1989 Bass Tracker TX-17

[bcj.jones]

Hopefully this is the correct section to post this question. I have a new to me 1989 bass tracker tx-17 with a 50 hp Johnson. I just re-did the flooring and carpet. Resealed some leaking rivets and rebuilt the carbs. The only thing i'm disappointed with is the speed of the boat. With just me, normal tackle, two batteries and 6 gallons of fuel at W.O.T and a 17 pitch prop im only getting 33 mph at about 5200 rpms. I haven't had a buddy tag along but im assuming another 200 lbs would probably drop the speed a few mph. Operating RPM for W.O.T from what i gathered is between 4500-5500 rpm. I had a 15 degree prop originally that was pretty chewed up but with same gear/weight I could exceed the 5500 rpm recommendation at W.O.T which is why I went to a 17 pitch. I still think with the extra weight of another passenger ill be within the recommended rpm range.

With all that being said, i've been pondering the idea of finding a 70-80 horse motor and slapping it on. Actually found a really good deal on a 94 88 evinrude with t/n/t plus a jack plate but then I run into the legality issue of exceeding the recommended 80 hp on the boat. The 50 hp I have now runs great, just a little lack of top end speed. My dilemma is, how fast can this boat go safely? How much more speed will the hull safely handle? Does putting on a 70-80 horse make sense? Meaning if im only going to pick up 5 mph or so then its not worth the hassle. If the extra 20-30 hp will net me another 10-15 mph safely then its worth it to me. I know there is such a thing called theoretical hull speed. The speed in which a hull becomes unsafe.

Any help on this? Anyone have an opinion?

Thank yall for all the help!

 

[bcj.jones]

Also, what do yall think of prop rated versus crank rated motors? I found a smoking deal in a 1983 75 johnson but I know that it's rated at the crank rather than the prop like my 89 50 horse is. With the loss between crank and prop I don't want to buy a 75 horse and end up with a motor that's only 10 horses more than the one I have now due to the rating difference.

 

[mr 88]

Just googled Top Speed of 1989 Tracker tx 17 and a guy with a 75 hp was getting 34 mph. Not sure if you or him were using a GPS for accuracy. It was also mentioned that the foam is not doubt waterlogged at this point. You said yours was a leaker so I would guess you could add a few hundred pounds to your dry weight. Might have to rip up the floor to replace the somewhat useless foam. Some of the post that showed up were from this forum years ago. So you can goggle it or use the search icon on here for more info.

 

[BWR1953]

I bought a brand new 1985 Bass Tracker Tournament TX-17 with a Mercury 50HP outboard with power tilt and trim. Very similar setup to yours. And my top speed was 32MPH with just me and gear. It was 28MPH with me and my lightweight family.

But with me and my 250 lb. cousin I couldn't even get the thing on plane! I finally ended up getting a hydro-foil to get the boat on plane with the two of us. Top speed at that point was 28MPH.

So you're right in the ballpark. If I recall correctly, my boat was rated to 70 or 75HP. Yours is probably the same. I always wished that I'd powered the boat at the max limit.

Based on your state laws (wherever you are) and insurance requirements you might be able to go over the max rating. Or not. But I wouldn't push it too far. As you suspect, things can get squirrelly with too much horsepressure.

I remember fishing on a lake in SoCal with my Tracker and I bumped into a guy with the identical boat, except his had a 75HP motor. His boat blew the doors off mine.

There is no substitute for cubic inches! 'Nuff said.


My boat and Bronco II back in the day.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Weight, weight, weight. I would definitely weigh that boat on a scale to see what it should weigh. There are many ways to get a net boat weight. Just looking at the size of that boat it should fly with a 75 or 80 horse. That is an unscientific observation. A boat of that vintage and did leak may have water logged foam. I certainly wouldn't spend a penny re powering for a few MPH if you now have a heavy boat. My moto when it comes to speed is hurry up and stop. I'll get where ever I am going 5 minutes later with my 115 than my pals 150. He has the identical boat but has lightened the load by making her a centre council. Then he sits there for 15 minutes after I start fishing because he doesn't know what he is doing setting up his lines on the water rather than on land. Funny to watch him lose it when I have 1 in the box and he has not yet wet a lure. What I am so poorly trying to say is speed doesn't always count on the water or land. Will another 10 MPH make you happy, what about 5? But I do know we always have the need for speed. Me too really. As far as legal ramifications I would concern myself with insurance ahead of the Leo's. Just change the cowl to show 50 HP, it's been done, not me.

Now having said that she had leaks so you may have water logged foam Now here's the kicker! Just this morning we pulled much of a totally rotten floor and stringers out of a 80's era glass Star Craft. Pieces came out by hand. I was shocked to see the foam was dry as a bone. There has been plenty of discussion here about how much water can get into closed cell foam, some say impossible because some foam is not water soluble, many say yes. I can tell you this foam was dry, dry, dry. The only way to tell for certain is to pull the floor out, not a good idea if not rotten or take a core sample. If you find a differential in spec weight vs. actual weight I would take a core sample of the floor and foam below.

Interesting, keep us up to date.

 

[bcj.jones]

NADA says that the boat weighs 700 lbs. Surely that doesn't include the motor weight as well. Or does it?

Thanks for all the responses! Great to hear different view points. I've verified speed by GPS on my phone, not real sure how accurate that is but im confident its fairly accurate. I've googled it as well, I think i've seen that same guy saying he only got 33 mph, which I think he has a problem there. I know for sure im getting at least 30 mph out of mine.

I tore out the entire front part of the boat. Under the console, middle deck and front deck. The only part of the flotation foam that was water logged were a couple real small pieces under the floorboard under the console. The front most flotation foam under the front deck was nearly completely dry. I could see where it got wet at some point but I could poke my finger through it and it was dry on the inside of the foam. I've heard of water logged foam as well, but even if so, would adding a couple hundred pounds affect speed that much? Maybe a few mph? I haven't re-done the rear part of the boat, so maybe the foam back there is in worse shape.

Honestly, if i could get 40-45 mph out of it, id be very happy. I don't think the hull could be safe at a much higher speed then that. Now this is going to turn into a motor question lol.

I have 3 different motors lined up to look at:

1976 Johnson 85 horse t/n/t, and controls with a bad power pack but great compression. no title for $600
1983 Johnson 75 horse with controls with non working t/n/t (not sure whats wrong) with title for $500
1994 Evinrude 88 t/n/t with jackplate and controls with title for $800

Anything particular yall can think off with known problems on any of those motors? Any opinions on the best option?

 

[BWR1953]

NADA says that the boat weighs 700 lbs. Surely that doesn't include the motor weight as well. Or does it?

Thanks for all the responses! Great to hear different view points. I've verified speed by GPS on my phone, not real sure how accurate that is but im confident its fairly accurate. I've googled it as well, I think i've seen that same guy saying he only got 33 mph, which I think he has a problem there. I know for sure im getting at least 30 mph out of mine.

I tore out the entire front part of the boat. Under the console, middle deck and front deck. The only part of the flotation foam that was water logged were a couple real small pieces under the floorboard under the console. The front most flotation foam under the front deck was nearly completely dry. I could see where it got wet at some point but I could poke my finger through it and it was dry on the inside of the foam. I've heard of water logged foam as well, but even if so, would adding a couple hundred pounds affect speed that much? Maybe a few mph? I haven't re-done the rear part of the boat, so maybe the foam back there is in worse shape.

Honestly, if i could get 40-45 mph out of it, id be very happy. I don't think the hull could be safe at a much higher speed then that. Now this is going to turn into a motor question lol.

I have 3 different motors lined up to look at:

1976 Johnson 85 horse t/n/t, and controls with a bad power pack but great compression. no title for $600
1983 Johnson 75 horse with controls with non working t/n/t (not sure whats wrong) with title for $500
1994 Evinrude 88 t/n/t with jackplate and controls with title for $800

Anything particular yall can think off with known problems on any of those motors? Any opinions on the best option?

The 700 lbs. wouldn't include the motor weight but should include all framing, decking, livewell structures, console, etc. and perhaps the trolling motor.

I definitely recommend checking the rear foam. It may be saturated and adding to your overall hull weight, thereby decreasing performance.

As for the engine choice, if it were my boat and legal to do so, I'd choose the 1994 Evinrude 88 t/n/t for $800. Sounds like a good deal to me, if everything is working properly. At that HP rating, you're only 10% over the max rating, yet 76% over your current power level. It's also a newer motor and the horsepower is prop rated for sure. Plenty of oomph there!

I'd suspect that you'd get 40-45MPH from that setup.

Please keep us posted!

 

[younggun]

On that boat, a 3cyl motor vs a v4 would be my suggestion. Keep the weight down but still give you more power. A 56cubic inch 70hp OMC would be the ticket for that boat. I had a 60hp 56" on a 17' Carolina skiff fiberglass and could bump 30 with just me loaded light

 

[b.gagnon]

My uncle had the same boat with a 3cyl Evinrude 70hp. I spent plenty of time on that boat and it would max out with a light load @ 38-39mph trimmed way up! He was running a 19p Aluminum prop and would turn somewhere in the range of 53-5500 RPM. The rear end of the boat sits very low so weight is a big concern! At this speed the boat starts to become unstable (Chine Walk) so anything bigger than a 70-80hp would be useless and just burn more fuel. Also check for cracks between the rivets on the underside of the hull. By the time he got rid of it it was loaded with them and would take on a fair amount of water...

 

[bcj.jones]

I appreciate the input. With the weight of the motor in mind, I may stick with a 3 cylinder 70 horse over the heavier 80-90 horse v4's. The back end of the boat definitely sits low, even with just me in it.

With that being said, what do yall think about adding a jack plate? Worth the 2-300 hundred dollar investment? Would I gain any mph adding one to the 50 hp I have on it now?

After a lot of research and the above responses, im really just looked for mid to high 30's. Maybe tip over to 40 mph on a cold morning!

 

[b.gagnon]

A jack plate will help get the best out of any motor, but I doubt that you will hit more than 40! 38-39 was when the boat was new and light! Mid to high 30's feels like 50 sitting that low to the water....

 

[bcj.jones]

Lol yea maybe wishful thinking.

Yall have an opinion on a 4" or 5 1/2" set back?

 

[prlwng]

Had my 84 tracker tx up to 34 by garmin stricker 4 yesterday. Still had plenty of throttle left. Has a merc60 3cly on it and she sets low in back. Had two 6 gal tanks with one at 1/2. Also got 2 12 volt bats in back.

Still learning this boat as only had it out 3rd time. I also just don' like to go that fast.