Re: Is motor too big for my boat
I had a 17' Ranger Fisherman (680C) with a '89 115 tower on it and when I first bought it I peaked it at 55 mph. I re-propped for skiing and still could run high 40's .
The 680C is 16' 11" , 80" beam, 115 hp rated, and weighs 875.
Your 350V Commanchie is rated for 150 hp and is 17' 10" , 82" beam, correct on the dry weight ot 1050 (per the Ranger sales brochure.
My boat was not that far from yours and the hulls were pretty close to being the same with pads and all.
I had a Merc SS prop of about 21" (may have been 19, but no less) which may have been a Turbo I and was ported. With the ports, my hole shots were good enough to pull a 250 guy (me) outta da hole on a slalom with 3 in the boat and still run the high 40's when the holes closed off.....but not with the ski load I mentioned...with just me in there.
So there is a benchmark for you. You either have boat or engine problems and once solved, you may be happy with your current rig.
Those boats were "upright foam floatation" designed putting most of the foam high in the boat. The water ran down a tunnel in the keel area to the stern. Unless the boat has been sitting full of water or was submerged, I doubt seriously that foam absorption is the problem. The foam in my boat was urethane spray and blocks, and had a coating sprayed over the exposed parts to seal it. You can inspect the hull externally for flaws.
The '97 sales brochure shows the 200 EFI Merc (2.5 liter) weighing in at 408 lbs with the 20" shaft. That puts you 50 hp over the rating. Should buy you problems down the line if you install it.
Might want to get some specs on your current engine's operating parameters and post here and let the guys have a whack at solving your current problem or go find yourself a 150. A 150 should put your boat at least in the high '50's and to do that you will have enough power for a great hole shot.....with the right prop of course.
HTH
Mark
