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Jstew.
I just had a 8 inch slide master installed on my boat and I have a few questions to ask.Im running a 2010 Mercury Optimax 150 with a 23 pitch tempest.What is recommended WOT psi and where are most running in accordance to the pad (above or below)? I took it out the other day and with full tourney load,1/4 tank gas,and 2 people I was topping out at 61 MPH.That was with the motor sitting level with the pad and running 16-17 PSI and turning 5600-5700 RPM.I have since moved the plate up but I wanted to see what suggested PSI was before I do anything else.Also I noticed when moving the jack-plate up that one side comes up higher then the other is that normal?
long as u dont drop it below 10 PSI u should be good
It is possible, though there is not enough difference to matter.
I dont know where you live Andy but if you get rough water and you go high enough to get into that 10-12 PSI range at WOT on calm water dont be surprised if you are not able to trim her down enough to keep a bite in rough water with a three blade prop. Id make some marks on the JP before I touched it unless its dead level and then only move it no more than 1/8″ at a time marking each move and keeping good notes on the results at each mark so you can go back to the best setting. Flyswatter (Tom) and I both played this game with our Sabres and both of our JPs had marks all up and down them from chasing that extra .5 MPH. I ended up back within 1/8″ where it came from my dealer after several props and months of testing. 5850 is the limiter on the standard 150 Opti if im not mistaken and I bump mine on the ProXs around 6,000. Im not sure where the 150 Pro XS is? I have mine set up to run 5850 tops by myself with livewells empty this time of year. Last edited by JohnM17 on January 31st, 2011, 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Guys I think I must have some work to do on mine. I have the 175 Pro XS with a 25P and barely break 62 mph at WOT and 5700 RPMs. That is with my big 300 lb butt, full gear, and 1/2 tank of gas, batteries, etc. I do have my JP set 1/4 above flush. I am thinking about going to a 23P to see if I get at least 65 or 66. Any ideas?????
Bamacat it definitely sounds like you have something wrong.I have seen where some guys with your motor run close to 70 MPH.I would think the 25 pitch prop would be ok on your boat.I am 270 lb. And my buddy is 230 so it wasnt a light load by any means.Maybe someone can help you on setting it up.
I have an 08 Sabre w/ 150efi and 6″ slidemaster and have done a bunch of moving around on the plate chasing speed. I run a 23 tempest plus in the heat of the summer and a 24 the rest of the year. My best has been 67 gps two weeks ago w/ 1/2 tank of gas and empty wells, and was just tickling the rev limiter. What Ive found that was slowing me down is I was running the plate too deep and overtrimming. I thought because my wp was dropping and I was getting heavy prop torque that I couldnt go higher on the plate. The front of the inside sliders was level with the outside of the plate. I moved the plate up a little over 1/4″ and found the hull only needed half of the trim Id been using to run clean and my wp was staying around 15psi. w/ little if any prop torque. The hull has a lot of natural bow lift ( if you dont weight it down ) and really doesnt like a lot of trim to run clean. Too much trim actually pushes down the stern and slows the boat. Im about to raise mine another 1/8″ to see if that cures the last of the chine walk which is now not bad at all and easily controllable. The second issue was one that Ivan counseled me on – and thats weight in front of the consoles. I was using that big storage box for a ton of tackle trays and 30 lbs. of soft plastics. He told me to move all of my weight to the rear boxes and carry only light items in the front. Now I use the front box as a “day box”. I have a couple of tackle trays and a few bags of soft plastics Ill be reaching for in the front as well as rain suit, extra life jacket, and net. I carry no more than about 7 total lbs. in the front box. That issue by itself was worth 2-3mph. The Sabres are extremely weight sensitive and you should carry as much as you can back across the pad. I have all my trays now behind the partners seat and leave the box behind mine for a partners gear. I do pay attention to whats in the boat now and figure what I use in the winter wont be used in the summer so I leave at home what I know I wont have any need for. BamaCat – you probably have the same setup as JohnM, and with a 23 youll wrap all over the rev limiter. Your boat should be running a 24 Fury. He has the Sabre FTD and probably carries a BPS in the boat at all times. Hell probably weigh back in shortly with his setup info since hes running the 175 pro xs.Last edited by jstew on January 31st, 2011, 4:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
BamaCat wrote: Guys I think I must have some work to do on mine. I have the 175 Pro XS with a 25P and barely break 62 mph at WOT and 5700 RPMs. That is with my big 300 lb butt, full gear, and 1/2 tank of gas, batteries, etc. I do have my JP set 1/4 above flush. I am thinking about going to a 23P to see if I get at least 65 or 66. Any ideas?????Are you sure nobody has ever worked that prop? Ive seen prop shops make a prop look good and KILL the performance. I highly doubt anyone carries much more junk up front than I do with the FTD layout. Ive ran a 25 Tempist, 25 Fury and settled on a 24 Fury. I weigh around 275 these days and can cruise at 57 MPH spinning 5200 all day long. 62 MPH is just a blip of the throttle away. Ive ran 68 with two on board more than once with the livewells empty but a FULL out of town load for two people. Ive never broke 70 because Ive never ran my “light”. If you are sure you have a good prop Id have a dealer check to make sure you are getting WOT. This should have been done at the ten hour service when they hooked it up to the computer. Mine was a little out again from cable stretch at the 100 hour service. Your mechanic can adjut this with a simple cable adjustment while they have it hooked up. You may be dropping a cyl but running 5700 RPMs it sounds more like you are to high (1/4″ above flush shouldnt be if you are mounted in the second hole) on the JP or a prop that has been altered. Are you running butt seats or the big sit down parachute seats? The big seats really drag speed, two butt seats cost me a MPH or so and I know it. Id rather have something to prop up on than the MPH. As mentioned weight up front on these 18 footers is your enemy. I recently took everything out of my two center lockers for spring cleaning Something is not adding up on a Sabre with the 175 ProXs only running that speed with a 25? What 25 are you running, is the tach set to the correct pole setting, over trimming? Several things this could be.
JohnM17 wrote: BamaCat wrote: Guys I think I must have some work to do on mine. I have the 175 Pro XS with a 25P and barely break 62 mph at WOT and 5700 RPMs. That is with my big 300 lb butt, full gear, and 1/2 tank of gas, batteries, etc. I do have my JP set 1/4 above flush. I am thinking about going to a 23P to see if I get at least 65 or 66. Any ideas?????Are you sure nobody has ever worked that prop? Ive seen prop shops make a prop look good and KILL the performance. I highly doubt anyone carries much more junk up front than I do with the FTD layout. Ive ran a 25 Tempist, 25 Fury and settled on a 24 Fury. I weigh around 275 these days and can cruise at 57 MPH spinning 5200 all day long. 62 MPH is just a blip of the throttle away. Ive ran 68 with two on board more than once with the livewells empty but a FULL out of town load for two people. Ive never broke 70 because Ive never ran my “light”. If you are sure you have a good prop Id have a dealer check to make sure you are getting WOT. This should have been done at the ten hour service when they hooked it up to the computer. Mine was a little out again from cable stretch at the 100 hour service. Your mechanic can adjut this with a simple cable adjustment while they have it hooked up. You may be dropping a cyl but running 5700 RPMs it sounds more like you are to high (1/4″ above flush shouldnt be if you are mounted in the second hole) on the JP or a prop that has been altered. Are you running butt seats or the big sit down parachute seats? The big seats really drag speed, two butt seats cost me a MPH or so and I know it. Id rather have something to prop up on than the MPH. As mentioned weight up front on these 18 footers is your enemy. I recently took everything out of my two center lockers for spring cleaning Something is not adding up on a Sabre with the 175 ProXs only running that speed with a 25? What 25 are you running, is the tach set to the correct pole setting, over trimming? Several things this could be. Well guys I am reading all of this great information and am thinking that I am guilty of all the advice being provided. However, it souds as if I am going to have get another boat to carry my gear in front where I fish. My god, the two useable rear boxes will not hold my tackle. also, where do you put your rods if you are in essence using the front boxes for just day use. I have tackle systems hanging in the side box in front of drivers console with plano boxes in the two middle boxes. The two rear boxes carry PFDs and other assorted maps, etc. I guess I will just have to be happy with what I have and enjoy being able to access all my tackle without have to climb all over my boat. I tournament fish and most are draw events so I often have a partner on the rear deck so if I use the rear compartments then they will have to hand theirs around their neck. At any rate, it is a problem so I may have to think about if I want to run 70 or enjoy what I have. Thanks for the great information guys. You are all a great help.
Bama – Maybe Im a little nutz about doing this, but I do carry a ton of stuff in my rig. Its just positioned differently. In the passenger rod box, I carry 9 baitcasters in the organizer. In the drivers rod box I carry a couple of spinning reels, save phace, and a few light items. In the center storage, I have the plano trays Ill probably be using that day w/ a bag of jigs and a dozen bags of soft plastics, rain suit, extra life jacket, and net. Add it all together and it doesnt add up to more than 15-20 lbs. total.The storage box behind the passenger will easily hold a dozen large tackle trays – and Ill really never need more than that at any given time. I have another 20lbs. of soft plastics in a shimano jumbo bag that rides in the floor between the seats. Theyre still there for easy access – just moved back 5 in the hull – it does make a difference. Some plastics work best for me in the summer and some the winter. Probably have another 20lbs. in a bag in the garage. Come March – Ill be throwing caffein shads & flukes – but not now.After talking to Ivan, I realized that I use a lot different baits in the winter as the summer and transition through them as the year goes on. This time of the year, Im really not using ribbets & frogs. Havent thrown a topwater in two months. Things like that should stay on a shelf in the garage. Come summer – I doubt Ill be throwing jerkbaits so that tray wont be in the boat. Just because I have the stuff doesnt mean I have to carry it 12 months of the year. What he shared with me is that 10lbs. on the bow will cost you a mile per hour. To lose a mph with weight on the pad will take 100lbs. I have everything in the boat I even think Ill need for a day on the water for the season Im in. The rest is organized on shelves in the garage. I re-arranged my tackle, and stored the things I wasnt using and found an instant 3mph without losing any functionality. Carry the pfds and the maps in front of the consoles and all of your “weight” behind the seats. Youll find instant speed you never thought the boat would do.
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