How Fast Does a 90 HP Evinrude Go? 

My father had a 1987 Johnson 88 SPL. The SPL engines were designed mostly for "commercial use" in that they were economical & meant to run all day long and with basic maintenance would last many years. Some lakes banned engines 90hp and above for environmental or other reasons; Similarly, that's why the 9.9hp engines weren't "10hp". The SPL engines didn't have the fancy new & standard VRO (Variable Ratio Oil) injection that came on the conventional 90hp versions and so used mixed gas & oil at 50:1. The oil injection system was really designed to reduce pollution by reducing or increasing the amount of oil burned at varying RPMs - supposedly down to 100:1 or less at idle or very slow troll. The oil pumps apparently had some challenges and more than a few engines died when the pump failed (or maybe the driver forgot to check the oil level). Many people have removed the VRO system and just mix their oil and gas to avoid potential disaster. The SPL engines also didn't come (standard) with power tilt & trim. In 1987 this was an option that cost an extra $900 (in Canada). My understanding is that the lower unit in the SPL engines was the same as on the V6 150hp and up which meant a larger drive and prop shaft and larger propeller. Interestingly, around 1986 power was no longer being measured at the flywheel (as it had been for all previous years). Instead, horsepower was now being measured at the prop shaft which meant the new engines had more power than the older engines as the measurement was at the final drive. Supposedly the SPL engines were underrated and produced 10-15% more power than what the factory stated. I was a fishing guide on the French River / Georgian Bay region in Ontario, Canada in the 1970s and 1980s and have always been interested in boats.

greetings to lovers of the art of fishing !! a super hug here from BRAZIL !!

I don't know where to start about going fast in speedboats, but first off getting the correct pitch propeller for you outboard/boat combination is vital, while remembering the the manufacturer is going to supply the cheapest (aluminium) low pitch (low gear) propeller that will work in the widest applications. Secondly when you have the correct prop on the boat to make the most of it you trim down to take or run slowly, but when you want to go fast and you are on the plane over 20 you trim the outboard up, this pushes the stern down and the bow up, when the bow goes up at speed the water line goes back and there is less boat in the water so you go faster, go and talk to the local fast bass boat guys they know all this stuff in detail and you can blame it on me a YT viewer. I used to race Class 1 offshore back in the day, 110 in a 40 footer, hell yeah brother.

this video is so good thank you very much

My dad used to work on these motors and Evinrude calls this an 88 Special because it's designed so that when you are on plane the bow is raised slightly more than normal, thus modifying the air flow vectors and making it less likely that your Cheetos wrappers will fly out of the boat.

That was so awesome my Man! Considering the size and weight of the boat that is fast I think, you know I don’t know nothing about boats, I have no idea what special means. :)

I was told that the special motors were a budget motor to help compete with some other manufacturers

Ran a 1991 90 vro on a 1991 Princecraft 196 from 1991 until 2017 with just over 3k hours 39/40 mph upcurrent, 41-43 mph down current on the St. Lawrence River. In that time one power pack replacement and impeller/plugs That 90 had the most varied conditions from Wide Open Throttle trips, I'd run that boat 90%throttle everywhere then me, my Dad and my Uncle would take it up to lake ontario and troll for 6/7 hours, basically wash rinse and repeat that kind of cycle for 26 years of service life. An impressive engine in my opinion. Repowered to a 2017 G1 135 H.O. and it definitely picked up speed, it will run an honest 50mph on GPS and 51 if you hold your tongue the right way, better on fuel and consumes less oil, we have slowed down in our boating frequency and have just under 400 hours on the 135, it's been back to the dealer for a faulty temp sensor issue and put me into limp mode making for a long ass drive back to the ramp, Time will tell if this engine has the longevity of the old 90 Your mileage may vary Dan.

Moves pretty good 👍

The best money can buy 👌

OMC mechanic here. Some explanations for the 88special v. the 90 horse are hilarious especially the one about gearing! As mentioned, same exact powerhead as the 90hp (1986-1990 or so), gearcase, mounts etc. but the "special" part was the option to not have power trim, and no VRO/OMS pump, thus a lower price point. but again, same motor as the bells and whistles versions.

Nice video. My 88 '94 88 SPL runs just about the same, +/- 2mph depending on weather. Used to be propped incorrectly and would only get up to 21 - put a PowerTech 4 blade on it and now hitting this on avg.

I had a mid 80's monarch 17ft center console fiberglass boat with an evinrude 88 spl. That boat flew with that motor. Mid to hi 40's and it never gave me a day.of trouble.

Evinrude is King 👑

Cool!

Wow so fast

Wow😁💖🍒 Very great video Hello, my dear friend Thanks for sharing🎁👍 Have a wonderful day🍎🍒🍊😁💖💖

It's just a commercial motor they were intentionally made without the vro pump and no tilt and make them a lighter motor easier to work on less things to break they are very reliable Motors the best motor I've ever bought

My 88 on 15ft trihull I go 41 88 is a 90 with out vro pump an no tilt trim they were made for commercial fisherman

So from around the mid 60's or so Evinrude made different outboards that were all built 2 hp below the normal. These were done so to call attention to they were different. Different because they were a little lower geared to better at skiing than the normal fishing motors.

What prop are you running? Building a Grumman 16 super with a Johnson 90 and trying to pick a prop to start with.

What made the '88 special was that it was specially built to make 90 hp.

The 88SPL is a 90hp. Just a less expensive version with no oil injection or fancy water cooling regulator. These engines had the old style mid section and did not come with power trim and tilt. These are great engines...

Was I the only one yelling at the video, "trim up! trim up!"

Its special because its missing a few bits but it goes quiet well.

I have the 88spl on a 1990 sunbird spl170 17 foot boat. With full gas and 4 people I can hit 35mph. I have once had it to 37. I think with a certain prop you can get more top speed but slower out of the hole speed onto plane. On my boat my trim only works if Im going slow..so if Im cruising I trim it down and leave it badically unless I am in shallow water etc.

I have the same motor, 95' Evinrude 90. It's on a 17' Seaswirl CC. I've seen 34mph at 5300 +-100. Unsure of the weight but we do have a 40 gallon fuel cell. Do you have any idea what the fuel consumption is on this motor? I've read 10% of HP # at WOT. So 9 gallons of gas per hour at WOT. That would theoretically get about 3mpg. Boat is used in lake and Sea of Cortez for serious bottom fishing. I've only owned the boat just shy of a year but trying to get a good understanding of fuel range so I don't die. Great video and I saw the transom fill video a while back. Good videos! Keep them coming on the old RUDE motor. Hoping for some feedback on fuel range data from you or ONE OF THE BOYSSSSSS!!!!

Curious how that pour in transom is holding up? Any issues or complaints?

88 SPL was the same as the 90 HP but didn’t have VRO. Makes the same HP as the 90 HP (both make the same HP, but they are allowed to put slightly different numbers on them as they are both within the allowable tolerances of actual HP measurement - manufacturers are allowed to label their motors within +/- 10% of actual HP produced, per BIA horsepower rating standards). In short, same motor as the 90 HP, but without VRO, and makes exactly the same power, despite the different number on the cowl.

The special thing about the 88 SPL: No oil injection. Saves weight for racin', eh?

From what I understand, it's actually a 100hp motor. They put the 88hp on their for only one reason. Regulations. Many lakes have a below 90hp motor regulation.

Pre mix. And maybe a smaller charging system

I'm running a 17' Sea Hunt CC with a Johnson 90 SPL 2 stroke. Trimmed just right at WOT I'm seeing 37 mph and it's pretty much just prop in the water. What's scarier? The boat is rated for 135 hp

It didnt have a vro pump and i think it was the commercial version. Idk i heard that somewhere

I have the same motor on my 96 hydrosport fish and ski with me the wife 2 kids 2 batteries a full 12.5 gallon fuel cell and cooler of ice wide open and trimed just right she will 37 mph and thats with a beat up aluminum prop

What is the dry weight of your boat and prop?

L1....like and first coment my frend

I have 1990 Johnson 90hp 2 stroke takes my 16ft bass boat 42MPG

I run a 15 ft Tri Hull with a 17 pitch wide open throttle 41 with a 19 pitch I was hitting 4445 mph

First start of the season fresh fuel fresh spark plugs give it a little throttle choke it for 10 seconds then turn the key she fired right up

The special does not have the vro oil injection unit on it, it’s pre mix

My buddies dad was a boat mechanic when I was 16 years old and he had a blue Evinrude 88 special don’t know the year but he board it out and put it on a 21 foot Boston whaler and we were going 64 to 68 mph! Funny story, one guy was beating the shit out of his own boat, because we were beating him in a race. He tried to suck us into his wake , and he did not know that our boat was faster than his, and he had two motors on his boat but yeah it goes 60 to 68 mph and 88 special I’ll bet my right hand on it

You need to trim up. You will get more speed. The “spl” was due to removing the oil injection.

You should try it again without Reggie in the boat…probably hit 40mph then!!! 😂 Sorry Reggie, I couldn’t help myself 😁

If play with timer and tuning would gang more than 2hp

I have a 1989 StarCraft SMF180 dual council with 1989 Johnson 90hp with a 17 pitch prop I can get the boat up to 37 mph with three guys in the boat. With just me I can get it up to 39 mph. If air put on the 19 pitch prop I can get it over 40 mph

I have a 90 on a 20 foot pontoon and the best I can get is 22 and you see the gas hand move left as you drive it.

22.5 inch mid section

special is with out the automatic oil pump

The 90 hp has oil injection ehich gives it extra 2hp

Trim it up a little, it looks like it’s plowing a bit.

Faster, faster, faster!

Rande it's still a 90HP 2 stroker.....Without the oil injection pump and you should be glad you pre-mix.....The pump was a $600.00 add on that was a piece of junk.....Is it any wonder Evinrude went out of business last year after being bought by Bombardier!!

It’s a non-VRO motor so the 90 horse came with the VRO… The 88 came you mix your on fuel

Gosh I thought it would go at least 35 or more ???

It's a special because it's an Evan rude That sounds about right on speed I could get about 30 on my 75 Evan rude

if you moved the weight back it would go faster couse the trim om the boat is totally wrong

am sure a merc 4 stroke 75hp on that same boat will get @ least 35mph. i think two stroke hp are overated. for that speed thats really a 65hp motor.

Apparently not too fast. Pretty good for that boat though.

My 94 will hit 43.

Not special at all. They were made to the specs of a cheap boat maker to lower the price. Left off things that made the regular engine nicer so they could sell them for less. "Let make a boat nut out of you"!!!

Disappointing.

Trim it up!! To much hull in the water, that should do better than 30 mph. Check prop and engine hight as you may have excessive drag from install hight.