Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › 1992 Basscat Caracal…Whats Should it do
4Bassin.
OK i Bought a 92 Caracal 17 Ft Boat back before Christmas Merc XR6 150. Been getting it cleaned up, wiring fixed, graphs mounted etc. I ve had it out a few times but since i didnt know much background on it ive taken it easy by keeping it below 5000 prm. Had #3 Cylinder @ 95 lbs and all others were 120 lbs. Ive been spraying deep creek (like wd40) in the #3 cylinder to see if it would free up and maybe gain some compression back, ive ran a full tank now out with double seafoam and stabil (green) to try and get it cleaned out. It came with a 25 pitch prop but wouldnt come out of the hole. I borrow a 23 pitch Laser 2 today and will try it tomorrow. What rpm range is safe for this motor. Im moving up from a 17 ft Alumacraft with a Yama 50 hp on it. So im new to bigger motors. What speed at what rpm should i expect out of it. Im tryign to figure out what prop etc to use
this was basscats answer to a crotch rocket. my first basscat was a caracal and it would run close to 70 but dont go there yet you need some seat time to learn that boat. It can chinewalk bad on you just the nature of the beast. but what a fun boat to drive once you learn it…rpms full out should be around 5700 to 5800 but with a bad compression in one I would watch it close..IF ITS NOT A CAT ITS A DOG BASSCAT BOATS 2001 COUGAR 225 YAMAHA….www.dropshotdennys.com
I would think 5500-5600rpms for this engine of an older age…….IF all the cylinders are working properly. Probably should try the Laser and report back what you got as far as rpms, water pressure, and engine height. The # 3 cylinder is the question and how comfortable you are to run wide open throttle to get results. Good luck96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
Honestly i was mainly curious because at 5000 RPM it was about 50 mph, does a few more hundred rpm(5500-5800) make that big of diffrence
That is such a fast boat. And i think that it might. It does chinewalk if you arent careful. But once you learn to drive this bad boy, and get it trimmed and all that stuff just right… UNLEASH the BEAST. I do it all the time… ITs fun. Shhh.. dont tell the authorites…. lol. But you can get some pretty serious speed out of this boat. JUST WAIT AND LEAARN TO DRIVE IT FIRST. there is my two cents. (=Dan Yonan. ———————————————————
Normal pressure for an XR6 is around 125 PSI per cylinder. All should be within 10% of each other. You _might_ find one here and there that is 145+ because it was re-sleeved with a 200hp sleeve (no exhaust port notch in top of port to relieve compression). But when you see > 10% as in your case, it would probably be worth checking to make sure there is not an issue that is waiting to become a much larger issue. I have one that is a 92 that is still “right there” in terms of compression (I have rebuilt it once after going too high on the compression with after-market heads). My first thought would be to pull the starboard head and look at #3 to make sure that the cylinder wall looks normal. If so, Id be tempted to not worry about it for a while. It is doubtful that you will free up a stuck ring with chemicals if it doesnt break loose very quickly. But running at WOT might have a chance of loosening a stuck ring, but you want to make sure that is all that is wrong. Scuffing on the cylinder wall, particularly right around the exhaust port can be problematic. Its much easier and cheaper to fix that now if that is the problem, but it does involve removing the power head and disassembling completely. A stuck ring will cost a little in terms of power. A broken ring could be more problematic as it can actually catch on an intake/exhaust port opening depending on where it breaks, and that can start a “self-destruct” process that can affect other cylinders on that bank when that one starts to eject raw metal into the exhaust… The factory RPM spec was 5600 I think. It is nearly impossible to spin it faster than 5800 with a useful prop, the exhaust tuner goes from the exhaust plate all the way down to just above the lower unit. Gives it some low-end torque, but limits upper-end RPM significantly. Those were _really_ strong motors however. They were during the 150 HP wars when B.A.S.S. had the 150 HP limit on motors in their tournaments.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
OK I may be somewhat repeating but bare with me. Tempest Plus 25 pitch NO HOLE SHOT at all 51 mgh @ 5000 rpm, Not full throttle, prolly 55-56 @ 5600 Laser2 25 Pitch 47@ 5000 rpm, still not much hole shot Laser2 23 pitch, AWESOME HOLE SHOT 47-48 @ 5600 RPM pretty much WOT, i think i coulda bumped a tad more rpm but why push it Winds were heck today30-40 mph, not really smooth water. IS this all its gonna do? I tried trimming up and didnt seem to improve speed. i thougth i was trimmed pretty high. Boat looks to be setup within an inch as far as most setups say to do. Its got a big jack plate on it. Pic sin my profile I did have 2 people n boat today and gear, that could play some on it i guess What type of adjustments could be made to gain a little more speed Oldtimer, the head gasket i guess is what you call it has a little white residue liek the head coudl have leaked at one time. Can I pull the heads or whatever they are called and replace those gaskets. While im in there check the walls out. is this a do it yourselfer. Im fairly mechanic incline to do this i think
OT57 is on track, in that you should look into the block for larger issues. We would see if someone has a scope that will slip into the plug hole and allow a look see into the engine ports and block. Otherwise this one is worth a break down and rebuild. Till then you are wasting your time. BCB
Im sure Tommy @ Rockwall could get you going ! Give them a shout, or call Judd, hell get you headed in the right direction. Good luck, D. Rockwall Marine Mercury/Yamaha/Bomb Tommy Yetts 2315 Hwy 276 • Rockwall, TX 75032 • 972-771-4442Last edited by dbasketman on February 2nd, 2009, 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
My very first Basscat was a 93 Caracal with a XR4 on it. With gear, passenger, and full of fuel I could do 65 mph on the gps. I ran a 23 tempest on the motor. Any more pitch and the boat would struggle to get on plane. My motor ran out at 5800 rpm. It sure was fun to drive FWIW I wouldnt rule out reed valves stuck open on the weak cylinder. In 95 my motor wouldnt idle properly. I replaced the reeds with a set of Boyseen and it ran like a new one again. If you are mechanically inclined at all you can do the job yourself. If you do it might be the time to pull the head on the bad cylinder and remove that piston and get a good look at the rings. A digital camera and a good manual is your friend if you decide to do the job yourself. Take good pictures of the oil line routing and draw diagrams if possible. Ive done it before, its not that difficult.
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