thinking of upgrading motors

[new to fishing]

Hey guys...I have a 17 ft 2007 Bass Tracker pro 175 with a 50 hp Mercury...my problem is I can only get it to go between 25 - 29mph on a good day...I need about 40mph to be competative in the local tournaments I just started fishing (not blown out of the water at the take offs)...i'm thinking about upgrading to a 75hp but that would be expensive even with trading in my 2007 on the boat now...i only have a 3 prop aluminum (standard with that motor) and wonder if i upgrade to a 4 prop or other model/type 3 prop will it increase my speed enough to be worth the hassle...anyone else out there have this kind of issue before...any advise on how to increase my speed by about 10mph would be greatly appriciated.

 

[usskydvr]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

With your set-up you can't get a 10MPH increase. With the 75HP you will 'just' get there but no room for margin ( extra gear/people, etc)

 

[RicMic]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

I have the same motor on a similar boat, if you get the exact right prop and possibly raise the motor a bit, you might gain 3-4 mph tops. The 75hp is a much bigger and heavier motor, like 150#'s heavier, so much of the extra hp is going to get used up by the extra weight. My rule is to always get the biggest engine that makes sense, but the 75 is the smallest engine in its group, therefor its also the heaviest per hp. Personally, I doubt that the extra speed will be the difference between being competive or not. Even on the biggest lakes, it just takes a bit of planning to NOT start or end, at the far end of the lake. Fish smarter, not faster and its a good chance in a couple years Mercury will have a 70hp that weighs the same as the current 50.

 

[new to fishing]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

Thanks for the thoughts guys...I just went with a lower pitch stainless prop and take what I get...I understand not counting on fishing far away in the beginning...my tourneys have upwrds of 25 to 30 boats and it sucks to prefish three good spots only to lose them to guys with faster boats...I never imagined fishing tourneys when I bought this boat...ill deal with my slower but paid for boat for the next few years and then upgrade to a different boat more suited to tourneys

 

[RicMic]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

what size prop did you go with and whats the speed and rpms? One good thing about getting older(maybe the only thing?) I've learned that speed isn't everything, its not even the most important thing. Thinking isn't as much fun as going fast, but its a lot more effective. Look for the fishing spots that aren't obvious. I started catching a lot more fish, when I spent my time fishing and not racing around the lake. In fact, after 50 years of fishing, I learned TONS, by going to an all electric lake, I caught some of my best fish on the way back to the ramp after everyone else had left!

 

[new to fishing]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

I have a 14 pitch that operates at 5200rpm...going to a 12 pitch stainless that will bring the rpm's to 5600 - 5800...which is the optium operating level for my mercury 50hp...my buddy woks on boats and he's going to check and see if the motor is sitting too low (i don't think it is)...as far as speed...on a really calm day in the boat alone i can sqeak out 30mph as she sits...i'm hoping with this change i can go 30 consistently...most lakes here in illinois have a 40mph limit...i just got into tournaments and still learning the lake i fish...appriciate the tip

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

Have you ever thought of upgrading to a (shudder) 75 or 90 HP Force? If you get a late 90s engine, your Merc controls may still work. The engine was made by Merc and they use Merc props. They are actually a very nice engine, light and run well, but because of the dreaded Force "rep" you can get a used one rather cheap. That should get you the speed you need at a reasonable investment.

 

[RicMic]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

It might just be me, but I couldn't imagine taking off a nearly new engine and replacing it with one 12 or 15 years old. I know that a lot of boat motors get very light use, but its a hard thing to tell if the used motor is going to run ten years or ten hours before a breakdown AND almost nobody sells a motor thats running perfectly.Plus if any of MY buddies saw me with a Force on my boat, I would have to move and change my name!

 

[Doernuth]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

Better go with a 300 just to be safe. Or better yet two of them

 

[basbalj288]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

Well this is my own personal experience
I just replaced my 60hp Evinrude that was a 71 model. It lasted me 5 years until it threw a rod. I replaced it with a 1976 Johnson 85hp. I bought it, the boat, and awesome trailer for $500! I got such a good deal on it becuase the previous owner obviously had no clue how to operate on a motor. After about 5-7 hours of work, tuning it up and rebuilding carbs and setting timing etc. I got the boat up to 38mph when before it was cruising around 28mph with the Evinrude. Sooo I guess I'm responding because I love older motors because personally I believe they were made to last a loooong time, unlike the newer motors it seems. So don't necesarily be scared of an older motor, if you find the right one they still have a lot of great life left in them and you can get them at huge discounts.
btw I took the trailer off the new boat and put it on mine, put the new motor on mine and sold the new boat on my old trailer for 300. Then I sold the cables and my old blown up motor for 200 which means I upgraded a wholeeee bunch for FREE!
That's just my story

 

[new to fishing]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

No offense Frank but i'm with Ricmic on this one...can't see going that far back on an indespensable part of the boat unless i had the knowledge Basbalj288 had on working on them...which unfortunetly i don't...i'm hoping this new prop and pitch will satisfy me for the next few years until I can upgrade to a 90 or 115 with a nice Nitro wrapped around it...which is what I should have done in the first place...I went for having a newer boat paid off then paying alittle more for that extra HP i didn't know i'd need at the time...i'm used to learning through trial and error on more then just boating so it's all good...lol

 

[basbalj288]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

I feel honored that someone out there thinks I know alot about getting a motor running right!! I am new to this and I guess I fooled yall pretty well. EVERYTHING I've learned has been because of this WONDERFUL forum. Great guys walked me through everything when tuning it up every step of the way so I'm really just an apprentice

 

[RicMic]

Re: thinking of upgrading motors

Basbal, well free, except for your time and labor. I usually don't count my time and labor either, but as I get older, the time gets a lot more important to me and like right now, I am working on a boat, when I should be fishing in it!