I had a 2001 and a 2002 Cougar that I could not drive at speed. Like you I tried different setups and props before I finally figured it out. My solution was a 4 blade Trophy prop and fill the live wells about 1/2 to completely full. As stated above, not too much trim. Easy to drive with water in the live wells. Good luck.
Still looking. BCB, Steven did not know anything about used jackplates. So still looking.Last edited by Rick Collis on May 20th, 2015, 2:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.