I would get 150 atleast.

The worst feeling is when you know you underpowered your boat...I know a few people who are in the "boat" right now. No pun intended.

oh, and by the way, i've got a 24' center console...only 2ft longer than yours and mine has a 250 on it. I can assure you it's not overpowered. 50mph is plenty fast...I never go that fast and my boat cruises at about 28 - 32mph...

I said at least a 150hp

buy the rig, sell the motor and buy yourself another Mercury...probably won't be out much money at all.

My main point is I think the bigger Motor would really save on gas... you do not have to run wide open just to cruise. I have the 19.6ft with a 115 yam 4/stroke.. it runs 37 , but that is wide open. I would not have minded a little bigger motor

Just buy the biggest you can afford. My 18fter w/90hp 2stroke will run 37mph@ max throttle. Its really plenty for me but I would be lying if I said I wouldn't want a little more at times. I'm looking to buy one of those hydrofoil thingys to try to get a couple of more mph. The bigger will help at resale time. I'm already thinking about getting a bigger boat to accomadate more grandkids and I've only had mine a couple of years.

When I was ready to sell that 24' Century CC Boat with a 115 Yamaha, it sold to the first guy that came and looked at it. And we took it out for a test drive.

I agree with JV. I have a 22 ft CC with a 150 Yamaha EFI. Its does alright but a 200 would be better. Mine will run 46 (GPS) with just me in it and 43 with 4 fat boys. More HP is better but not always necessary. Don't under power your boat. Resale value is not there and if you put several people it you'll struggle getting on plane. You want to be happy with your investment.

Does John have a 200 on his boat? The Sea Pro is a bay right? If you were off shore fishing you would have to have more. $$$$

I have a 22' Nitro Bay 2200 with a Mercury 225 Pro XS. I can put 5 overgrown (and I mean overgrown) adults on it and it will jump on plane in a few seconds and run about 50 mph. My top end speed is around 58 with just two people. It could probably go faster, but it starts to walk at those speeds because CC's aren't designed to run super fast. Is this more motor than I need? It depends on the conditions of that particular trip. I usually cruise around 33-35 mph, because I get the best gas mileage. If you are getting a 22' CC with a 125, you are probably going to run that engine at high rpm's almost all of the time. I, like someone else stated, can't see how that boats cruising speed can be 35 mph and perhaps that is the top end speed. I would say to get at least a 150, but what do I know. Either way, good luck with whatever you decide to go with.

Would the small savings in gas overcome the big expense of a larger motor?

Steve, you have been on my sea pro and it is 20 ft with a yammy 115 four stroke. I can usually go around 35-37 WOT and I get decent gas mileage. I only loose around 2-3 mph when I have three guys in the boat. I have always been told though when buying a boat, get the biggest motor it will take or you'll regret it. I love the Mojo, but at times, I do wish I had a little more power to get back to the ramp, but GT being the scientist he is put it in good perspective, you really don't gain much with the bigger motor. Good Luck and if it's such a good deal with the 125 then snag it, you could always trade up for the engine later. Take Care, Larry

i have a friend with a freshly rebuilt 125 03 model saltwater merc. he bought it new and used it maybe 25 times. it shelled just in time for the warranty to run out. just one guy and one motor.

i think the 125 on the 22 footer is ok with the way gas prices are.alot of it depends on the weight of the boat. learning where to position your gear and how to drive it is important too.

I have read that a good rule of thumb is a minimum of 80% of the maxium rated horse power for a boat motor. If the boat is rated for a 250 then a 200 hp would be the minimum. Just my .02 pennies. ps just make sure you catch a lot of fish out of it.