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oldtimer57.
I recently pucrchased my first bass boat. It is a 99 cougar with a 200 EFI. I am not sure what the problem is but when I put the hammer down it takes about 5 seconds to rev up and start coming out of the whole. It feels real sluggish until I get on plane. I dont know if the throttle linkage is loose or what, but it doesnt seem to respond like it should. I am able to run 63 GPS with me (230 lbs) with a half a tank of gas which I think is a little low but havent started tackling that problem yet. I have a 24 and a 25 p trophy plus props but recently stuck a 24 p tempest on it. Able to pull 5800-6000 with all three props just havent decided which one is gonna be the best overall. Had the tps synced and linked and seem to fix the propblem for a weekend. A week later, it seemed to be acting up again. Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks!Last edited by panhandler on August 26th, 2009, 4:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
What 200 EFI? 2.5 liter or 3.0 liter is the first question. The 2.5 lacks torque while the 3.0 is better. You are on the bottom edge of the power curve for that boat anyway (BCB web page says 200-300hp). The way to improve hole shot is to spin the prop up to get into the motors torque band quickly. The tempest+ props use PVS plugs to let exhaust gas get to the prop blades so it will spin up. Whether your issue is lack of power, poor prop setup, or a motor problem will be very difficult to diagnose without a trip to your local shop.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
Yes, the rig needs some help. Though relieving the PVS plugs should help it some. And you could also try the newer fury propellers in 1″ smaller than you presently prefer in whatever propeller you like best on top end. These are pretty good setups overall with a 200 EFI on them. BCB Admin.
I like the “Tim the tool-man Taylor (home improvement TV show)” approach to boats. — more power. My grand-dad used to quote someone like Jack Parker or whomever, and say “There aint many problems a man cant fix, with 700 dollars and a 30-06.” I tend to think “there aint many boat problems that cant be fixed with a decent prop and a big V6.” 2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
It is a 2.5. I dont think it is a lack of torque issue. The motor is wrapping out, just after the hammer is down for 5-10 seconds. What is confusing is after I had the TPS adjusted, it shot out of the hole and ran very good with the 24p tempest. The next day, it was back to lagging out of the whole with same water temp and altitude. Right now I am running two large plugs and two open on both of the trophies and 1 open with 2 large on the tempest. I dont want to just throw money at the problem. My mercury dealership said that it could be the throttle body but wasnt sure. I dont want to drop 2000 just to check and see if that is the problem.
Oldtimer57 I did not know you were a poet. But indeed you are.
OK, some info needed. Once you get it up on plane, will the motor turn the prop up to the 5500+ range? If so, you dont have a throttle body problem. When you are sitting still, and go to WOT, what happens? Does the prop spin up (slipping / cavitating) and let the motor hit 5000 rpm+ and then slowly accelerate? If so you either have the motor too high, or too many PVS plugs removed. You want just enough PVS opening so that the motor can break the prop loose from a standing start. The 2.5 is weak on the bottom end of the rpm range, the PVS system lets you limit that by getting out of the low RPM end quickly. But if the prop spins up too fast, with the motor too high, it wont bite at all and it can take forever to get the hull out of the water, so that the boat can accelerate and the prop can stop slipping. So the first issue is what is happening when you gun it from a dead stop? Also note that the water temp is not an issue, rather the air temp and humidity is much more important as when the temp and/or humidity rise, power drops proportionally.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
pull a plug on one of those props and then see what it does! rather than spend a whole lot of money on replacing things it may not need..you can always throw a plug back in the prop for short money…not sure about the cougar but i know my boat and many others run very well with a trophy..best of luckMike Richard CFBC FOUNDER
Thanks a bunch for all of the help. First of all, running wide open I can spin any 3 of the props past 5500. The trophies are giving me the best of luck with the 24p spinning up to 5800 running WOT. When I gun it from a stand still the prop is not cavitating at all. If anything, I probably need to pull another plug. It just takes the motor a while to start pulling 3500 + rpms. It takes about 10 seconds to get spinning in the 4000 range. It almost feels like it is bogging down until it gets in the higher range of rpms. Again, this might be how this boat performs. Just trying to figure it out as it is my first boat. Also, should I be able to run over 64 mph. I know that the boat has the minimum HP on it. The guy that I bought it from said he was able to get 67 with him and his tackle and a quarter of a tank. I just think that might be stretched a little. Not to mention he did not have a GPS unit on the boat when he had it. I put a humminbird 997 on it!
Sounds like you have figured the problem out. If RPMs come up slowly, you need to pop another plug out. There is a sweet spot that will vary by boat, motor and load, where the prop will spin up, slip, then start to grab and provide thrust. Two-strokes are just “torque-challenged” at low RPMs. You can go too far in the other direction and let the motor wrap up but the prop wont grab very well and it will again take forever to get up on plane.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
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