Tournament Rules on Max HP

A question for you guys that fish a lot of tournaments and have a lot of exposure to the rules on different tournament trails. How would the rules apply to a 250 HP outboard that has been modified with a Nizpro tune or supercharger? Do the tournament officials only care about the HP rating from the manufacturer or do you stand to have an issue with a polygraph (if you placed) if questions were asked HP or modifications?
I don't want to cheat at all..... I am just considering my options while staying within the rules. I have a heavy boat that needs some help.

Don't do it...simple as that. If you can flash it, you can return it to stock. If it has a power-adder that pushes the 250HP rating, it's not qualified.

It’s cheating in most all tournament rules I’ve read.

What's the max HP listed on your boat?

That's the key

Thanks. I think y'all have answered my question. Any power enhancements that might potentially exceed the max HP rating, even if undocumented, could be considered cheating. I don't want to cross that line.

I asked multiple directors about this when I had my 175 fast strike, it put out 225 at the prop after monty racing worked it over.

you can do what you want as long as it was at or below your max. hp. rating from the factory.

no difference between flashing one, nizpro, internal mods. all are legal according to them.


look at your boat rating, my 95 champion 202 says "any V6" for hp rating and I now have a 300 yamaha on back.

But it still has to be under 250 if the event has a rule it has to be under 250…,regardless of hp rating, correct?

I would still check with the director of any tournament you plan on entering to be sure, all the tournaments around here just say factory rated hp.

all they say is max. rated hp on your cg plate, my 175 was on a champion 184 which was rated for 175 hp, technically I was 50 hp over but the engine was originally a 175 which matched the rating.

when you get in the big league then you have a max. hp no matter what your boat says, trails and jackpots, big bass etc. all just go with cg plate rating.

So in that case these new Mercury 4S are V-8s so "legally" you couldn't put one on the back of that old Champ.

Don't overthink it.

If your boat is "heavy" it sounds like you might just be spending a lot just to get an extra couple mph out of it. Do you like fishing or boating more? Look at it from that poi t of view then proceed how you feel best.

Only 250 rating max that I know of is BASS and MLF.

It is definitely a rules violation. But many do it. The question is could you pass a polygraph test if the question was have you broken any rules? Like over horsepowering your boat.

This is good advice Mark, treat yourself to a nice combo over a flash, chip, turbo, or whatever.

Maybe a new prop…

From the Texas Bass Nation North Central Region rules:

"8. BOATS & MOTORS: All boats and motors must meet U.S. Coast Guard and State
regulations. No motor shall exceed the BIA rating for that boat. The maximum
horsepower allowed for any contestant’s boat will be 250 hp. Minimum boat length for
any contestant’s boat is 16 ft. ..."

From the Texas Bass Nation Open Team Trail rules:

5. BOAT, BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT, MOTOR and SAFETY:
• The maximum outboard engine horsepower for any boats used during practice and tournament
hours is 250 HP.

I’ve asked a LOT of people this same thing. I get a wildly different answer from some. I was told a similar story to your response the most.

Yes…I have a complete Nizpro tuner kit for my motor. It is a 150SHO that when flashed, it is a 231HP motor. There is only two ways to tell when I have it flashed. Instead of my 22 Temoest Plus, I will have a 25 Tempest Plus and instead of it being a 60mph boat, it is a 78mph boat. Sounds the same (if I keep the rpm’s below 6200), looks the same, it even has 100% factory original hardware. It’s software change. If Yamaha can’t tell it’s flashed, how would anyone at a weigh in tell?

It takes 5 minutes ands prop swap to go between the two.

How would you enforce this rule? Seriously. How? Can you tell by looking and listening. If a manufacturer cannot tell if a motor is flashed, how can anyone else tell?

polygraph....

Yeh. I guess there is that. May work, may not. We all know they can be defeated.

Starting to see a pattern here.

what does "flashed" mean?

Bassmasters

MLF does not say anything about altered motors, just that the horsepower may not exceed the CG certification plate horsepower or 250 hp max.
BassChamps says no horsepower limit but it can't be more than the certification plate.

When I first bought my boat FLW would not allow my boat in a tournament if it was over 150 hp. Same with BASS before I bought my boat, since I fished a tournament at Rayburn and a guy from Colorado brought his XB2003 with a 225 Evinrude.
Thats why I took my motor off when I first bought it and put a 150 Opti on it. Ken A called it a trolling motor.

oh look, its last word, I'm right your wrong POS!

If someone is willing to violate one rule then they are willing to violate all the rules. I would never do it to my engine because I'm not a cheater

Yep, rules are rules.

Another thing you may need to consider is you boat insurance as well. Before I did it I'd talk to my agent for sure. If the motor has a Nizpro mod of any kind and it can be proven and you are in an accident on the water they might not pay. That wouldn't be good........

I agree. How do you enforce this rule? Honor system?

this is how the rule could be enforced if you have a 19 ft skeeter with a 175 on it an you are out running the 20 ft boats with 250 on them someone could protest you an force you to be polygraphed an you could get caught that way an the insurance deal is a bigger problem if you have an accident where you are over horsepowered an chunck a passenger out or worse their family could be looking to collect all you have an then some. the horsepower limits on boats an tournaments are there to protect fishermen from themselves.

back in mid 80's i had a Merc XR-2 150 hp ....150 hp was limit for redman tournys and this particular engine was new design and they were having lot of problems with lower units blowing ...mine blew up and they had shortage of new units so they put a 175 lower unit on mine temporarily.....I asked tourny director if having a 175 lower unit was breaking the rules and he said No and they were aware of the problems Merc was having and this was not the intent of their rules plus a different lower unit did not pose a safety hazard....

incidentally,if you win a tourny,most trails require that you pass a polygraph test and they are going to ask you if you broke any tournament rules..also lot of trails will give a random polygraph test to someone in the top ten....

I don’t know how you can pass a polygraph knowing you are over horsepowersd and breaking a rule. I know I couldn’t.

So. If a 150 HP motor actually makes 150HP at 5200 rpm’s, and makes around 170 at 6200 rpm’s, from the factory, are you in violation?

When y’all say “no”….I’m gonna ask “why not”, so include your explanation with your answer.

It’s real simple- it hasn’t been altered it’s a factory rating.

Engine mods are not allowed on most tournament trails... Mercury goes after shops that alter their engines with threats of lawsuits... How shops that alter Yamaha's get away with it is a mystery to me... But we all know what the "spirit of the rule" is... No mods... And we all know if a Ranger starts blowing away Bass Cat's, Tritons, Phoenix's and Skeeters the rumors will fly and once he places in the money protest will be filed in accordance with the rules... Dan

If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'!

This is a good post , besides the fact it is cheating to flash a motor to beyond plate rating and fish a tournament (if in the rules) it could be a huge liability to wreck cause loss of life and have an attorney provide in court that you flashed a pcm to excess H P

Only hulls under 20' are USCG regulated for HP. If over 20' you can put whatever you want on it. HP rating from manufacturer is just max recommended and worst case won't warranty if exceeded.

My entire mechanical prowess could fit on the head of a pin. Someone briefly tell me what "flashing" and "Nizpro" mean.

Here's my $0.02.

If you are tournament fishing, you are cheating. You know you're cheating. You just think, probably correctly, that the chances of getting caught are slim or negligible, but you are cheating. You overpowered your boat so you could out run the competition. CHEATING !

You MAY be breaking the law. Some jurisdictions have laws against overpowered boats. Again, very unlikely that you will be caught unless an accident. If you are involved in an accident, particularly if you are at fault, and end up in court, you can bet that the plaintiff's attorney will discover that you are knowingly operating an overpowered boat. Your insurance company will not be happy.

Steez, I assume you notified your insurance carrier that the 150 you are now insuring is actually a 231.

flashing is uploading a different software into the engines computer. Nizpro is the company that sells the equipment and software.

I told them. They are aware of what I have. Like my 700 hp 56 Chevy and my supercharged Tundra. They couldn’t care less. They asked for serial numbers and replacement value.

Have you ever bought insurance? You do know how it works, right?

I’d be more concerned with personal liability in the event of an accident more so than losing a warranty.

As for overpowered boats….I had a Taylor SS 18ft boat with a 400HP Olds 455 in it. Insurance agent said “wow, I bet that’s fun!”

This horsepower thread brings out “mangina’s” faster than the USCG aftermarket navigation lights thread!

They would have to prove that a little extra power was the cause.

well before your next bass tournament be sure and let the TD know you have flashed your motor to beyond the plate rating on your below 20 foot boat , see where that gets you.

Reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit, is it?

I know the rules for the tournaments I fish. I have the ability to make my boat tournament legal in <5 min. Why would I tell the TD my boat is flashed if it isn’t at the time the tourney practice and competition times are in effect? It would be a non-issue.

Reread what I posted.

lol whatever blowhard , if you can pass a poly that says you "unflashed" it

I guarantee the guys crying about this are the same ones who feel so inadequate they always feel the need to say “nobody has ever caught a bass at 37mph (or however fast their rig is)

I ain’t good enough to place high enough to even be asked to take a polygraph. Haha. Well…there was once last year. I passed the polygraph though. They never asked about my motor. Only if I knowingly violated any of the printed rules that I was asked to read. I said “no” they said here’s your checks.

Congrats !

Thank you Steez

For the record, I think the HP thing is kind of ridiculous anyways. But I assume it’s there to protect the idiots from themselves and others, although…..we’ve read about plenty of incidents the last couple of years.

But back to the rules part, it’s the same thing as anything else. If you don’t have your life jacket on, if you have 6 fish in the livewell, over powered, all rules that are stated and you promised to abide by them.

It’s dumb, a Cobra 201 says unlimited hp, but anything 19’11” will say 225 max.

Read my earlier post. Under 20’ is regulated by USCG. Over 20’ you can do what you want

Does a 14” jack plate get my 18’10”’to the 20 and over Club?

With that motor that far back you might need a Trika rod to cast over it.

I’ve read the plates for 40 years, it’s still dumb.

Yep --- There is a pattern here.

For the record outboard's are like most other horsepower rated engines-----
There is no way to be exactly "150" HP on every engine so they are allowed a plus or minus 10 %

As for "why not" ? -- Same reason not to bring a fish to the scales that when measured correctly is 1/32 of an inch short.




Noi sir the industry measures fiberglass boats from (glass to glass)

Wasn't there a guy that won an FLW tournament DQ'd because there was no plate on his boat even though boats over 20' don't have to have them?

believe it was redman/BFL regional on Wheeler lake......don't recall details but there was lot of controversey...winner was disqualified and cost him a truck,boat and trip to All American...heard later that FLW settled out of court with him...

If I'm not mistaken it was a Bullet boat that the guy was Dq'ed... My Bullet's have never had a Manufactures Sticker... Bullet doesn't put them on boats they make...



I'd check with the USCG before doing that... The Manufactures' Recommended Rating Plate says 250... I'd bet they'd write you a ticket for being over the recommended HP... And then you'd be at the mercy of the local judge... And if they're like any other judge they'd look at you and the officer, and side with the officer... Dan

It seems like boat manufactures that are tied with a motor manufacturer seem to rate max horsepower and whatever the engine manufacturer needs to produce the most of.

Why did Nitro have an 18’8” boat that was rated for 175 for a while, then one or two years it was 200, then back to 175.

Skeeter has done similar. The TZX 190 was always a 175 boat, even though I’ve seen a ZX150 factory rigged with a 250 SHO on the showroom floor in Australia, now the same boat was renamed a ZX150 and it gets a 150 hp motor as its choice.

Could you buy a boat in Australia with a way bigger motor, have it shipped to The US, and be legal? Since it came from the factory with a 250?

boat manufacturers only look at one number how many boats they can sell in the current market. big boats in texas sell better than small boats do because it seems the wind or inclimate weather nearly always happen on tourney days an besides it doesnt cost that much more to build a 20 than a 18 an there is way more demand for the 20 ft an larger boats. pretty sure that australia doesnt have near as many lawyers on standby to take the money from folks who dont use good judgment.

I have been researching this also. I just picked up a rare 22' bass boat with no sticker. I also read that the USCG does not regulate HP on boats over 20'. Of course tournaments can set rules any way they want. The BIA has a formula to calculate max HP according to dimensions of the boat but I am not sure if that rating would hold up...and there is no sticker on the boat with a recommended HP rating...

Its on the USCG website if you'd like to look. For hulls over 20' its just recommended and not a legal limit. Manufacturer can void warranty is about the worst that can happen from a legal standpoint.

I know some have fished major tournaments with modified motors and did not get caught... Anyways this thread proved why you should not even entertain this idea if your fishing HP limited Tournaments with a modified motor.

Unfortunately---there are those who figure it's only against the rules if you get caught.

I had a Cobra 190D 18’8” that was rated for 200. It was rigged with a Johnson 200 Limited Edition which was supposed to be a little over the actual 200. Had the prop built by Rich Boger and that little boat would get up and move.

Me too…or my buddy that bought an Elites BassCat with a 250SHO has unicorn dust on the motor. Haha.

I actually bought and paid in full for a 2023 SHO200…and used that boat and the Nitro Z7 as my reasoning. They sold it to me….I want even half way home from dropping off the boat to get it installed and they said “we can’t put this thing on your boat…we are a certified Yamaha dealer. We will sell you a 175 and you can flash it.” Then they couldn’t find a 175 anywhere on the list of dealers they partnered with, so a 150 and a flash kit became the plan.

I’ve only ever filed one boat claim, I got rear ended on the interestate as I was going about 10 in stalled traffic, a drunk women smoked me going about 80. Totaled my boat.

You might have a hard time getting your money back on the cost to flash, but insurance isn’t going to know anything about that. They don’t know anything about boats, I removed all my electronics and a few other things, and that didn’t affect what I received in the claim at all.

The drunk had progressive, they had no clue about anything to do with boats.

Crazy women asked me if it was okay if she hid her beer in the ditch before the cops came.

What were you putting it on? There weren’t many under 19 footers rated for 200 back in the day from what I remember. Here was my old rig.

Greatness!

2003 Skeeter TZX190

Everything in less than three years old, but the hull is old enough to drink in a bar.

My 1994 Pantera 2 (19'1" or 2") is rated for 200HP

So what if you have an over powered motor hitting on three cylinders doing twenty mph.

Are you now considered underpowered and legal?

Can't flash mine it ain't got no purter

Not so… any BASS affiliated event will not allow anything over 250 regardless of what’s on the CG plate.

Yeah I still feel bad about that.

I used to fish Bass Champs with a Bullet/Merc 300 rig. I asked Chad Potts and he was fine with it because the Mfg Plate said "Any V6 Outboard"