help with new boat setup

[chris3298]

Went out today and was able to move the engine up one hole like i said and my speed was 37.5 mph on GPS. I could hear the engine running a little higher in rpm's which I must say the engine did just sound better then when the motor was all the way down. Obviously I guess I would need a different pitch to be able to bite more. Water pressure was fine, it started porpoising the same as it did yesterday when I was really trimmed up high so there was no difference there.

I may just move that engine up a little higher for the hell of it although I know it will probably loose more speed and want to slip/cavitate even more but at least I will be able to see if it will get on a plane and will I still have good water pressure for cooling.

I should be able to move this engine much much higher up if i were to go to lower water pickup but I'm not sure about how well those things are, from what I understand I think a lot of bass boats run that lwp for fishing in such shallow water. I do have times I fish in shallow water so it could maybe benefit me for fishing.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on the lwp, goods and cons?

First thing is first is finding a tachometer that will work with this engine to see where I am at.

Something I'd like to ask yall which probably maybe some have heard of this guy. There is a guy literally 10 minutes from my house his name is Glen Hopkins, www.hopkinspropeller.com
This will be the guy I'll go to for a prop when the time comes. Just would like to know if anyone had heard of him and is he that good like I have heard from the few around here?

[JohnsonM50]

Went out today and was able to move the engine up one hole like i said and my speed was 37.5 mph on GPS. I could hear the engine running a little higher in rpm's which I must say the engine did just sound better then when the motor was all the way down. Obviously I guess I would need a different pitch to be able to bite more. Water pressure was fine, it started porpoising the same as it did yesterday when I was really trimmed up high so there was no difference there.

I may just move that engine up a little higher for the hell of it although I know it will probably loose more speed and want to slip/cavitate even more but at least I will be able to see if it will get on a plane and will I still have good water pressure for cooling.

I should be able to move this engine much much higher up if i were to go to lower water pickup but I'm not sure about how well those things are, from what I understand I think a lot of bass boats run that lwp for fishing in such shallow water. I do have times I fish in shallow water so it could maybe benefit me for fishing.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on the lwp, goods and cons?

First thing is first is finding a tachometer that will work with this engine to see where I am at.

Something I'd like to ask yall which probably maybe some have heard of this guy. There is a guy literally 10 minutes from my house his name is Glen Hopkins, www.hopkinspropeller.com
This will be the guy I'll go to for a prop when the time comes. Just would like to know if anyone had heard of him and is he that good like I have heard from the few around here?

I have a Hopkins 2 blade, It was my fastest runabout prop for some time till I got several others. Last summer I tried it along with my latest fastest 3 blade cleaver prop on a hydro & it made 1 pass at 1 mph under & the next the same speed. The cleaver made 3 passes all the same so is only ahead by consistency.
The catch is to get it right when you buy it, I've found that a stainless prop of the same #'s as an aluminum will be a little faster & grab better, SS being about 5x the strength can be made into a thinner bladed prop. Then to consider whether or not you by a surface drive type prop. This is where the LWP is needed. Things change when you go there, the boat may not go well from a stand still & need to be rev'd to get over the hump- onto plane. Most racing hydro's & runabouts have this drawback unless.. you get a drag prop.
It would take more snagged debris to clog your stock pick ups than a low water up front but Ive been lucky & never had it happen. Here's a trick Ive used but would be different for your motor:

Plumbing this into your motor just under the pump & checking out whether or not it works with your stock pickups left open [might have to restrict or even close them] last but not least make sure it gets the volume needed. Or maybe better to do a nosecone deal? Whatever tho it needs to be checked out before run. If it has an indicator stream [pisser] you could run a tube from that up in front of you & off the side so you can see it as you go..it stops- you stop As far as raising the motor goes 'yes' to a point it will slow down & rev like crazy if too hi, more about the right height than up.

[shenders]

Chris.
If you are 10 min. from Hopkins then you have it made. Hopkins has made some of the fastest wheels in racing over the years. His father started the business back in the 40's I think. Glen is a good prop man and can get you dialed in. I think he will go down to the river with you and help you get set up.
Of course it may cost a little, but speed cost money, so how fast do you want to go.

Stan Henderson

[chris3298]

Thanks JohnsonM50 I could really see how that lwp would help me in some of the places I fish which is shallow but pretty grassy though so it may have a problem getting stopped up.
I seem to always be paddling for a while till i can get out to deeper waters which is aggravating and I see other who seem to just motor on out either they don't care that there motor is dragging or maybe they have this lwp.
I seen a video on youtube who had this pisser tube extended so the driver could see it pissing and that makes sense because this boat was an inflatable and used for racing, i'm sure there catching air a lot and don't want to take the chance of messing there motor up.

Stan, I went down to Glens shop one day when i had my other boat and thought I wanted a prop told him what the boat was doing. He put a straight edge and told me that selling a prop to me would do nothing it was the Hull that was the problem either sell it or try fixing it.
I was gona try fixing it then realized it was better to sell it, so I did. I was just curious to now if anyone here had heard of him and gosh for people all around the country to know this guy he must be pretty dam good. I left that day feeling like when i get another boat I oh it to this man to definitely buy a prop from him.

I talked to my dad about this one time and he said he had worked with Glen way the hell back in the day when they were teenagers and from what he remember and heard this guy was a good racer and good prop builder. Super friendly guy probably one fewest people around that would tell you the truth about your boat and not try and sell you junk.
I guess I'll need to save some money up now and go see him and see what he can do for me.

[chris3298]

Well after a while of fishing and boat riding I have decided to take yalls advice to now start looking into a new propeller for my motor to go faster. I ordered a new Tohatsu Tach which I hope will be coming in on Monday. I will be sending an email to the guy Alan over at Tohatsu who was willing to walk me through how to make a wiring harness and how to hook it up to my motor. I guess after I get the correct rpm readings I'll take this info to Glen Hopkins and see what is the best and fastest propeller for my setup.

I would like to try a cleaver propeller, from what i have read and sending pm's to different members here this is a prop I'd like to try. Seems like this prop is best used with a lower water pickup but i think there is a couple of members here who use it without the lwp and must be happy with it. So I think this is what I want to try.

The other day i was looking at my lower unit and notice the two side water pickups on the lower unit have what I thought was 5 little slits on each side to pickup the water, after close inspection I notice that 2 of the slits on each side were basically a dummy slit meaning when i looked really close those 2 slits don't even let the water in. So this tells me I could lift this motor up pretty high possibly before I starve it of water which I guess this acts like some have said putting a piece of tape to block off two holes.

When the Tach comes in I guess I will see where i am at now with the engine height and keep raising the motor till either the prop slips so bad that it won't get on a plane or till the point I still have good cooling and take my readings to Hopkins.
I'll keep you updated in my finds.

Chris

[JohnsonM50]

Per my previous post "It would take more snagged debris to clog your stock pick ups than a low water up front but Ive been lucky & never had it happen." That luck changed & I have picked up debris. Instead of cooking the motor tho it cooled it very quickly, the plastic wrapped prop & caused the boat to spin out, the fin stuck & over it went.

[chris3298]

Per my previous post "It would take more snagged debris to clog your stock pick ups than a low water up front but Ive been lucky & never had it happen." That luck changed & I have picked up debris. Instead of cooking the motor tho it cooled it very quickly, the plastic wrapped prop & caused the boat to spin out, the fin stuck & over it went.

I'm confused of what happened, you caught a trash bag in the prop and spun out?

[JohnsonM50]

I'm confused of what happened, you caught a trash bag in the prop and spun out?

Yes, The boat it happened in is a flat bottom with a bottom fin, suddenly going sideways rolled the boat. Someone warned me when I got into this go fast boating stuff to be extra careful when I got fast... that & even sooner I'm thinkin cause ya never know.

[chris3298]

Yes, The boat it happened in is a flat bottom with a bottom fin, suddenly going sideways rolled the boat. Someone warned me when I got into this go fast boating stuff to be extra careful when I got fast... that & even sooner I'm thinkin cause ya never know.

Oh ok yes I have seen boats like this with the fin on the hull, I guess it helps with control in the turns. Yes now that i'm wanting to go faster I am realizing now i need a better life jacket which I'll be heading to bass pro here soon and getting a better one. I need new ones my current one is about 15 years old, it's probably time.

[chris3298]

Made two runs to the river today, First run I had the new Tohatsu tach hooked up and now realize this I'm checking the rpms with the motor raised just one bolt hole and my rpm's were about 5300. Second run I then went back home raised the motor to the third hole and was able to then get a solid 5400 rpm's maybe a spec more, Cooling was fine I kept looking back to make sure and it was good. Did notice two little cool rooster tails shooting upwards off the cavitation plate.

I really didn't notice any drop in speed going up to the third hole although didn't have my gps with me. I did notice looking back though there wasn't as much as a wake like before when I was only up on the second hole. Didn't hear any sounds like the prop was cavitating or anything.

I think I can go up to maybe the last hole but will really have to watch and see if it ends up sucking air and loosing water pressure, thought about putting a piece of tape at the top to holes even though there not open just to make sure it doesn't suck any kinda air.

I realize now a Jack plate is probably better at this stage I could probably run a little higher then on the last bolt hold and still be having good cooling and hopefully more speed

What you guys think? try a jack plate now? or go up to the last hole?

The motor needs to run at 5850 is what the manufacture says I was told it may even run a little higher that around 6100 is probably when the rev limiter will kick in.

prop used is 11x14.1 almost like i need to go down in the number which don't want to I want to go faster.