School me on boats and motors.

[Alchase]

Just for reference on price and size,
Two years ago, I sold my 10 year old (in great condition) 13 ft Smokercraft Alaskan deep V, with 4-stroke 15 hp Yamaha, Humming Bird Depth finder, trailer, pole holders life jackets, ancher, and cover, and Smart_Trim_tabs, for $2,500 to the first person to call. I had 12 call in 15 minutes in response to my Craig's List ad.
The 15 HP Yamaha would push the boat with three adults up to 26 MPH. Fishing more then three was problematic when trolling.

That price range might be really tough to not buy someone else's problems.

[ghosthunter]

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/boa/6145886606.html

A little more than you are looking for but lots of extra parts

Yeah something like that. But not sure I need that big of motor

[Mfowl]

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/boa/6145886606.html

A little more than you are looking for but lots of extra parts

Yeah something like that. But not sure I need that big of motor

If your gonna use it for duck hunting then more power is a good thing. You can bog a boat down with all the gear you load in a boat to hunt. Especially on the way back when everything is wet.

[Wingin it]

I agree with the comment about whatever the plate says is max hp is what you want. You don't want to be underpowered. That price range will be difficult but if you take your time you can maybe find something. If you can add another thousand or two it would increase your odds greatly. I know budgets are budgets though. Good luck.

[Dhoey07]

What about buying a motor for your current boat?

[Happy Gilmore]

A 13' Boston whaler can plane with a 25 easy. A 40hp it rocks with huge loads. Aluminum boats of that size suck bottom. Get a 13' whaler and take it anywhere with less hp safely. I've had one since I was 7 years old. Still do. Still better than anything on the water under 16' and less than 70hp.

[fish vacuum]

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/boa/6145886606.html

A little more than you are looking for but lots of extra parts

Yeah something like that. But not sure I need that big of motor

Jets reduce the effective HP of the motor by about a third. So that 90 is only giving about 60 usable HP.
Motors that come from the factory with a jet drive will usually be rated at what they are providing with the jet.

[ghosthunter]

What about buying a motor for your current boat?

My current 16 ft has little free board with two guys and dog.

Not brave enough to take it crabbing.

[CP]

Usually the max rated HP for a boat is overkill.  Most boats that I’ve seen that the owner complained of being “underpowered” were simply over-propped, or the motor was mounted too deep, or both.
 
My 17’ Arima is rated at 120hp – manufacturer recommends 75hp.  I’ve had 115hp and 2 different 70hp engines on it and it does just fine with a 70.  It went a little faster with the 115 but not much.  Bigger engines weigh more, more weight requires a bigger engine …

[birddogdad]

16 ft over and motor you need a boater course and carry card thru state too.

[Alchase]

Usually the max rated HP for a boat is overkill.  Most boats that I’ve seen that the owner complained of being “underpowered” were simply over-propped, or the motor was mounted too deep, or both.

Ya that, I would also add trim as well. I added Smart Trim tabs to my boat and it made an incredible difference getting up on a plane.

[fish vacuum]

What about buying a motor for your current boat?

My current 16 ft has little free board with two guys and dog.

Not brave enough to take it crabbing.

Not all 16' boats are equal. If your 16 now is maxed out with 2 guys & a dog, then you'd notice a big improvement just from a wider and/or higher boat.
If you'll be using a new boat for the same stuff plus very short crabbing runs, you could save a lot of money by going small on the motor. People fish lakes and drop crab pots with just oars, so a 10hp motor could work if that's what the budget requires.
On the work boats I previously mentioned, we had a 10hp for a backup when our 18hp was in the shop. It was slow but got our 16' jon around the lakes with 3 adults and a bunch of rebar loaded on it.

[Alchase]

A 13' Boston whaler can plane with a 25 easy. A 40hp it rocks with huge loads. Aluminum boats of that size suck bottom. Get a 13' whaler and take it anywhere with less hp safely. I've had one since I was 7 years old. Still do. Still better than anything on the water under 16' and less than 70hp.

I love Boston Whalers. My sister has the exact same boat, 13 ft, with 40 hp Yamaha, it is a blast and the perfect boat for on Hood Canal.
The only downfall I have seen was up at Point No Point, I was in my 12 Livingston salmon fishing. This guy in a 13 ft Whaler had been fishing all morning around us. When the rollers started in, he took a roller over his side gunnel that basically washed the boat clean of gear. Boat was full of water and sitting really low. He was able to get towed into the Hansville beach. True to Whaler legacy, the boat floated even full of water.

[Curly]

A Livingston is another good one where you can get by with a smaller boat. Very stable boats.