Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya again,
From the looks of it, I bet there is more to gain in just the set-up of the boat and motor combination alone... And potentiall no money spent at all whatsoever...
Looking at the original pictures of the motor, it seems to be mounted awfully low on the transom for that kind of HP and transom configuration. I cannot tell from the pictures, but does the hull end about 6 inches or so in front of the transom? Either way, with that HP, I would bet that motor can be moved up at least one more hole without any significant loss in handling. That'll give you a little more speed on the top end without sacrificing much if anything at all on the low end.
Another trick (inexpensive too) would be to add a 6 inch set-back or manual jack plate if the boat can handle it. That would get the prop running in cleaner water, and allow you to raise it even higher. What this would also do is make trimming the motor up less of a factor since the bow would be able to rise easier. The boat would also be out of the water more overall... That equals speed...
Just a thought (can you tell I like to "tinker" with stuff like that?)
Steve |
