Is my boat too slow??

my 19" Cuddy with a 4.3 L Alpha 1 Sterndrive is set up with a 17 inch pitch 3 blade prop only does 30 mph at about 4700rpm. Is this fairly slow? would a different prop selection produce greater speed. the fellow I bought the boat of said he had it set up for mostly wakeboarding. Any advice would help

Re: Is my boat too slow??

Can the engine rev higher that the 4700rpm, and you just hold it back? If so then a higher pitch could be tried. It is kind of guesswork though as you would have to let 'er rip so to speak, and you may not want to see how high it can go especially if it can blow right by 5000rpm.

Re: Is my boat too slow??

yes. I bought mine with a 19 pitch and it would redline all day long and not go much above 40. I switched to a 21 p and it still will rev to around 5500.

I've got that 19p for sale if you wanted to make an offer.

Re: Is my boat too slow??

Don Macleod said:

my 19" Cuddy with a 4.3 L Alpha 1 Sterndrive is set up with a 17 inch pitch 3 blade prop only does 30 mph at about 4700rpm. Is this fairly slow? would a different prop selection produce greater speed. the fellow I bought the boat of said he had it set up for mostly wakeboarding. Any advice would help

Click to expand...

If 4700 and 30 mph is wot you may have more than a prop issue. Depending on how heavy your cuddy is a 4.3 should be able to turn
a 21" prop to 4700 or more and speeds approaching the 50 mph area.

Re: Is my boat too slow??

yes I do hold it back a bit, i have had it at 5000 rpms but feel that that is max I dont want to blow anything I guess. What rpm can i go safely yet briefly for?

Re: Is my boat too slow??

Your WOT rpm range is 4400-4800 rpm. It won't hurt the motor the open it up for a few seconds; long enough to see where it peaks. I doubt seriously if it will go past 5500 rpm.

Re: Is my boat too slow??

Is your speed by gps. By gps is a sure thing.Some cells have a gps app.
If the motor is in good health you could take it over 5000 Just as you might a car going through the gears.
your slip is a rather high 25%. This could be your speedo not accurate or the tach may be reading high.
I wouldn't be surprised to see your motor over 5000 at wot with a 17" prop.
If we knew your speed by gps it would help tell how well your setup is working and give a better indication
about your rpm.
I think a 21" prop would solve your rpm problem but may be sluggish for water sports.

Re: Is my boat too slow??

Yes mph was taken by accurate gps app. at present time I do not know how reliable tach is and am not sure how to verify tach guage.
What I do know now is that I have 2 issues. First I have the trim down way too far causing a negative position. I will experiment with trim and have my bow up rising out of the water more. The second issue and I just found this out tonight....I have water in the bow compartment. Just got back from the boat, while I was inspecting the hull I noticed a few soft spots along the bottom of the hull, and I can hear the water inside as i push it back and forth while on the trailer Good Grief now I need to figure out how to get the water out and fix the leak!!!
Thank you for your input fellows it has helped!

Re: Is my boat too slow??

Perhaps if you raise the bow the water will drain to the stern.
Hopefully its rain water.?
How old is the boat and what brand/model?
Soft spots are scary to me. You may want to check the bottom is smooth and straight and strong,
Especially in the area ahead of the transom.
If the floor is spongy it could indicate weakened stringers.