Skeeter 1880 Set up

[menomax]

I run a Skeeter 1880, Single console, 150 yamaha 4 stroke (I should have gotten the 200). 5 1/2" set back with jack plate- running about at 5" below pad. SS 19 pitch Solas Titan 2 prop. I'm turning around 5800 RPM's giving plenty of trim, top speed is 51.7 GPS. I think I can squeeze a few more MPH. Thought about dropping to an 18 pitch to get my RPM's up??? I did run a 21 p and a 22p but the RPM's fall way to low. Looking for some suggestions--

[marine_man]

Dropping to an 18 pitch is going to slow you down - not speed you up. It'll get your rpm's up to 6k or thereabouts, but will not help your speed any.

You may want to investigate a prop with a bit more cupping to get a few more mph out of it, but you're getting to the point of diminishing returns - spend a bunch of money to get 1mph, etc.

marine_man

[PerchJerker]

I agree with what marine_man said - if you drop pitch you'll gain rpms but not enough to stop you from losing speed - and you can play around with props all you want but how much do you want to pay for 1 or 2 or 3 mph.

I'm not familiiar with the solas titan 2 prop - how many blades? I have a buddy that has the F150 on an 1850 Reata and he runs the Yamaha Pro Stainless (I think that's what it's called), and he runs a 21 pitch. We've tested some props on his boat the the 21 Pro was the best.

You say you're running 5" below the pad? This sounds too low to me although I can't say for sure without seeing it. Raising your motor will give you more rpms and more speed, and if you can gain rpms you can go back to your 21 pitch prop and get even more speed. That's the way I would go, the key is making sure you have enough water pressure when running if you raise your motor.

Good luck getting it sorted out.

[menomax]

The Titan is a cupped 3 blade prop- Funny thing is if you look at the performance bulletins from Skeeter they run the the stock M-19 props (steel) at 6000 RPMs with a top speed at 49.9. I figured I could squeeze at least 4 to 5 MPH with messing around with motor heights, setback and SS props. I will play with the motor height a little more, but I have to watch the H2O pressure and cornering it may slip. The fact that I have some RPMs to play with (200 to 300) makes me think of trying a smaller pitch prop. When I ran the 21 and 23 I didn't have the RPMs- it was sluggish out of the hole, top speed was around 45 to 46. I'm not unhappy about the performance, because getting there is half the fun! Thanks for the help.

[hydro]

I agree on the propshaft height being too low. Do you get torque steer in midrange? Do you have a water pressure gauge?

I set up my current boat with the propshaft about 3 1/2" below the pad and that seems to perform best with respect to handling, water pressure, and hole shot. My boat is similar to yours, just a bit bigger. It is a 20' Viper F/S with a 200 Mercury, running a 23" Tempest prop. When I got it the propshaft was about 5" below the pad and it torque steered, was sluggish on the hole shot, and had a top speed in the upper 50's. I jacked up the motor until I had ventilation issues and lost the torque steer, got better hole shot, and raised the top speed to 65 mph (on speedo). One note of caution, I had to epoxy the top two holes on the water pickup to keep pressure at speed. I think that if your prop can take it, raising the motor on the jack plate will help a lot!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Smolly hokes! Either way you look at it, that's flying across the lake...

[LMITOUT]

I have a buddy with a new 1880 that has a 200 HPDI and he said it goes 55mph GPS, so I'm not sure if you'll be getting a lot more out of that 150. Those Skeeters have a fairly fast hull underneath them.

[hydro]

Ps. The boat in my avatar was a Stoker 204SST mod-V tunnel boat with a 200 Evinrude. That one did 83 mph with a Mazco RE3-29" prop, 2" below the pad. That was an animal to hold on to with that prop paddlewheeling out back!