Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Greetings! I just purchased a 2011 Sun Tracker 21' Fishin' Barge and am wondering what HP engine I need. I don't want to be under-powered nor do I want to pay for power I won't need. The dealer suggested 25 HP engine would be enough (up from original 20 in order to get power trim feature). I don't need a go-fast boat, but I do want to be able to run for cover if a storm comes up on KY Lake.

95% fishing, 2 people
5% slow cruising, swimming with max of 5 on the boat.

Any advice would be appreciated - very much a newbie here! Thanks!

Congrats on the new purchase. If you want to outrun a storm, get all the power you can afford. You won't use it most of the time but you'll have it if you need it. Nobody ever said I bought too much motor.
Just looked at your sig and KY lake is beautiful but can get rough at a moments notice. I for one would want more than 25hp.

Tracker dealers' often underpower their boats as a way to "hold down" the prices. What they don't admit is that they don't have competition in the low horsepower/low cost retail market. Responsible boat dealers will power a boat with adequate power which makes happy customers. 25 horsepower just don't cut it for most people.

Kentucky Lake is a 160,000 acre lake, which is the largest East of the Mississippi. You need the ability to get out and see it. And you want to be able to get home when the weather turns bad.

60 ELPT FourStroke EFI BigFoot is what I'd choose.

What's the max hp for the boat should be atleast 75

Bamaman wrote:Tracker dealers' often underpower their boats as a way to "hold down" the prices. What they don't admit is that they don't have competition in the low horsepower/low cost retail market. Responsible boat dealers will power a boat with adequate power which makes happy customers. 25 horsepower just don't cut it for most people.

Kentucky Lake is a 160,000 acre lake, which is the largest East of the Mississippi. You need the ability to get out and see it. And you want to be able to get home when the weather turns bad.

60 ELPT FourStroke EFI BigFoot is what I'd choose.

Wise advise here--
I have a merc 50 but I also think the 60 Bigfoot would be a better choice-
My fishing to crusing ratio is about the same as yours.
If your trailer has guide rollers instead of boards you may want to change that also.

25 HP might make a good rolling motor, but if you want to get anywhere, it would be a joke.

On a 21' I would think a 60hp / 70hp would be good for about anything.

We just (June) bought an 18' Party Barge. I opted the 75 HP Merc 4 stroke, glad I did. WOT is 26 mph on the lake with a 13 pitch prop. Tried 15 and 17, both slower. I'm not in a hurry, but 26 mph isn't neck snapping speed. You will be sorry if you under power to save a buck.

Good luck and happy boating

I wouldn't go under 50 hp. That's what I have, and I definitely wouldn't want any less.

I also boat at Ky Lake,and i agree with the other get the biggest you can afford

Thank you for your recs! everybody agrees I'm under-powered. we'll change our order to the 60 ELPT 4-stroke EFI Bigfoot. Feeling better already about adding a power boat to the stable.

More questions to follow in other posts. Thanks for taking the time to advise me!

They only show 2012 and 2011 boats on their site. I looked and the 21' has been replaced by the 22' and the max h.p. is a 90hp. If you can get it I would not go any smaller.

I purchased my Suntracker in '09 with a 60 HP Bigfoot and re-powered after 2 years. My point is, it is VERY expensive to re-power. 60 HP would be a minimum for what you are looking for, possible a 90 if you can afford it. i would stay away from anything below 50,

Screwball, you mentioned prop pitch. What is that?

The dealer asked if we'd take a 2011 engine (new) if they had one in stock (versus a 2012 or 2013 version). Anything I should be concerned with there? I don't know the price difference yet, but it seems a newer year engine would be better for boat resale.

Thanks for everyone weighing in on the engine, etc. Also, we don't have rollers on the trailer. From what I was seeing on other threads, rollers are not the way to go.

I dont have a problem buying a leftover engine,as long as it come with the new warranty.My boat is a 2007 my engine is a 2005