HP required to plane 12ft Higher BBSB.

Dave Clites

New member
I recently acquired a 12foot Higher BBSB. It doesn't plane with me(170lbs) plus 30-40 lbs of gear. Curious if others know whether stepping uup from a 6hp 2 stroke Johnson to a 8hp 2stroke Johnson will get it up on plane, or do I need to go to 9.9 or even 15hp? I plan to hunt 4miles from my launch ramp. Due to various reasons I prefer a lighter motor that I can put on and off easily. Any input greatly appreciated....
 
Carl, thanks for your prompt response. I don't know if it is displacement or planing. That is why I am asking more experienced folks on this forum. The hull is very flat on bottom, not a deep Vee at all. The same 6hp (or even 4hp) planes me and gear in my lightweight SeaKing 12foot aluminum v-hull . BTW I misspelled "Higbee "... thanks again.
 
Ok. It?s a Higbee. There are probably some guys here own know about them.
As noted, if it?s a displacement hull, it won?t plane so the 6hp is plenty. Search the posts here I bet there is a Higbee discussion on this topic
 
Unfortunately I don't have any friends that could loan me an 8/9.9/15hp. Ideally that is how I would proceed to "try before I buy". Hull shape is in attached photos. I have owned a variety of small craft up to 18ft deep Vee center console, but never anything with hull shape like this. Intuitively it seems this boat should be capable of skimming across the water surface like a waterbug. Maybe I am wrong and will have to be happy with the 9.4 best-measured MPH achieved with 6hp. If weather turns bad when I am 4 miles from ramp fighting an outgoing tide, I would rather have a 15minute ride back to safety vs. 30min or more. I have searched in this forum back to around page 18 and will keep searching further. Thanks again...View attachment IMG_20190312_132900154_HDR.jpgView attachment IMG_20190312_132913313.jpg
 
Use the search function on the top bar:

http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=140391;do=post_view;search_string=higbee%20power#p140391

http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=152522;do=post_view;search_string=higbee%20power#p152522

http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=316353;do=post_view;search_string=higbee%20power#p316353

For a start.....

I would be looking for a 15hp myself. I have a 15hp on my BBSB, but it is a 5ft wide displacement hull. I have not tried less, maybe I am over powered. Fully loaded during duck season I get 10mph at 3/4 throttle. In summer trim, at WOT, I have touched 13+mph. Your hull will plane.
 
That rig will run like a speed boat with a 15hp two stroke. That's what everyone runs on them out this way. Higbees are light weight planing hulls.
 
Thanks all for the input. So I am concluding that, while at least one person has found they can get on plane with 8hp, majority opinion is that a 15hp is ideal. I did read somewhere else that in off-season some guys are racing these BBSB's. 'Guess I will shift my engine search to 15hp...
 
You could probably get away with a 9.9, plenty of guys do, but once you start adding grass, decoys, gear, etc. you'd be better off with a 15.

I could easily get away with a 15 on my sneakbox, but when I have two dozen decoys, two guys and it's blowing a gale I'm glad I have a 25.
 
Craig, good point on the 15 vs. 9.9, especially if the weight of the 2 engines is same/similar (which I understand to be the case for many OMC's). Thanks for the input.
 
12ft 6" for my two man boat.

I have a Bob Fricke glass over cedar one man sneakbox, that boat gets a 15 hp yamaha two stroke. Haven't used that boat in a few years however.
 
That 12ft6in must be a quite seaworthy design to accommodate 2 guys. I have a 12ft v-hull aluminum that has too little freeboard for my taste with 2 guys (although my buddy weighs 230 lbs). This summer I am going to take a test ride in my Higbee with my son who weighs around 150 to see what it might be like. Although I intend to hunt solo in the Higbee.
 
That higbee isn't designed for two guys, it's a one man boat. My two man boat isn't a traditional sneakbox whatsoever. It's a Delaware bay design...

9ACA908A-399A-4334-9990-39C5131BBF4D.jpg


17347598-6DFA-42D7-925B-CFE173ACDE6F.jpeg

 
Dave- I have a 12? Higbee sneak box circa mid 1980?s. The boat is a planing hull and would probably plane off with a 6 hp with 1 man and minimal gear. Once you start loading it the equation changes and in my opinion a 9.9 hp would be the minimum I would use. I run mine with a 15 hp 2 stroke Mariner. With 2 guys, decoys and gear it will get up and go. Weight difference for 15 vs 9.9 in 2 stroke is minimal. Given the long run you intend to do to get to your location I would strongly recommend the 15 based on 30 years experience running the Higbee. Get a good spray shield to turn away any seas that may try to join you in the cockpit. Get yourself a 12 foot closet pole from Home Depot and put a ?duckfoot? base on it and your push pole will serve you well navigating in skinny water. A better option than rowing in my opinion. They are great boats and will serve you well in the back creeks where the black ducks dwell. Good luck!
- Tim Chelius
 
Tim, thanks for the input. I am working on buying a 15hp Johnson or Evinrude 2 stroke (or at least a 9.9 that I can convert by changing the carburetor), also I need to dig my duckfoot pushpole out of the shed.

The biggest hesitation I have is trailering the 9.9/15hp vs. the lighter 8HP OMC that I am considering. One spot I like to hunt has 5 miles of bumpy dirt roads to get to launch point. Even if I use a Transom Saver I am concerned about overstressing my Higbee's transom. I agree that, once the rig is launched, there is much more safety margin with the 15hp vs. 9.9 or 8hp.
 
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