Re: 14 foot lund (speed issue)
Ya, the pics will help. All you can do is go by a process of elimination like you have done with the gas that helps to look elsewhere for the problem.
Once you assess that the outboard is in the proper position. Next you would look to see what pitch the prop that is on there is.
Take a flash light and look on the side of the prop to see what it's stamped if you don't already know. You may not have to take the prop off but it might be stamped on the bottom too. I would take the prop off anyway and check that there is no fishing line wound around the shaft. Line gets in there and cuts up the seals and you will loose lower unit oil. My Daughter's 14 footer is at the dealer now getting a $250 repair to put in new prop seals as I type this because the previous owner had line all wrapped around the shaft.
I have probably the same boat. They changed to Rebel to the Classic for a few years and then went back to the Rebel again. My dealer mounted the outboard 1 hole too low for optimum performance. Most don't test drive it after they install an outboard for pique performance. So the pics will tell us if you can tweak performance by moving on it. We bought it last year and it's mounted about 3 holes too low causing much backwash against the transom. I have to make up a piece of plastic or aluminum to put under the clamp and drill two new holes if that solves the issue of the skeg dragging through the water.
But since her outboard is a "very light weight" older 2 stroke and it hits about 22 mph with two of us on it read by a GPS. And pops right up on plane. I'm 180 and she's 110.
This forum does not get a lot of feedback from members for Merc's even though it's the number #1 selling outboard! Notice how your question has been up there for a few days with no other comments yet. Maybe everyone else is just out fishing
Check you capacity plate for the max outboard and post it back here along with the max weight for passengers (how big is your Wife
) If she's 300 lbs . . . Houston, we have a problem! . . . Just kidding hahahha!
Mine is rated for a 40 and I have a 40 4 stroke EFI on it. When I had a 30 on it for the first few weeks it took 1000 yards to get it to plane with two of us on it.
But everything with boating has so many variables to work through when making comparisons. That Merc 30 was a new 2006 4 stroke carbed model. It was like 40 lbs heavier than the 2007 40 4 stroke EFI I swapped back to the dealer for. That 30 might also have had a linkage problem problem preventing it from going full throttle too. Or it just might have been just a heavy dog and of poor design.
I do know that a NH dealer called me 2 years later and said he had a guy trading it in to him and the dealer wanted to know why I only owned it two weeks? Funny how the next owner was trying to dump it in less than two years.
So as you can see from above all the variables you have to go through. Bottom line might be that it's just the lower gearing of the Bigfoot and your grandfather wound up with an outboard for a Pontoon that just won't give you pique performance on a 14 foot aluminum.
I'm not clear about the 3 batteries or is it just a charger for 3 batteries? Do you run with 3 batteries? If so, those 3 are almost 150 lbs right there.
To get my rig to plane with a 30 on it I had to get out from behind the steering wheel and walk up towards the bow.
Nothing like having the correct outboard and one that's max hp capacity for the rig. Mine pops to plane in 2 feet
