Newb and I NEED help!

HI, brand new to this. I am 18 and a Great Lake Erie fisherman. I have a Lund from my dad and it is a 1700 pro angler DLX (Adventure Series). its 17 foot im almost positive and has a 75hp mariner outboard. I would like to know how to get more power/speed out of the motor. any ideas?

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

Welcome to iboats, sounds like you have a nice rig, the Lund aluminum boats are very well-designed. What year is the boat/motor?

What kind of speed are you getting currently? GPS is the most accurate.

Do you have a tachometer? Is the motor hitting the correct RPMs at full throttle?

Have you tried shifting weight in the boat...or adjusting the trim of the motor?

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

Usually the only way to get more power/speed is to get a larger motor.
There isin't much you can do to increase horsepower.
What U can do is make sure the motor,boat and prop are a good match.
What kind of rpms are U running at WOT? You should be around 5500rpm.
You need to consider.Load,amount of fuel.People on board.
Get rid of the unnessary things.Extra coolers,anchors skis ropes anything that adds weight.
I used to fish Lake Huron for wallies and had 1/2 tank fuel 1 cooler for fish and a small one for food.Then 1 tackel box and a gear bag. Not too much extra.
Figure out what U absolutly need and then go for a ride.Load the boat evenly and see what kind of RPMs U R running.If u are at 5500 then u'r about right.Post your results.J

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

I only ran it a few times for the first time last year. It has been sitting for quite some time. That's why i took from my dad. It's in great shape, and I don't know the year of the boat or the motor. I have a picture up of it, maybe you can tell. If i were to guess its like a 95? or in the area. When I ran it last year it did about 30MPH maybe a bit under. I had the trim at perfect level and what not but as for RPM's....I was not paying attention. Would a simple tune up do it.Just changing sparks and some wires?? I mainly use it for fishing but My friends want to go tubing and skiing and such. i probably need a bit more power for that.

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

You got what you got, as long as it is running properly.

I had a similar rig, fully loaded was 30 mph. Totally empty was 38 mph.

Sure, you can change plugs, plug wires, cd packs, stator, trigger, starter relay, starter, the parts guy loves to sell $12 worth of parts. But you got what you got.

What you should do, is clean the plugs, clean the fuel system, add new fuel, change the gearlube and impeller, perhaps replace the fuel diaphragm, then take her for a run and monitor the idle rpm and the wot rpm.

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

That boat should run close to or just a tick over 40 MPH so either it is propped wrong or needs a good tune up. But before start thowing parts at it, make sure it has clean fuel, new plugs, and while you have the old ones out, do a compression check. Low compression is an indication that this engine is simply tired and nothing you do short of a rebuild can make it deliver full power again. You really need to make some wide open throttle runs with what you consider and average load. Note the WOT rpm. If the engine cannot reach 5500 rpm the prop is either all dinged up or it is wrong for the boat and load. The prop you have should be a 13-1/4 x 19 pitch which is fairly standard for that size rig. If the prop has more pitch than that I guarantee it is lugging the engine. Check the barrel of the prop between the blades for the numbers. If you don't find them, check the hub behind the prop nut for numbers like those above or else a manufacturers part number.

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

word from experience. boat motors and cars are totally different, theres not alot you can really do to get a substancial increase of power from an outboard besides goin all out. if you wanna keep that boat for a while, and enjoy all the fun you can. dont worry about speed, worry about maintenance. granted its fun when your out hauling tail, its when u got to sink $500 - $5000 in it cuz you wanted to go fast then you blow ur motor. keep your motor no more than 3500- 4000 rpms and it will last you wayyyyy longer. i know i sound like such an old man, heck im 26, but nothings worse than looking at a boat in your yard that is broke!

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

TThornhill said:

... keep your motor no more than 3500- 4000 rpms and it will last you wayyyyy longer. i know i sound like such an old man, heck im 26, but nothings worse than looking at a boat in your yard that is broke!

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I hope you mean when running it at 3/4 throttle cause, like roscoe and Silvertip pointed, one of the most important thing is to prop it correctly so it can reach 5500rpm at WOT with an average load. Lugging it by being over propped is a sure way to shorten his life.

Re: Newb and I NEED help!

ohh most definetly, like u said, i was basing that off correct prop usage.