just purchased 1987 18' lowe pontoon with 48 Johnson spl. runs good just wondering about which hole to have trim in. it is all the way down and has 5 holes with a rod through the bottom one. seems like when my wife and son ride with me under top toward rear it doesn't plane out right, can move person to front and put some weight there and it picks up more speed. should I raise motor up a hole or 2 for this or just distribute the weight. don't want front of pontoon to torpedo. new to pontoon boating but really like it so far. thanks in advance for info.
Well, with the pin in the lowest hole, that outboard is doing its best to push the nose of the boat down, so distributing weight is probably your best bet at this point. 'Toons are, at least most of them, not designed to be go-fast boats. If you can get it to ride level, you're doing about the best you can.
What's the maximum horsepower rating on that pontoon?
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Sure...go ahead and laugh at my old aluminum boat. It's paid for!
Looking at the current Lowe 18' pontoons, I see a max hp rating of 60. You're 20% under that rating, assuming they haven't made drastic changes that would affect the rating.
Would a 60 make a big difference? It might, actually. You might also get some improvement with a different prop on your 48. Do you know what RPMs it's turning wide open? What pitch prop is on there now? Props for that engine are available from 11" pitch to 19" pitch. If you're pitched to high and not getting the engine up to its rated RPM wide open, then you're not getting the full 48 hp out of it.
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Sure...go ahead and laugh at my old aluminum boat. It's paid for!
I have a 1987 Lowes also but mine is a 24 footer. It had that same 48 spl on it when I got it and would top out with just me on the boat at 18 mph (just to give you some figures on possibilities). I couldn't raise my motor off the bottom hole at all or it would ventilate the prop...but maybe you can. I agree with changing the settings and angles until you get to the spot that performs best for you.
I also agree that you need to check the WOT rpm's to determine if your motor is running at its ideal rpm's. Engine height and trim and prop size all play a role in determining that figure. Mine ran best with 13 X 11 pitch propeller. You may get better numbers with a higher pitch prop as your boat is considerably lighter than mine.
thanks for input. don't know about pitch of prop or how to tell. no tach. it's all new to me. guy I got it from set it up for cat fishing only, took top off. he was good sized man with 2 or 3 others about the same size, said he always just equaled the weight left and right, front and back.has 3 pedistal seats and small bench seat. I put bimini top on it for shade. gave me a brand new prop with it. runs great as long as someone is riding in front for weight. serves our purpose to just ease along and enjoy the lake and fish, not looking for speed but will get up and go when level. he said it would pull someone on a tube if I wanted to. had 2 back surgerys so can't do that kind of stuff just kick back and cruise along and find good fishing hole. thanks for the info, have learned a lot just reading others questions. happy fishing.
checked my new prop for numbers. found 13x11 on new one with # 1401-A on one side and 2101-B on other side. brand new. one on motor is very rough, can tell it has been in the rocks, kind of chewed up, not smooth or sharp, kind of dull and flat. one fin is bent a little different than the other two. found # 2302-A on one side and nothing on the other. also has powr/tran where motor is mounted, have to raise and lower motor by hand, he said electric tore up and he took it off, so I guess that's what the powr/tran was for, just nothing hooked up to it.
Replace the bent up prop promptly. You should see better performance with a good prop and save the lower unit at the same time. Most 48 specials did not have power tilt and trim. They were no frills engines, but are extremely reliable if taken care of..
today my son and I took it out again and I raised it up one hole, I could tell right away the difference, it got up and went faster, BUT, water was running up around battery boxes and fuel tanks, spraying up the motor, like it was coming off bottom of deck, never seen that much water, it soaked the rear deck and carpet. the ride was different to. could feel every wave more and at WTO hit wake or wave and sounded like motor was coming out of water, liked the pick-up but not worth the rest, will go back to bottom hole and leave it alone, distribute weight is easier all the way around I think. Is that much water coming up from bottom of deck normal, it really set level in the water, was a little concerned it might submarine on me. just a little update of my experience if it helps anyone good. or any other anvice I'm always ready to learn something new. thanks to all
lowe pontoon trim question
Re: lowe pontoon trim question
Re: lowe pontoon trim question
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