air prop?

[cddetelich]

I have a 115 Suzuki on a flat bottomed dory. If water is rough and I am cruising along at anything greater than a crawl it seems like the boat "catches air" and this travels back to the prop letting engine rev up additional 200-300 RPM. If water is calm this is not a problem. Maybe I should change tilt to more "downward" to maybe keep bow lower and catch less air?

 

[mattttt25]

Re: air prop?

pretty normal for a setup like that. shouldn't hurt the engine, as you probably have a rev limiter. but the lower unit gears will feel the pain each time you enter the water and the prop catches. i don't think messing with your tilt will help much, but it's always good to experiment. probably just need to slow down in rough water, or "drive" the boat more. no problem with working the throttle as you approach waves and work through them.

 

[tee-boy]

Re: air prop?

If you are catching air in a flat bottomed boat, you'll probably need back surgery in a couple of years.