18 XTR Legend - 115 or 115 proxs, advice on motor

[Bpat]

Hello,

We are purchasing a 18 xtr legend and we are having trouble deciding between the standard 115 and the pro xs 115 command thrust. Is the CT necessary? We have 3 kids who will fish and tube and I (200 lbs) would like to ski. Any advice on the motor would be greatly appreciated.

[earthling]

115 is marginal for tubing at least if you are going to be dragging anything big around. It will work if you just have a couple of kids on smaller tubes. For a larger skier it will be fine once it is on plane but anyone bigger than you should plan on drinking a bit of water before they pop out, it won't be horrible, it will be perfectly serviceable. Command thrust is the larger gear casing from the bigger displacement of motors so more choice. Mercury recommends CT for 18' and larger boats.

I don't own either BTW but I did race boats for years so my perspective is that of an educated/experienced former boat owner and current web surfer.

[Bpat]

I appreciate your input. By perfectly serviceable you mean?

[earthling]

Perfectly serviceable = it will work. Is it going to yank you out of the water.. no.. are bigger people going to struggle *a bit*- yes. Will the average person be fine - yes. Serviceable.

[Disco]

I run a 2006 115 opti. It propped correctly for your purpose it will pull hard out of the hole. I pull up anyone no issue. Don’t over prop or better said don’t over pitch your prop.

That said the bigger the displacement the bigger the lower end grunt. As in racing their is no replacement for displacement.

[Fishing Rod]

Buy the motor the boat is rated for. As in bigger.

[slyder]

yes, if it's rated for 150, put 150 on it. if thats not in the budget, wait until it is. nothing worse than owning a boat you wish had just a little more hop.

[Fishnhunt]

I’ve owned an 18.5 Crestliner since 1992. It originally had a 90 Johnson and I recently switched to a 115 Suzuki four stroke. We use it for tubing ,water skiing and fishing. We usually have three teenagers in the tube and seem to have no trouble pulling them.
The weight of the boat and hull design makes a huge difference but I would think the legend would be a bit lighter. I think you will be fine either way.