More POWER!!!

[jpflanagan]

Okay everybody, I'm new here and a new boat owner so I will apologize for the "greenness" in advance.
So Here's the deal, I just bought a 2006 Bass Tracker Pro Team 175tx with a "brand new" Mercury 50hp elpto outboard. Seriously, it has maybe an hour on it. After taking it out a few times I feel like I already want to go faster. It seems like it gets on plane fine but maxing out at 31-32 mph feels so slow to me. I know the easy answer is to just buy a bigger O/B, but since I just outlayed the money for the boat I cant really do that, and do it right. So what mods can I make to what I have to really get optimum performance out of it, and what can I look for as far as top performance? Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks everybody in advance.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: More POWER!!!

They didn't give you a break-in procedure? How many RPMs are you turning at WOT? This will tell us if it is propped right. Always make sure the boat is rigged evenly.

 

[JB]

Re: More POWER!!!

You got suckered into a package deal with a seriously underpowered outboard, JP. More power means a bigger outboard; at least 70HP.

 

[reddogg]

Re: More POWER!!!

More speed=bigger motor, maybe differant prop, is your motor adjusted right? I think JB nailed it.

red

 

[jpflanagan]

Re: More POWER!!!

I was not given any break in procedures, since the motor is still so new, is it in the "break in period".
WOT im turning about 5700, which gets me 34mph on the spedometer. It is rigged with a 3 blade aluminum prop, I dont know the dia. or pitch. The hull is rated at 75 Max HP, so at 50 HP I wouldn't think it is "that" underpowered, but again, I'm a total newbie so who knows. Again thanks for any help.

 

[JB]

Re: More POWER!!!

It is frustrating when you get a question, answer it, then get new information that changes the whole picture. I call them YABUTs.

Those numbers say you are not underpowered but have unrealistic expectations. 34mph is fine performance for that boat. If you want a gazillion HP BassRocket that is what you should have bought.

 

[jpflanagan]

Re: More POWER!!!

It is also frustrating to ask a question, get a response asking for more information, give it and then get blasted for providing new information. I said I was new to boats and don't necessarily know everything that someone would need to know about in order to answer my question. I don't hink I have unrealistic expectations, I was simply asking if I am getting everything out of what I currently have, or if there was something I gould do to get a little more from it. That is all. If that is unrealistic, then I am sorry for wasting your time.
I know exactly what I bought, and I don't need somebody telling me what I should or should not have bought, if I wanted that type of answer I would have asked my wife. I think I said it pretty clear in my original post, I have what I have, and was just curious if I could set it up any differently to maybe get a little more out of it. Again, if that type of question is to much to ask of the members of this forum, then I am sorry.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: More POWER!!!

I know exactly what I bought, and I don't need somebody telling me what I should or should not have bought, if I wanted that type of answer I would have asked my wife.

With all due respect, if that were the case, you would have known the max speed for the boat you purchased. 34MPH is fairly respectable speed for a boat of that size with only a 50HP motor. Take into consideration your little motor has about the same HP as an entry level motorcycle engine. You are not going to get your little 50 to push your boat at over 45-50 mph. You may get a MPH or two more once it's broken in. Personally I would also be looking for a break-in procedure for your engine. New engines shouldn't be run at continuous WOT, or damage may occur.

To get the most out of your motor here are my suggestions;

Make sure the motors installed height is correct. You need to look at the cavatation plate above the prop and be sure it's about level with the bottom of the boat (keel).

Figure out what size and pitch prop you have installed. Take that info, along with all the other info you have, and run it by the guys in the prop forum. They may be able to tell you if there is room for improvement.

My suggestion to you in the future when you intend to buy another boat is to take the boat out on a sea trial. You will get a feeling for how the boat handles. You will get to see if there is any potential problems on the water that may not be apparent on land, and you will be able to figure out if the top speed makes you happy.

 

[jpflanagan]

Re: More POWER!!!

Thank you for the help and suggestions. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might find a break in procedure?
I did do a test drive and ride that lasted about 45 min, and I feel like I left with a good understanding of the boat's capabilities. I am not dissatified at all with how my boat is performing now, I just wanted to make sure I was getting the most from it. I guess the big misunderstanding is this... If you want your car to go a little faster, you dont get a new motor, you can get more HP out of it by making some mods and making it more efficient. I don't know boats at all, so I was not sure if the same holds true with outboards. But the feeling I'm getting is that it's not, you cant really increase the hp output of your outboard.
Againg thanky everybody for the help and information, and sorry for the confusion.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: More POWER!!!

Thank you for the help and suggestions. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might find a break in procedure?
I did do a test drive and ride that lasted about 45 min, and I feel like I left with a good understanding of the boat's capabilities. I am not dissatified at all with how my boat is performing now, I just wanted to make sure I was getting the most from it. I guess the big misunderstanding is this... If you want your car to go a little faster, you dont get a new motor, you can get more HP out of it by making some mods and making it more efficient. I don't know boats at all, so I was not sure if the same holds true with outboards. But the feeling I'm getting is that it's not, you cant really increase the hp output of your outboard.
Againg thanky everybody for the help and information, and sorry for the confusion.

Break-in procedure should be in the operation and maintenance manual that should have come with the engine. If you didn't get the manual, I would go to the place you bought the boat and ask for one. Worst case, you should be able to order one from Mercury.

Generally speaking during the break-in period you avoid long periods of idle or near idle, and you don't go to WOT or limit the amount of WOT. Varying engine speed is the key to proper break-in of your rings. Any continuous use at a particular RPM may glaze the rings and cylinder walls and you will end up with poor performance. One of the Mercury Guru's may be able to chime in with the right procedure for your engine.

As far as hot-rodding the engine, there may be things you can do to it to make more power. Were talking drastic things like taking the engine apart and making major modifications to the internals, which in the end may dramatically shorten the life of the engine. You have to consider this; an engine of the displacement that your's has in most cases would be making less power in any other application. Outboard motors, regardless of the manufacturer are more or less making as much power possible per cubic inch while walking the fine line of longevity. In other words, the engines for the most part have been tuned by the manufacturer to make the most power possible with out scattering them selfs, or being un-reliable. In some cases a manufacturer will cheat and put a smaller carb/intake, etc to down rate the HP of one particular engine family in order to build various HP models to suit their customers needs. I don't know if that is the case with your's though.