I know I'm fat but ...

[Genie]

Ok - here are the stats on one of the comparison boats ...

'03 Skeeter ZX225 with '03 Yamaha HPDI 225 ... 3 blade 25 pitch Mercury Marine Tempest Plus prop ... jack plate is "slid up" 1 13/16 inches.

Top speed is 70 at 5800 rpm's right now.  He got 72 or 73 earlier this year in colder water with exact same gear, weight, fuel, etc.  He said he needs to lower the motor a little because he is getting a little blow out on takeoff and in rough water.

[Lightningboy]

Ready?

1) 09 ZX225/225 yamaha-25 yamaha T1, 12 inch slidemaster, 1.75 below pad.  73.6 mph @ 5900 rpm

2) 06 ZX225/225 yamaha-25 yamaha,12 inch slidemaster, 71.6 @6050

3) 04 ZX225/225 hpdi- 25 trophy, 12 in slidemaster, 2 in below pad.  73.5 @ 5800

4) 09 ZX225/225 hpdi- 27 tempest, 12 in slidemaster.  73.8 @ 5850

5) 04 ZX225/225 hpdi- 25 T1, 12 in slidemaster, 3 in below pad.  72.3 @ 5700

6) 04 ZX225/225 yamaha- 25 yamaha, 12 inch slidemaster.  72.9 @ 6000

7) 07 ZX225/225 hpdi- 25 yamaha, 12 inch slidemaster.  72 @ 5800

Looks like what you expect is in the right ball park.  Time to go adjust that plate and experiment.  Just remember to keep minimum water pressure.

Expect to gain power in the spring & fall, and lose it in the summer.  Great excuse for two props...

Dan- you've been a riot lately.  Your chick satement is right on the money; everybody calls 'em "wife gears".   

[LipRip]

At least you'd win a long distance race with those gears 

[Genie]

Good - so it's not just me thinking this is crazy ... an it has nothing to do with me being fat!

[Genie]

I think Dan has new meds!

[thedude]

don't ignore weight balance left and right of center as well. you should probably run all batteries, co-angler and gear on the left side of the boat only. keep the right side empty

[Genie]

I'm not that fat!

[djkimmel]

Speed limit on inland lakes in Michigan is 55mph (unless posted lower). You can't exceed 55mph unless you are more than 1 mile offshore in the Great Lakes. So as long you can go 55 you are all set!
Signed 'party pooper'

[Genie]

When did Kimmel get old ... sounds like my dad ...

[djkimmel]

He was probably a voice of reason. Don't you know you should listen to your 'parents?!?'

[Lightningboy]

Well, I'm old enough to be the dad around here too.


But I'm never gonna be too old to have a life full of "seemed like a good idea at the time".   

[djkimmel]

See. I have to be a little more the other end of the scale so we balance each other. I complete you

[Genie]

Starting to remember a little more about the setup I have ... man, having twins and only being in the boat 5 times in 2 years tends to make me feel old too!!!!

Anyway, the motor is "slid up" and 1.5 inches and the prop was replaced with a turbo 26p I beleieve ... prop has 6 13m and 26p stamped on it.

After all is said and done, adjust correct pad height stuff, etc. what prop should be on it?

[Genie]

Lightningboy, all those setups you listed ... what are the differences in the prop names - T1, T2, Tempest, Trophy, etc.?

What is the T1 and T2?  Assuming Tempest is a brand and Trophy is a brand.  Assuming Yamaha is the standard Yamaha prop.

[Lightningboy]

The T1 and T2 are yamaha props; the trophy and tempest are mercury props.  The turbo is made by precision propeller of Indiana.

Each company sells a variety of prop models to perform best on different types of hulls.  I'm most familiar with merc props.  The tempest is a 3 blade that works well on lighter, well balanced hulls.  It spins up pretty fast for a good holeshot.  Think 17-19 feet, 150-200 hp.  The trophy is a four blade that works best on heavier hulls that need a lot of stern lift.  Think 3.0 liter motors on 21 footers.

The 25/26/27 is the blade pitch.  In general, smaller props like a 25 will launch you better, big props like the 27 will give you higher top speed.

You need to adjust the set up for the prop you've got on, and see what it's performance limits are.  Then you can think about whether a different prop might improve some aspect of how the combo works.  My rig is stern heavy, so a trophy seems to be best. 

You need some accurate numbers to start.  How many inch setback is the jackplate, what's the present prop shaft below pad measurement, how many MPH top speed @ what RPM with how many PSI water pressure.  Make several runs to make sure you're accurate.

Then we can start adjusting.  Time to burn gas!

Dan- "you complete me"-Bwahahaaahaha

[Mike S.]

I have a ZX202. Don't know the length of your boat, but we are comparable. I have the 225 ox66 motor, and a 12" hydraulic jackplate. I run a 27 pitch Yamaha prop. I have no idea how high to run my jackplate, as the indicator is broken and I haven't replaced it yet. My speed varies from day to day. By myself, on a very choppy White Lake, with maybe 7 gallons of gas, I got 70.4 out of it, that is gps speed. On a very flat day, using the jackplate, and having my son with me, we gps'd 71.6 on White. On Mona with my dad and uncle, I got 66.7 out of it. I was impressed with that, having 3 guys that go from 200 to 270.

These are not stretched truths. Honest to god numbers. I really wish I could tell you how high I run my plate, when I use it. Without it, and with one other guy in the boat, I usually run 67+ with no problem. At wide open throttle, mine runs about 5600 rpm's. I very rarely fill either of my tanks. Mostly throw $20 in at a time. 

Genie, if you have a free afternoon, and want to come to Muskegon, I will gladly let you try my prop out. Let me know.

[Genie]

Mike - will definitely take you up on that ... when I get an afternoon ....

[djkimmel]

That should happen in about 17 years!! Signed 'Grandpa Kimmel'

(just kidding, the twins will let you go fishing once in a while)

[Genie]

The twins don't know any difference yet ... it's Mrs. Genie that needs to go along ...

[TimH]

If it makes all of you bass boat guys feel any better about top end speed, you all look like you are doing 200 mph as you blow past me with my 30HP evinrude.  Everytime my buddy and I have a bass boat blow by us, we comment how we were just "humbled" .  We then usually start talking about how there isn't a better sight on water than a bass boat with the only the back few inches of its hull in the water and fly's across the top.
Any suggestions on how I can get more than 20 MPH out of my 25 year old evinrude?  Or even better, what I can do so the darn thing will idle?
Thanks for any help, and always remember...no matter how slow you think your boat is, there is probably someone on the lake watching you wishing they had your boat.  Whether its me watching a bass boat or some guy on shore watching mine, someone is probably envious.