it matter in the end, it's not your money/time is it? I appreciate advice, but along with advice I like reasons why/why not, and specifics etc....

In my instance, you don't see many GT160's, and when you do, how many have a 140 Johnson on 'em? None that I've seen.
It's your boat, do what you want. You want specifics? .....hear goes....balance is the key, simply hanging big power on a boat that was'nt designed to handle the weight/power or speed probably is'nt going to give you the results you want. You have a ski boat not a speed boat, that boat is going to be dangerous over 55 mph...period! That GT160 is a great boat....when used as it was intended for.

[glastron dan]

like the man said its your boat put the 140 looper big bore on and have at it same weight as other 4s just got the power you want. i would want too much left in the pedal then a what if in your mind forever! thats just me :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:.

[thornl01]

Rigged quite a few of these boats when they were new. Tried an inline 150 on one & just too much motor for the boat. No balance. V6 would be totaly out of the question.

If you want to ENJOY the boat, stay with a v4, 4 cyl, or something in that WEIGHT range. these boats are not designed for that king of weight or HP

Once again, BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE !

[Bruster]

Great looking boat! This is the perfect combination for this boat. It'll go as fast as the boat will go, and it looks right. :thumbsup::thumbsup:



You are going to hate that thing with a 150. Mine is more than a handful with the 115. Once you get past 55 or so you just can't drive it. Although it does look cool with the big black stack on it.

Also as the previous poster mentioned. the transoms are weak since they don't have a full transom. You really need to reinforce it.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj306/gregpro50/P8231348.jpg

[QuarterHorse]

Thank you for specifics, just what I asked for. Time has become short for me this winter so I'm sure pad building and weight jacking wont' happen, more so curious of guys that have experience with doing that on these boats.

Thanks again

[rdkvector]

I would think that putting a pad on your boat might be more work than it's worth. There's the hydrodynamics that are on a boat built with a pad to get it up on it. I'd do alot of research before changing the bottom. You would be better off getting a Hydrosteam or an Action Marine something that will hold a big motor and has a bottom built for speed, but thats just my personal opinion. Years ago I tried the same thing on a Avenger ski boat I had, I spent alot of time and money trying to turn it into a speed boat, in the end it just was'nt worth it. I wish S&F was around back then, it would have saved alot of time and money! You can get a project Hydrostream real cheap right now.

[QuarterHorse]

Yeah, it was just a thought of trying to do that something different. I appreciate all the input, I hope I did not come off as un-appreciative. I think I found a Tower of Power for my boat since my bike sold moments ago that I'm going to look at Sunday. Should fit the era of my boat just fine.

Thanks again, I'll be picking up a 'Stream in the future, I've wanted a VKing or Vector so bad I can't see straight for a while.

Thanks rdkvector and S&F!

[tj309]

A V-King is one of the coolest looking boats there is but I sold mine as they are a handfull above 50 and mine was getting old (a '78). I replaced my beloved V-King with a Venom and haven't looked back since. Venoms are stable at any speed. I have no experience with Vectors.

[Powerplay25]

Had a GT150 with the original inline Mercury 80 hp. Re-rigged it with a 100 XP and the boat ran real nice with that motor. I don't think it could have handled much more power than that.

[racervboat]

I also had a gt 160 with a 1979 175hp v-6.Ran like hell to 65mph than not driveable,no pad.Barely floated but could take 3 people with me and hope the motor did not die on plane cause it would have swamped and sank.Got to be worse on a gt 150.Dont do it,just find a bigger boat.......

[tj309]

Back in the day when that boat was designed there were no V-6's and Merc was pushing the envelope with their Tower-of-Power inline 6's. You have several go fast choices:

1 - keep your boat and get a Merc 140 or so I6 and be careful - or an OMC V4 and be careful...

2 - get a boat that will do what you want and drop whatever you can afford on the back and break 70.

I had a 78 Hydrostream V-King and I put a new Merc 225 XS on it. It looked really cool but over 50 was such a handful to drive it was not that great. There are people on this forum that could make a combo like that drive better than I but why put up with the hassle?

I got a modern boat ('06 Venom) and with that '07 Merc totally stock Torquemaster lower unit with a 28" prop I can go 80 all day with no hassle and still have enough holeshot to pull skiers.