I have one of the later built sportsmans (2004) . When I first purchased the boat it was powered by a 90HP carby johnson . With two blokes , a full esky and full fuel it would sit on 56 kph at full noise . Although it didnt jump onto the plane as quick as my new 115 4S yammi does , I never would have said it was under powered , just that it could use a bit more power . It never strugled ploughing through big swell and I always felt safe with it . I would have to say that the motor was working in its upper limits in the big swell and I dont think a 90HP 4S would have been up to the job but all in all it wasnt a bad combo . 

JOEL

I am assuming that the boat is an Outrider, not a Sportsman. Does it have a pod or a frame between the motor and transom.
I have the one with the frame.
Quite happy to show and tell if you are interested.

Thanks for the response to my questions, the boat is an outrider with a new etech 90 behind it.

Hey Iana If you could shed any light on these hulls and hull motor combos It would be great.

Thanks in advance Marty

If the boat has a pod and depending on its design, it may make quite a difference to the boats handling.
I think Barons came out standard with either 90 or 115 HP. Mine has been replaced with a 130 Yamaha, and that extra weight has made a difference to the ride. However if it has a pod, the buoyancy of the pod may counter this.
I live just after the end of the Roe Hwy, PM me if you want to come talk or look over.

 A mate has a 18? Foot baron with a 150hp mariner on it and it would absolutely fly along and easy sit on 35 + knots. It was forsale on gumtree but it could be sold by now. I'd flog the 90hp until it dies then upgrade to a bigger motor.

 with the family and see for yourself, do it on not such a flat day 

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/alfred-cove/motorboats-powerboats/18-foot-baron-sportsman-very-fast-60knots-/1018626793 hold on big time. I wonder what the condition the hull would be in after a few trips to rotto at speed.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/merriwa/motorboats-powerboats/5-5-mtr-barron-outrider-fiberglass-cabin-cruiser/1018959003 the boat in question. Does look to be in good nick.
EDIT - boat now sold , anyone here get it??

If that is the boat in the second answer by "tot", then you can see the differences between the Outrider & Sportsman. The Outrider having much more usable deck space.
The hull is essentially the same as the Sportsman with the inboard motor. Hence the transom does not have the motor well, and is ready, shall we speak, for a pod to bolt straight on.
I say this because there may come a day when you want to fit a more powerful motor, and the extra weight may cause problems. So a lot of cost saved here with a pod mod, no pun intended.
The 90HP may be in some ways a bonus, more control when coming into dock for instance. I find mine is soo easy to steer at low speeds and docking as opposed to the previous boat I had.
55Km/hr converts to 29 knots. I cruise at 21 which is comfortable.
The smaller motor which is lighter would be ideal on that frame.
I see also that the bow rail is gapped, so that an anchor winch can be fitted at a future time, getting to the anchor well is a real pain.
With a new motor I think that price is OK.

Checked out the Baron, Nice clean boat, brand spanking new motor,

good boat overall, guy was wanting a little more then my budget but

was negotiable, made him an offer but he wants to hold out to see if he can get more money

 as he has had a heap of calls.

I made an offer based on a sea trial with the boat loaded with 4 people.

I'll wait to see if e calls or its back to the drawing board!!!

Cannot believe the price that older boats are going for at the moment, very hard

to find aything good for around $17,000

Yeah that second Gumtree listing in Merriwa is the boat.

Need a bigger motor? have a look at this.
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?R=13954183&Silo=Stock&Vertical=Boat&Ridx=4&eapi=2

You can have my Caribbean Reef runner for 25k... 90 model with 225 optimax

Really like caribbeans but 25k is out of my price range. Took a look at that link Iana, crazy boat.

That Baron that I looked at sold for 20k, was a nice boat.

Will keep looking otherwise I will repower an old trendsetter hull I have, I am just finding it hard to spend

$13,000 on a new motor that will go on an old mustard colored hull, trailer needs work which is no issue but

can't find a decent newer seconhand motor fucken anywhere.

I had a look on Ebay to see what the price of good motors were selling for, and it appears $6000 is a good number to work on. so I guess the cost of a boat is really the purchase price plus what you would spend on it to get it to where you want it.
There are a number of Barons available for sale, & I reckon I know of one that hasn't moved for years, they may want to sell.
Mine would be up for grabs as well if my wife would agree to it.

There is a couple of honda 150 4 strokes on gumtree for $9000 with only 300 hours on them...