POWER POINTS
Testosterone, to paraphrase Rick James, is a powerful drug. It helps us through those "fight or flight" moments and makes us strong. The thing is, testosterone has some really irritating side effects, most notably its ability to surge wildly and make us indulge in some serious craziness. You can see this in action every day at your local boat dealer. An otherwise calm, rational person will walk in, see the boat of his or her dreams, and as soon as the sales rep starts listing the available engine options, the sane boater suddenly becomes a wild-eyed horsepower monster, demanding the biggest, baddest motor that can be stuffed into the hull. Testosterone - it's a powerful drug.

Granted, there are times when you should get the biggest, most powerful engine possible. But for the most part, the biggest possible engine isn't necessarily the one that's going to provide optimum performance, even if it does give you bragging rights around the marina. In truth, when you're picking an engine package for your boat, you want the setup that's going to provide the best possible performance - for the way you intend to use your boat.

Too many people are blinded by testosterone when it comes time to pick an engine and forget that how they plan to use their boat is one of the most important factors in selecting the right motor. Now that versatility's the name of the game, and many people are buying boats that allow them to fish, ski or cruise, you have to think a bit more about how you're going to use those boats most often, and then choose your engines accordingly.

You're looking for the elusive perfect balance of power and economy. An engine that's too small for your purposes will be overworked, burning too much fuel and enduring too much wear, causing it to age prematurely. You may save a few bucks up front by choosing the small engine package, but the long-term costs will eat up those savings, then your boating budget.

On the other hand, a too-large engine package is wasteful, both short-term and long-term. Every engine has an optimal operating range as determined by the engine rpm, a range where the engine is producing peak horsepower and torque while consuming as little fuel as possible. If you overpower your boat, the engine won't have to work hard enough (yes, it sounds like a conundrum) and will be inefficient, again burning too much fuel and not delivering enough performance. It's analogous to driving your car in a too-high gear, where the rpm is so low that the engine sputters. Downshift a gear, and your car's engine performs like a champ. You can't downshift in a boat, but you can choose a smaller engine and get similar benefits. And you'll save up front by opting for a smaller engine.

Some boats don't benefit much from additional horsepower, and can end up wasting your money. Take a popular outboard-powered pontoon boat, for example. Running on a 40-hp 4-stroke outboard, it reaches a top speed of 18 mph. With a 60-hp 4-stroke outboard, the pontoon tops out at 20 mph. Two more miles per hour costs around $2,200. Another good example can be found on a popular 24-foot bowrider. With a 260-hp, 5.0L sterndrive, the top speed is estimated at 48-52 mph. The same boat with a 300-hp sterndrive tops out around 49-53 mph, but will cost you $5,250 more.

Let's divide boaters into three main categories - watersporters, anglers, and cruisers. There are subsets of each, of course, but knowing which of those categories you most often fall under will give the broad outlines to help determine which motor is right for you and your boat.

Let's start with the watersporters. You may have noticed that tournament ski boats rarely have top speeds much in excess of 40 to 45 mph. Thing is, watersports enthusiasts have little reason to go faster than 40 or so. You ride an inflatable in the 10- to 25-mph range. You wakeboard in the 18- to 25-mph range. A recreational skier usually stays in the 28- to 35-mph range. And tournament-level skiers ride at a steady 36 mph. So, if you're a watersports enthusiast, you want to look for an engine package that's got enough muscle to propel your boat comfortably at those speeds, and you'll want to match that engine with a propeller that delivers maximum low-end thrust to get your riders up and out of the hole quickly and easily.

Anglers have specific needs, too. Where watersports enthusiasts generally do their boating on relatively smooth lakes, rivers and bays, a sizeable portion of the angling community boats almost exclusively on blue water that can go from glassy to ghastly in a matter of minutes. And even on fresh water, there are those who participate in every tournament they can, so a premium is put on the ability to get from the starting line to the honey hole in a hurry. As a result, anglers should choose slightly more powerful engine packages to provide the power needed to get from point A to point B in a hurry, or to deal with big water. However, this doesn't mean that anglers should blindly choose the most powerful engine. That's still, in almost every case, too much. Choose a motor that's a couple of notches below the peak offered and it'll generally provide all the power and performance you'll need while still delivering tolerable fuel efficiency and upfront expense.

Cruisers, like anglers, often find themselves facing a multitude of conditions while on board. But unlike anglers, cruisers rarely have much reason to hurry. Cruising range, a.k.a. maximum fuel efficiency, is the Holy Grail in terms of choosing an engine if you're in this camp. All too often, though, cruisers wind up buying a too-small engine setup, thinking it will provide maximum fuel efficiency. Instead, the engine is overstressed and burns way more gas than a larger, "less efficient" motor would. In addition, the stress and strain you're putting on that underpowered engine can have disastrous effects, from a shortened engine life to sudden engine failure. Then there's the aggravation of waiting forever for your underpowered engine to finally get your boat up on plane when you're coming out of a no-wake zone. Don't fall for the false economy. The best cruising engine is one that's big enough to power the boat - filled with people and gear - while operating within the peak-performance rpm range. This often means getting an engine that's a little on the high side of the available options and spending a couple of extra dollars up front, but in the long run, this more powerful engine will actually save money at the gas dock and will live longer due to the reduced stress.

It's true that coolly evaluating how you plan to use your boat isn't nearly as temporarily gratifying as simply puffing up your chest and telling the dealer, "Gimme the biggest thing you can cram in the engine compartment." But in the long run, not letting the testosterone get the best of you will save you money and provide a lot more on-water pleasure. And that's better than scoring bragging rights with the guys at the marina.