20HP max outboards and fake stickering - a bit out of hand

Regardless of your feelings for or against HP limits, if you live and fish in Western PA you will run into the 20HP max sooner or later.  Back in the day the limit on the 3 lakes near me (Arthur, Wilhelm, Pymie) were all 10HP max.  A bunch of guys either bought 15HP engines and restickered them (my toon has a 15HP with 9.9 stickers) or got carb kits for their 9.9s which kindof made them 15s.  
 
Then they upped the limit to the current 20HP.  This gives you the option for any of the popular 15/18/20 engines for your boat.  But guys being guys immediately went about cheating that limit by restickering 25 and 28s.  This doesn't bother me all that much... if you really want that extra 5HP on a small lake like Arthur it won't ruin my fishing.  
 
Today I see this (attached pics) listed on craigslist.  At first glance I thought "No way that's a 20" and sure enough it is a 30 stickered 20.  Look at the size of that thing.  And here's the thing... 15/20 4 stroke Mercs are 2 cylinder, 115lb engines.  The 30/35 4 stroke Mercs are 3 cylinder, 175lb enigines.  That's a huge difference.  How is that engine ever going to escape notice from the FWC guys?  I haven't been checked on Arthur in years, but they used to be pretty aggressive out there.  Last I was stopped was last year on Pymie, and they only wanted to see walleye.  Then again that 15 on my pontoon looks appropriately tiny, so it wouldn't exactly raise eyebrows.  
 
Have any experience with this sort of motor/sticker mismatch?  Thoughts on the 20HP limit?  Been checked by wardens recently, and if so did they even look at your motor?
 
 

I don't know about all the mfg.s Sam but the data plate on my Yamahamer states right on it, 15 hp.  So checking horsepower ratings on motors (mine at least) should not be a project or require a tear down.  My motor is a 2003 so, the data plates are nothing new.
 
As far as I'm concerned, HP limits should be relaxed before Memorial Day and after Labor Day on the limited HP lakes.  Impose a speed limit instead, a boat that cannot plane causes far more wake and erosion.  As for the lakes being shallow, that is a problem with any lake and it's the operators responsibility to know when and where they will find such conditions.
 
Big boys with big toys wanting to run the lakes should be required to have speedometers controlled through GPS and none of this "pitot pick-up tube" crap.
 
As for speed on the limited lakes, nobody seems concerned about the little boats with big motors buzzing around on a crowded day.  Nor is radar required to enforce speed restrictions.
 
But that's just my opinion, thanks for asking.
 
 
PS. No tubing, No skiing, No PWCs and, for crying out loud no old hairy guys buzzing around with their shirts off!!!!

walcat
You would never do that would you YOUNG FELLA??????

Hell yes............  if I saw you on the water!

ZOOM ZOOM...........

I'm a bit torn on the 20 hp limit.  My issue is that I want to fish multiple lakes and rivers WITHOUT having to purchase 2 motors or 2 boats.  I think that's why many have chose to "bend" the 20 hp limit.  I live close to Arthur and grew up fishing Pymatuning.  However, I love to boat on the river and I want to fish lake Erie.  I've watched guys in 14' w/10hp fish the 3 rivers and watching these guys try to move around with 60 mph+ gofast boats buzzing around has got to be a bit nerve racking.  Same as in Erie.  My father-in-law had a 15 1/2' trihull with a 50 hp merc and we fished the bay when 2 footers were in the lake.  I love the idea of speed control.  This makes very good "fiscal" sense.
 
I had a 20' pontoon with a 60 hp merc bigfoot and live 10 miles from Lake Arthur.

I have a 28 hp with 20 labels.  I did because I bought a crestliner boat that had a 28 and a 9.9 hp on it and the 28 did not run well when I bought it and it would not get on plane. After having the carb rebuilt on the 28 I could still just barely get it to plane so I tried to removing the 9.9 and found it planed out easily and ran at 21 mph with 2 fisherman and a full livewell.
 
I just get it up on plane and then cruise at 17-18 mph on restricted lakes and the fish commission leaves me alone.  I would have had to buy a 50 or 60 hp for a couple grand and then kept the 9.9 for the restricted lakes to stay legal and still get on plane.
 
the 28 and 20 hp evinrude motors are actually the same engine, and gearcase so it is a sleeper for sure.  It works out great because it is still small enough to troll down to 1.3 mph for walleye.

btdt is right about unplaned boats, they create way more wake than boats powered appropriately, but there has to be a written limit cause boys will be boys, just like we all cheat on stickers anyway lol. Ive seen some guys on cross creek recently in heavy deep vees **** near keep up with me in my little aluminum boat with a 15...mine does 23 mph with just me in it..very little wake too just skimmin