Calling Mr Walker

[Flatline]

Not to derail another thread... I seen where you stated you had and outboard business ?




I will admit I miss going to the shop everyday and keep my outboard business going. But I have decided I am going to retire for the third time ... LOL !!

TK




I still feel like the new kid on the block, even at 59 yrs of age... I wonder if I can ask you a outboard question since my current boat/motor is my first..?

If you remember last winter I purchased a 2019 Tracker ProTeam 175 TXW with a 4 stroke 75 hp merc. Top speed 39-40 mph per gps @ 5200 rpms trimmed at peak. It still has the factory 3 blade Aluminum prop.


I never go wide open from a dead stop.. I like my transom too much, besides I think it planes out quicker with a little forward momentum without the nose of the boat going straight in the air.

Any how I'm aware of the benefit of the alum prop vs SS when it comes to hitting objects and saving the lower end... I'm also aware the larger the prop the lower the rpms at top end... that has me a little confused as one would think a motor will turn as fast as the limiter would allow

I also understand a alum prop will flex more resulting in a slower launch. But will a 4 bladed prop really make that much of a difference ?


I've heard guys talk about getting SS 4 bladed launching the boat quicker and boats handling steadier over all... My only complaint about mine is when I make a turn I have to trim down otherwise I blow out.. is that the proper term ?


Will a 4 blade prop help with this ?

Would a 4 blade alum prop be a good compromise ?


Any opinion about my current setup would be appreciated and is there room for improvement or would I be just wasting my money upgrading from a 3 to a 4 blade prop ?

[tkwalker]

Flatline I have a few questions ... Let me reread your post and think about it .. But right off I can tell you that you do not need a four blade prop... TK;)

[skillet]

You should trim down while turning anyways. Even at 40 mph, if you have it trimmed up all the way, you have less boat in the water. When trimmed down you actually get the keel in the water and helps turn the boat and keeps it from hopping. I have actually experienced a bass boat at 45mph spin out in a turn. Scariest thing ever. There’s a YouTube video of John Crews explaining this. I’ll see if I can find it for you and link it.


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[skillet]

https://youtu.be/4X9M06PhHcg


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[tkwalker]

Flatline ... After 60 years of owning all types boats with an a sundry of power trains this is my observation.

1. " I never go wide open from a dead stop.. I like my transom too much, besides I think it planes out quicker with a little forward momentum without the nose of the boat going straight in the air."

Flatline think of it this way. you have a boat setting still that is displacing water not on top of the water. so you need to get it out of the water with least wear and tear on your rig. This is done by tucking your motor in tight to the transom and put the hammer down all the way momentarily . This will bring the boat up quickly and fall over flat quicker on top of the water... Your transom is designed to take this much thrust if the HP rating doesn't supersede to much of the rating of the MFR. rating. Another way to look at it if you were an airplane pilot you wouldn't try to take off with a 2/3 throttle. You would want as much air under your wings as possible.

Any how I'm aware of the benefit of the alum prop vs SS when it comes to hitting objects and saving the lower end... I'm also aware the larger the prop the lower the rpms at top end... that has me a little confused as one would think a motor will turn as fast as the limiter would allow

I also understand a alum prop will flex more resulting in a slower launch. But will a 4 bladed prop really make that much of a difference ?

2. I have owned similar boats as your in the past. In fact one was a Johnson 75 HP Stinger ... I experimented with different props, pitches, cupping etc to see what differences they made. The bottom line was and is, stick with the pitch prop that came with your motor. Lets face it it is not a high performance hull.

3. You are correct that the aluminum props flex, but not only at launch but at wide open speeds .. This changes the pitch to some degree. My recommendation here is to purchase a S/S prop as close to the OEM Specs as the aluminium prop. As far as 4 blade props. not necessary for your fishing rig. They are more designed for High performance boats .. and in my experience the torque ratio has a tendency to lift the starboard side if not set up correctly.

4. Skillet is dead on with trim control. For turns with full trim you may get into trouble in turns for simply not having enough hull in the water and spin outs can be very scary. I controlled my guide boat (225 HP) some times by simply using the trim of the motor and boat trim tabs depending on the load. Think of your trim as brakes ... Your trimmed up and going into a turn, just tap the trim down, this lowers the nose therefore putting more hull in the water as well as slowing the boat.I have attended a number of Sanctioned Hydro races where once the throttle goes down it is never let up.. everything is controlled via the trim when going around pylons at 180 MPH..

Once you are trimmed out your best fuel economy is at about 4200 to 4500 RPM and tucking your trim in to compensate to prevent porpoising is proportional to you speed and water conditions ... Hope this help .. TK:)

[Flatline]

I realize I didn't mention it, but I do trim all the way down when I take off. But the boat will still stand up when I take off. I found it doesn't stand up as much if lets say I'm idling or already in motion before punching it. In any case thanks.

TK, thank you for a well thought out response. I realize I probably the last person to say, but Trackers Revolution hull handles pretty good even when I'm playing around. So yes I do trim down a little when turning. To be truthful, the motor doesn't take much trim up before it begins to porpoise.


I wonder if a whale tail would help performance ?

Ok final question... boat and motor are still under warranty so I'm not going to do anything to endanger that...



Understanding the 75 / 90 / 115 use the same block/heads... What are your views on flashing the motor and removing the restrictor plate ?

[skillet]

I realize I didn't mention it, but I do trim all the way down when I take off. But the boat will still stand up when I take off. I found it doesn't stand up as much if lets say I'm idling or already in motion before punching it. In any case thanks.

TK, thank you for a well thought out response. I realize I probably the last person to say, but Trackers Revolution hull handles pretty good even when I'm playing around. So yes I do trim down a little when turning. To be truthful, the motor doesn't take much trim up before it begins to porpoise.


I wonder if a whale tail would help performance ?

Ok final question... boat and motor are still under warranty so I'm not going to do anything to endanger that...



Understanding the 75 / 90 / 115 use the same block/heads... What are your views on flashing the motor and removing the restrictor plate ?



My boat doesn’t take much trim and it starts to hop (porpoise). I have a tail on mine and it does help. I took it off once to see how it would perform with out and I could barely trim it up and it didn’t want to come up on plane. So I would say yes, but you one and put it on. You will notice a difference.


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[Alan 54]

I realize I didn't mention it, but I do trim all the way down when I take off. But the boat will still stand up when I take off. I found it doesn't stand up as much if lets say I'm idling or already in motion before punching it. In any case thanks.

TK, thank you for a well thought out response. I realize I probably the last person to say, but Trackers Revolution hull handles pretty good even when I'm playing around. So yes I do trim down a little when turning. To be truthful, the motor doesn't take much trim up before it begins to porpoise.


I wonder if a whale tail would help performance ?

Ok final question... boat and motor are still under warranty so I'm not going to do anything to endanger that...



Understanding the 75 / 90 / 115 use the same block/heads... What are your views on flashing the motor and removing the restrictor plate ?

I had a StingRay on a bass tracker. I think it was TX17 as I recall with a 60 hp Johnson. It ran ok without the Stingray but with it it ran a lot better. I could actually get on plane faster and keep the front down in rough water. I think it gained a couple MPH too. I would say if I had the same boat I would do it all again.