Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi Everyone,
Looking at the combination and assuming the 1700 has not changed from 2006 to now much, the boat itself weighs 1100 pounds, with a motor of 79.1 cubic inches for displacement with a 2:1 gear ratio.
My bet is your prop is pretty darn close to where it needs to be but as Steve stated, it might be a little high. The motor itself has an operating range of 4500 to 5500, and to get the best overall performance, you would be better served to make sure the motor is running at (or close to) 5500 when it is just you and your gear. That way, when you get that partner to fish with and his/her gear, you will still be in the operating range of the motor without having to make a prop change.
If you decide to go steel, you might find that a straight switch to steel but staying with the same pitch and diameter might serve you well. Other options that would be out there would be to consider are more aggressive props in a 16 pitch....something similar to a michigan Rapture in 17 pitch, possibly an omc raker (this I think would be a stretch since it is a larger diamter and 18 pitch...might be too much loss in RPM), even a michigan ballistic might do well, but as stated, multiple props must be tried in order to find the best prop for your rig. Many times, a more aggressive prop is desired, which will lower your rpms a bit, but you can gain some of that back with a motor height change. In most cases, motors are mounted too low, which increases drag, but allows for good handling...and is what most dealers will do when they set up a boat.
The RPM numbers are really the most important. If you can get those, it really will lay out where your boat is at now, and what could potentially be done with it. I would say by the time everything is done, you should be seeing a few more MPH, but I would not expect anything more than 40 mph at best.
Steve |
