Areomarine 2 man duck boat

M

Mike a

New member
Hello I have an original two-man John Pryor arrow Marine Duckboat sneak box I’m currently restoring it. I’ve had it for many years as my dad and uncle had it before me. I’m looking for a motor to put on this boat originally had a 25 hp short shift 2 stroke mariner. pretty sure it weighed 112 pounds.
Now I need some help making a decision. I’m looking to buy NEW. If I go down to a 20 hp.. four stroke. Strictly to keep the same weight I’ll be losing horsepower.. I really want an F 25 Yamaha four stroke short shaft it is at 126 lbs… am I making a big jump at around 10 to 15 extra pounds? Should I stay with 20 hp for less weight or should I get a 25 because after all that’s what I had on it originally? Keep in mind with that 25 hp mariner me and my dad hunted out of it comfortably. At the time I was 150 pounds my father probably around 250. I’m concerned with the weight after all. It’s a lot of money and a lot of work. Please let me know what you think. Any advice I’d be grateful.
 
Mike a said:
Hello I have an original two-man John Pryor arrow Marine Duckboat sneak box I’m currently restoring it. I’ve had it for many years as my dad and uncle had it before me. I’m looking for a motor to put on this boat originally had a 25 hp short shift 2 stroke mariner. pretty sure it weighed 112 pounds.
Now I need some help making a decision. I’m looking to buy NEW. If I go down to a 20 hp.. four stroke. Strictly to keep the same weight I’ll be losing horsepower.. I really want an F 25 Yamaha four stroke short shaft it is at 126 lbs… am I making a big jump at around 10 to 15 extra pounds? Should I stay with 20 hp for less weight or should I get a 25 because after all that’s what I had on it originally? Keep in mind with that 25 hp mariner me and my dad hunted out of it comfortably. At the time I was 150 pounds my father probably around 250. I’m concerned with the weight after all. It’s a lot of money and a lot of work. Please let me know what you think. Any advice I’d be grateful.
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Mike~

Welcome to the site!

I have never owned a "Pryor" boat. Tom Pryor called his company Aeromarine because he used to be a pilot, ferrying well-to-do clients from Long Island into Manhattan. I met him only once - and did not know enough back then (early 1980s) to ask all the questions I have now.

Pryor Sneakbox - Bill Ferraro EDITED.jpg

As it happens, I will be restoring my first AeroMarine vessel starting next month.

I am wondering about the HP rating for your boat. Is there a capacity plate? (I will look inside the one here in the daylight tomorrow.) When you say 2-man - is it the model with the oval cockpit - or full 2-man wide cockpit (I have seen both). Personally, I would always opt for the lighter engine. 15 knots is fast enough for me - and want to be able to lift it off the boat if the tide runs out on me. (at least when I was a lot younger....)

The old OMC 9.9/15 horse 2-strokes weighed 78 pounds.....

All the best,

SJS
 
Thanks for the help and It says 2 persons or 380lb max 500 lbs I think that plate says it’s a little faded. And I have the big one not oval . Says rated for 15 but like I like said we had a 25 mariner on it so that’s what I was used too and yes the boat very fast but I think the lowest I was willing to go was 20 hp. I mean between me and my dad with that 25 the boat ran perfect. It’s just me now hunting. I don’t think 11 pound difference is going to affect, but I never had a four stroke. I don’t want Boat to be unsafe
 
Interesting that you had 25 Marina. Tom boats were coast guard rated for 15 but he outfitted a lot of them with 25.mariner he was a merc Marina dealer, I feel the boat does not need to be a 40mpg boat and you have to pay attention while driving. I was having my 25 merc repaired at aero mariner when I saw a boat sitting in the yard Tom had died and they were no longer building the duck boats. I bought the boat at a good price and put the 25 on it because it was the only engine I had.
Now I have an 18, a 10 and a 15. All are enough for that boat. What I like about the smaller engines Is you can let the tide drop then when your ready to go 1 man can drag the boat to the waterline.

Mike The 2 man was more of a heart shaped in that the bow area was able to sit two but the stern area only sat 1.
 
Good morning all and good to hear from you, Mike. I responded to you on Facebook, but I'll chat in here too. For everyone else, I worked on a project with Mike and his father from 2017-2018 and we had many chats during our coffee break about waterfowl and duck boats.

I have been running my restored Aeromarine with the 15 hp two stroke Mercury for the past few seasons. I try to take great care of my stuff, so I went through this motor when I bought it, always flushed it with fresh water, and ran ethanol free fuel through it. The boat ran about 20 mph with this motor, but this hull squats a lot between idle and plane. I call it my downeast duck boat because it pushes a lot of water at low speed and throws a hell of a wake.

I just switched to a new 20 hp 4 stroke Suzuki and will be taking it out for a test this weekend. Most guys will say the older 2 strokes are better for duck boats, but the new 4 strokes seem to be really great and the extra weight is minimal. I will report on how it runs. I have ordered an OZ hydrofoil for it just in case I might need it. I'll probably install it regardless to be able to plane at lower speeds and reduce stern squat during power up.

My main reason for the change was the reliability, cleaner burning, efficiency, and higher torque of the newer motors. My friends running these new 20 hp motors on their South Bays love them and I have to run at full throttle with the 15 hp to keep up with them. I also think the quieter motor can't hurt when getting into spots in the morning. The weight difference is minimal, but I have moved the 6 gallon gas tank up from the stern in order to balance things. It is now strapped to the forward bulkhead. I guess one final note is that I have a 250 hp Suzuki on my fishing boat and these motors are great. I can now keep the same maintenance items for both motors, except for filters on both motors.

@Mike a I messaged you my phone number so feel free to call or text anytime. Maybe we can take the Aero's out together and get on some birds. I'm excited for the season.

Photo #1: The hide grassed out for this season
Photo #2: New suzuki 20 hp with a carbon marine tiller extension
Photo #3: Out on the bay in the Aero with @Anthony Babich last season
 

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All~

I have not yet bought an outboard built in the 21st century, so take my thoughts for what they're worth.

After a bit of exploring on the interwebs, I was amazed to see the weight penalty in Suzukis - going from 20 to 25 "costs" about 40 pounds - or more.

Best of luck to you each with your new power plants!

SJS
 
Steve Sanford said:
All~

I have not yet bought an outboard built in the 21st century, so take my thoughts for what they're worth.

After a bit of exploring on the interwebs, I was amazed to see the weight penalty in Suzukis - going from 20 to 25 "costs" about 40 pounds - or more.

Best of luck to you each with your new power plants!

SJS
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My Invader only increased by 4 mpg when going from a Suzuki 20hp to a 25hp. Like you said almost 40 lbs heavier.
 
Steve Sanford said:
All~

I have not yet bought an outboard built in the 21st century, so take my thoughts for what they're worth.

After a bit of exploring on the interwebs, I was amazed to see the weight penalty in Suzukis - going from 20 to 25 "costs" about 40 pounds - or more.

Best of luck to you each with your new power plants!

SJS
Click to expand...
Yes, but those 20s have a ton of juice.
 
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