Horsepower limits on Current

[Mark]

What are the regs on the Current River? A friend just bought a boat with a

50 HP motor. Can he run it on the Current, especially the Upper Current?

[Gavin]

He can run his 50hp on the Current below Round Spring, but not above. Above Round Spring its a 10hp limit in the summer time and 25hp in the winter months. Outboards only. No Jet Ski's or Mokai's.

Here's a link to the HP regs in the Ozark National Scenic River site. There is also 25hp limit on the upper section of the Eleven Point. Cheers.

http://www.nps.gov/ozar/planyourvisit/horsepower.htm

[Mark]

Thanks, Gavin

[Gavin]

Sorry, looks like I cant read...Its a 40hp limit between Two Rivers and Round Spring..It would be OK between Round Spring and Two Rivers if was a 50hp head with a jet drive though (50/35). Cheers.

[Kicknbass]

You need to be out of the ONSR to run a motor in excess of 40 HP. This would mean inside the city limits at Van Burean and below the park.

Good luck.

[Mark]

Now I'm confused again. Can he run his 50HP below Round Springs? Isn't that still a part of ONSR? Isn't the entire Current River part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways?

[Al Agnew]

If it's a 50 HP jet, (50/35) he can run it anywhere from Round Spring downstream, but not above Round Spring. The Current from Round Spring to Big Spring has a 40 HP limit, with jet motors measured at the pump and not the power head. Below Big Spring it's unlimited HP, which I think is stupid, but whatever.

[Kicknbass]

The rules are clear. The limit is 40 hp. Now the tricky part. A jet lowers the Hp output at the pump, so a 50 hp power head would have about a 35hp output w/ a jet. The law says 40 hp. So how can you run a 50 hp? Simple. Some of the manufactures have started installing the jet pump lower unit at the factory therefore they can title the motor as a 50/35 or a 60/40 and so on.

As long as the motor is titled 40hp or less, you can run it in the areas permitting the 40 hp limit. However, my understanding, if you have a motor that has switched the lower unit to a jet, and it is titled over 40 hp, then it would not be permitted.

Clear as mud.

[taxidermist]

Park super told me this "The size of the powerhead is the limiting factor. If the reg says as in the BNR (10) hp that is all you can run, not a 20 with a jet. simply a 10hp motor is it.

[Kicknbass]

  taxidermist said:

Park super told me this "The size of the powerhead is the limiting factor. If the reg says as in the BNR (10) hp that is all you can run, not a 20 with a jet. simply a 10hp motor is it.

I can tell you that 10 years ago all the boats running in the 40 hp limit areas were 40's w/ an after market jet lower unit and a 60 w/ a jet lower unit was not legal. Today, 90% of the boats running are 60/40 units that are a 60 hp power head w/ a jetpump installed at the factory and the title says 60/40. I have owned both.

I'm not sure on how the law reads, or what the Park Super is telling folks, but I do know what is the pratice on the river below 2 rivers.