2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

[cott]

I just purchased a lightly used 2010 lowe fm 165 that has the merc 4-stroke 60hp mill on it, with two adults, fishing gear, and fuel tank topped off this thing is a slug coming up on plane. i do tilt the engine all the way down when taking off but it didnt seem to matter. once on plane i could turn over 5K rpm's pretty easy but man getting on plane is ridiculous, i was going to look @ props 1st, mine has the stock prop on it now which i dont know what size it is until i get home from work. hopefully you folks can help me get pointed in the right direction. thanks

 

[steelespike]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

Welcome,
We need you the clarify is it a 165 or 156?What is the maximum hp rating. Your prop size is near the base of the blades or under the prop nut.We will need prop size and your present max rpm and speed.We need a little more detail on the hole shot.Some would call a boat that barely planes a slug others if it took 10 seconds it would be a slug.We'll get you going.

 

[cott]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

its the 165 S, its the fish only model. hole shot is very very sluggish, with two 200lb+ guys it took at least 10 seconds to get on plane. beings the motor has only a couple hours on it i only turned it around 5000rpm for short burst's. the prop that's on it now is a 12x22 3-blade.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

Is it a bigfoot motor? double check your prop.
If its not a bigfoot they don't even list a 22. 17 is the biggest.
If it is indeed a 12 X 22 thats your problem possibly even if its a big foot.
But the bf uses a bigger diameter 13 , 13 1/2.
Once you get her broken in do some wot runs lightly loaded and get us the rpm and speed and double check the prop size.

 

[cott]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

Is it a bigfoot motor? double check your prop.
If its not a bigfoot they don't even list a 22. 17 is the biggest.
If it is indeed a 12 X 22 thats your problem possibly even if its a big foot.
But the bf uses a bigger diameter 13 , 13 1/2.
Once you get her broken in do some wot runs lightly loaded and get us the rpm and speed and double check the prop size.

ok i sure will on getting it run in, i got the prop info from a sticker thats actually down on the lower unit by the prop. im not sure if its a big foot model, it shouldnt be tho, how could a person find out if it is?, ahhh the joys of buying a used boat! what should this boat have for a prop?

 

[steelespike]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

A big foot would normally have a prop with a 13" or more diameter.Also the gearcase would seem overly large.
Just guessing your boat would probably have about a 15 to 17" pitch.We can tell better when we get your performance numbers.Just did some figures I'm pretty sure the 12/22 is the interpretation of your gear ratio.
Devide 12 into 22 comes out about 1.83 the gear ratio of your motor accordng to my info.
Your prop numbers are likely under the prop nut.

 

[cott]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

A big foot would normally have a prop with a 13" or more diameter.Also the gearcase would seem overly large.
Just guessing your boat would probably have about a 15 to 17" pitch.We can tell better when we get your performance numbers.Just did some figures I'm pretty sure the 12/22 is the interpretation of your gear ratio.
Devide 12 into 22 comes out about 1.83 the gear ratio of your motor accordng to my info.
Your prop numbers are likely under the prop nut.

steelespike your exactly right on the 12/22 thing, cabela's set me straight on that as well. beings the original owner purchased the boat new there i called them and had them look up the info on it, def not a bigfoot motor. they said with our body weight and all that good stuff that it prob will be pretty doggy beings its only a 60hp. if thats the case it will be bye bye to this boat.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

Weight distribution and prop selection may help your problem. Once we know your present prop and the max rpm we can probably make a prop selection. Also check the motor height.The antivent plate(just above the prop) should be even with or slightly above the bottom.In the extreme this could help hole shot and top speed.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

This is a standard (not a big foot motor). As such it needs the smaller diameter (10-1/4 inch prop). That style of boat and that size motor typically runs a 13P three blade.

 

[199675hpforce]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

I would think your prop should be 13 pitch maybe 12, 10 to 11 range width. Having a lower pitch could really improve hole shot check RPMs with current setup and adjust. 200-300 rpm for every 1 pitch down or up. I just read your getting 5000rpms humm maybe wrong prop on there to wide. Im not a fan of 4strokes except bigger stuff 140hp suzuki id love to have. You could just swap for 90hp 2stroke and rip it up.

 

[BoatNoobie]

Re: 2010 lowe fm 165 w/ merc 60hp 4-stroke very doggy getting on plane, prop maybe?

Assuming nothing is wrong with the engine, it's the prop.

I know, because I was in almost the exact situation last year. Picked up an 2005 FM165 with a Merc 60 4-stroke. I was talking to the owner about how fast he could go. He told me ~25-28 MPH with 2 people in the boat. Well that was faster than my 19 MPH on my old Lund, so I didnt think much of it.

Until we got to the test drive part. It was slow to get on plane. I had to shift myself towards the livewell area to get it on plane faster. RPMs were maxing out at ~4500.
Other than that, the boat ran and sounded great, so I bought it...

Did a search on the internet and found talk about props and pitch. The 60 4-stroke is suppose to WOT at 6K RPM and should be low 30 MPH with the exact setup. Found others were using 12 or 13 pitch props. So I go look at my prop and it's a 17 pitch prop! The previous owner installed these fins to help with the planing. The dealer set this boat up with that prop.
It should be listed on the side of your prop. In front of the blades.

Anyways, I bought a Black Max 10 5/8 x 12 P prop off ebay, because it was cheapest at the time.

HUGE difference. Gets on plane quickly. Hitting 32MPH on GPS. Topped out at 34 MPH when the water is smooth. Also right at 6K RPM now when on WOT.


Here is a link to the LOWE forum talking about props.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=250420