Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
If memory serves me correctly, the mercury line of motors run either a 2:1 gear ratio or in some cases a 1.85:1 ratio, which I would guess you are over-pitched in your prop, and depending on how the motor sounds, it could be anywhere from 2" too much to possibly 4" too much in pitch.
How does the boat run when you are by yourself? If you punch it, does it take a bit to get up to speed or does it have the ability to essentially throw you back in your seat? When up on plane, how much can you trim the bow? When trimmed in, can you make a fairly sharp turn without ventilating the prop? do you have a tach on your boat and if so, what are the max RPM's that you can reach when you are by yourself with your normal gear?
Also, if two people are in the back seats, some redistribution of bodies would be in order as too much weight in the rear makes it harder for the motor to get the rear of the boat up and out of the hole.
The foil might cost some $30 - $50, which would help a little, but you will lose speed and your hole shot minimally better. With a prop change to a 17 or even a 15 pitch depending on the situation, you will get better hole shot, you will be able to keep the boat on plane with heavier weights, you'll be able to trim up and down with ease, and you are only out another $20 or $30. And...if you do a bit of searching on ebay, you can find boatloads of deals on props for your engine to try different pitches. If one doesn't work, you can easily sell it back off for the same price.
Steve |
