F 75 Trolling Speed.

[Johnsonator]

I just bought a new Fishhawk 1750 tiller with a Yamaha 75 fourstroke. My question is will it troll down slow enough to backtroll effectivly? I know that fourstrokes don't troll down as well as two strokes but I think the posatives of the fourstroke out wieght the negatives. The rig has a transom electric motor but I would much rather use the main motor. Also does anyone have a 1750 fishawk with comparable horsepower, I am wondering how fast I can expect it to go. Can't wait to get it on the water. Any input appreciated. Thanks Johnsonator

[Guest]

On calm days I use the electric to backtroll. My 75 four stroke tiller is too fast.

If you don't have splash guards, I'd look into getting some.

[Johnsonator]

The boat does have wave wackers on it, that was the first thing I wanted. I don't know about the trolling problem staying on line. I guess I will find out. Hope I will like it. Do you guys recommend a drift sock to slow down the motor or what? Thanks

[Guest]

Johnsonator,

The drift-sock is great if you're trying to live-bait rig and fish rather verticle, e.g. Lindy/Roach Rig.

You'll need to experiment with trimming your 75 up to slow your speed for backtrolling (I hope we're on the same page here with backtrolling). What I mean is that you can slow the boat down by trimming the motor up so that it pushes less water, thus slowing the boat down.

I use my 90hp Merc (two-stroke) for windy backtrolling conditions (2-4ft. rollers), otherwise I have a 75lb. Minnkota Riptide with the powerhead reversed for all other backtrolling purposes (I have a ProV 1800).

Do you have a rear trolling motor too?

------------------
Chells

[Guest]

I'm wondering if a drift sock would not only slow you down, but control the front end from sliding around.

If your live well is up front, fill it up and put a little extra wieght up front.

It's a great boat, you'll love it.

[chief]

Johnsonator,

I bought the EXACT same rig May of last year. With the factory prop, in a properly trimmed boat, with one person, and half a tank of gas, I easily/consistently hit 37/38 mph at 3800rpm's. With a stainless steel prop (highly recommended), and the same parameters as above, I consistently hit 41/42 mph at 3400rpm's. (I did experiment with a stainless prop with less pitch, and I did hit 44mph, but I didn't like the overall handling.) With the stainless you get slightly more speed at far less exertion. And your hole shot, trim-out, and cornering are exponentially improved.
After 30 or 40 hours of use I troll all the way down to approx 2mph-according to my Lowrance X97. My minimum trolling speed dropped all summer, but I don't expect it to go much lower. Whether I trolled or backtrolled, I went slow/fast enough to consistently catch fish (walleyes included) in water as cold as 41 degrees. Congrats on a great multipurpose purchase.

[Guest]

When backtrolling with my big motor, sometimes my bow doesn't want to move when I want to turn sharp.

On windy days i think all boats have this problem. What I do is turn on the electric transom motor and gun it in the opposite direction and you can turn around on a dime.

Hey Chief,

I was told that a four stroke 75 hp motor should run wide open at between 5500 and 6000 rpms. Is this wrong?

Since you went to a stainless prop, did it effect your trolling speed? I was considering a stainless for my rig, but was afraid it would speed up my trolling.

What pitch is it? I run an aluminum 15 pitch now.

[This message has been edited by skindog (edited 01-14-2004).]

[This message has been edited by skindog (edited 01-14-2004).]

[chief]

Johnsonator,

P.S. Your rig's low-cut stance makes for a fabulous casting platform, but it is a bit close to the water. Splash guards are a must. I'm delighted with my WhiteCaps, but Wave Wackers are good, too, and I see they've made the newest mounting hardware less ergonomically annoying.

Personally I don't notice trolling/tracking deficiencies in my boat, as compared to my old Alumacraft and Fisher. Opinions always vary.

[Johnsonator]

It has a minn kota electric motor on the rear with the motor reversed also. I like electric motors but they just don't cut it on the rough days.

[fivebucks]

Hey Chief,
Why does a stainless prop. go faster. I have a lund 1800 w/75 mariner and can hit only about 30 mph. How much difference do you think a stainless prop. would make?
Thanks.

[Johnsonator]

Chief, Thanks for the info. I am sure I will love the boat. I am going to look into a stainless prop as soon as the open water hits. I really liked the boat for its multispecies fishing design. I liked the high platform and the low design. thanks

[chief]

Skindog,

It is 6000rpm max for the Yamaha 75 4stroke! My mistake. I was running at 58/5900 rpm's and 37/38mph with the factory aluminum prop, and was at 41/42 mph and 55/5600 rpm's with the stainless steel prop. I 'spose my SS prop could make me troll faster than usual, but I've got other things to obsess about.

My motor came with a 13x19 pitch, my stainless is a 13x17 pitch. I was very well advised by the folks at Formula Propeller to go to a smaller pitch. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the pitch (i.e. the more the blades bend toward the prop hub)the greater the water "grab". This gives you quicker starts, and better cornering. The greater the pitch (i.e. the more the blades bend away from the hub)the greater the top end speed.

Stainless props offer performance improvement for one simple reason: they do not deform at high rpm's. Standard aluminum props deform at high rpm's due to centrifugal
force and water resistance. As they deform, they "grab" less water, and as a result they move less water. Stainless steel, being much harder than aluminum, doesn't deform, and, therefore, moves more water. BUT, BE CAREFUL,a prop with a too small pitch can over rev and blow your engine. Also, SS props are not forgiving when they hit objects. They transfer all that energy and stress to your shaft and lower unit--resulting in expensive repairs.

[bigeyes]

If it is anything like my brother-in-laws 1750 fishhawk you can't troll in it at all. I believe his is a 2000, they didn't have much of a center keel and the boat would not turn on a trolling pass and a slight perpendicular breeze would slide the boat across the water like it was sitting on ice. Hope they got that resolved. Other than the fact it can't troll, I like the boat, layout, etc.

[PerchJerker]

I agree with everything Chief said in his post right above this one, except maybe for the part about aluminum props deforming at high RPMs. Stainless is stronger than aluminum so stainless props can be made more radical in the size, shapes, bends, and pitches in the blades. Aluminum is just too soft and too weak to hold together in the same sizes, shapes, bends, etc. as stainless steel. The advantage to aluminum is it's cheaper, and when you hit rocks only the prop will break, but you can't get as good of performance. The advantage to stainless steel is you can get more radical props that improve performance, but it's more expensive, and if you run a stainless prop into the rocks you'll probably be replacing the gears in your lower unit (they'll break before the prop will). I run a 23 pitch Hi-Five stainless prop on my boat and it's amazing what it does for the handling.

[Johnsonator]

Hey Chief, what kind of ss/prop do you have on your F75. I am looking at getting one.

[chief]

Johnsonator,

My SS prop is a "Turbo". Bought it at Formula Propeller in Brooklyn Park, Mn. I paid $325.00.