Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Got it out for first time, 88 TX17 with 75 mariner 19 pitch black max prop. Runs out at 5000 rpm and tops out at 34 mph tweeking trim until porpose occurs and then back off a fuzz. Nice ride, but I thought it would be faster. Hole shot is still snappy. What else can I do to bring up top speed. Any body running similar boat combo? I am about 200 my son is about 70 two batteries and 6 gallon tank minimal gear.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

The trim should allow the prop to be at right angles to the water surface. Although you trim out until it porpoises, my guess is that if it did not porpois the prop is still not perpendicular and you could trim out more. This would provide a better prop angle and speed.

You should trim out until the prop begins to ventilate the trim back down a few bumps.

The way I find the sweet spot is to pick a cruising speed, say 25 mph, then trim out in small increments without touching the trottle. Watch the RPMs and the speed increase at the same time. When the RPMs increase and the speed does not, you are a bit too far out. Bump the trim down a few bumps. This is you most efficient trim position at nearly any cruising speed.

If the boat porpoises in this position, add Smart Tabs, however you should expect many more performance benefits.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

What's the max rpm for that engine? 5000 rpm sounds kind of low. It's possible that you're over-propped and that the engine isn't running fast enough to make it's full rated power. In general you want a prop that will get you right up to the maximum rpm when you're running light, that way you're still at a good rpm and not lugging the engine when you're running a heavier load (within reason).

Other than that it's a matter of setup. You want the engine high enough so that the AV plate is above the surface when on plane (but not so high that your water pump starts sucking air and you lose water pressure).

Also, I looked up the empty weight of your boat, and IMO 34 mph with a 75 HP engine isn't too bad. I've got a 15 ft fiberglass fish-n-ski that weighs approximately the same as your boat, with a 90 HP engine on it I see around 42 mph.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

The book says 4750 -5250 rpm's, it also has a whale tail forgot to mention that. Thanks

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Musky killer said:

The book says 4750 -5250 rpm's, it also has a whale tail forgot to mention that. Thanks

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So your prop pitch is probably good.

When you're running on plane have someone verify that the AV plate and whale tail are above the surface, if that's dragging it'll cost you some speed. You'll need to raise the engine a little bit if that's the case.

Other than that you MIGHT pick up a little speed by adding a jackplate. That will move the engine aft about 6 inches so that the prop can run in 'cleaner' water, and you can easily adjust the engine height with it. Guys with fast boats go to a lot of trouble to get the engine as high as possible, to the point that the top few inches of the prop is out of the water. Less gearcase being dragged through the water = more speed, but that comes with the risk of frying the engine if it can't get enough cooling water. In your case it's not worth it to go to that extreme.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Not worth a bunch of work to pick up a few mph, I wil check speed with GPS tonight seems faster than 34 mph and check motor height. Thanks for all the help.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Musky killer said:

... I wil check speed with GPS tonight seems faster than 34 mph and check motor height....

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And that's another thing.... boat speedometers can be pretty inaccurate.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

I get 32 mph in a 17' Tracker Pro Deep V with a 50 hp 4 stroke, 17 gal of fuel, and 2 batteries... and the Pro Deep V is quite a bit bigger than the TX.

I suspect you have waterlogged floatation foam slowing you down, that stuff adds a lot of weight to a boat.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

1988 Tracker is nearly guaranteed to have water logged foam if it hasn't been recently torn out and replaced. Easily several hundred pounds of extra weight added to the boat. Reading all the restoration threads over on Tinboats and have never seen an older tracker with dry foam.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

So what you are saying is that the foam holds water even trailered? I did notice some water in bilge area shortly after launch, must have leaky rivets.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Musky killer said:

So what you are saying is that the foam holds water even trailered? I did notice some water in bilge area shortly after launch, must have leaky rivets.

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Flotation foam tends to get soggy after several years of exposure to water. The older foam isn't as robust over time as currently available materials. I wasn't aware of the reputation of Tracker's to have wet foam, if you have some way to get to it that would be worth checking out. I'll defer to the aluminum boat experts on how to do that, I've only worked on fiberglass boats.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Musky Killer;
I just looked over the thread here again and noticed that you are using a Hydrofoil. Someone mentioned that it may cost you some top speed as it could be creating Drag if it is touching the water. He also mentioned that you may want to raise the motor, and use a jack plate.

Let me give you my take on this.
1) the hydrofoil is rigid therefore the faster the boat the more lift. Lifting the motor to raise the hydrofoil out of the water is possible but tricky because if raised too high the prop may ventilate easily, and the water flow to the engine could be reduced. The cavitation plate should be about 1 " above the bottom of the boat at the "V".
2) The cavitation plate is designed to keep the water density at the top of the prop the same as it is below the prop. this keeps the prop from ventilating.
3) Lifting the back of the boat too much at higher speeds (ie; Hydrofoil) does not produce as much drag in the rear of the boat as it does force the bow down. At cruising speeds and above, the bow should be about 5 to 6 degrees up so that the boat rides on the rear 1/3 of the hull (behind the helm). With the bow too far down you will notice reduced speed, sensitivity to a port side list (lean), and sensitive steering, and it will lay over on the gunnel in turns.
4) The most efficient position for the motor (prop) is as close to the running line (X dimension) as possible so long as the prop does not ventilate. In other words you want the prop to push straight forward. The further down into the water, the higher the bow rise on acceleration. A jack plate allows you to move the motor up and down to "center" and find the best height, and they are more effective when they incorporate a set back. Moving the motor back 6" to 10" allows you to raise the motor to ride inside the wake behind the transom. These jack plates are pricey.

My suggestion - remove the hydrofoil and determine what the base line is. The boat is likely to run a bit faster, It is also likely to porpoise when you trim the motor out, have a high bow rise and slow acceleration to plane. If so, add Smart Tabs. They will eliminate porpoising, improve acceleration to plain by 40% (eliminate the "Hole" in "Hole Shot" ), and allow you to trim out for a better prop position. They will also improve ride and handling, and tracking. Don't change the prop because the RPMs and speed should increase when the boat runs smoother.

As for water in the foam, that could add weight but it would need to be significant to make a noticeable difference. Pull some of the flooring panels and feel the foam.

Yes I make Smart Tabs, but I am not here to sell one set of tabs, I promise. What I want to do is help you understand the problem and fix it so you can enjoy your boat.

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

I run a 90 Merc on a 17' alum BB much like yours. Hulls are almost identical assuming that model is the high perf model with the stepped hull at the transom.

Our gearboxes are the same ratio at 2.3:1. I run a 24P Ballistic XP with my engine in the first notch up which puts the AV plate about 1" above the center step at the transom. On a good day, at 5600-5800 rpms I'll run about 46-48+ GPS.

At WOT my boat doesn't porpoise at full trim but due to the high tilt angle of the transom, I can't trim the prop out of the water like I could on earlier boats. I figure if you had 15 more hp to power through that porposing your's wouldn't either.

I agree to take the tail off. I agree to raise the engine to at least the first hole. You'd be surprised just how much this affects your top end. Looking at HP differences, You're running 83% of my power so if everything were identical, I'd expect you to be running at about 39 at the same rpms. But rpms aren't the same. Your 75 at 4750-5250 is a choked down (apparently) 90 which is rated 5000-5500. So your 5000 vs my 5700 is another loss of 14% which gets you down to 34 mph and then 19 to 24P variances is another 26% for a tally of 27 mph with nothing else considered.

So, I'd say your 34 is an indication that your rig is setup right and you are getting 7 more mph than I figured you ought to. Or your speedo is lieing to you as mine did. At WOT it sits on 50 average so I have a 3 mph error on the high side. Course with what was mentioned about improving your performance, yours must be telling a bigger story.

My 2c,
Mark

Re: Boat Speed Bass Tracker Tournrment TX17?

Tnriverluver said:

1988 Tracker is nearly guaranteed to have water logged foam if it hasn't been recently torn out and replaced. Easily several hundred pounds of extra weight added to the boat. Reading all the restoration threads over on Tinboats and have never seen an older tracker with dry foam.

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It's not the Tracker name brand, it's the people that own them. It's not the boats fault if the foam is wet and it's not the foams fault... it's the owners fault for neglecting the boat and leaving it exposed to the elements.

I have a '97 Tracker I bought new, and while it has always been stored outside, it has always been covered when not in use.

My foam is bone dry and my boat floats better than this when I forget to put to put the plug in before launching:
Lund Boat Floatation Video - YouTube
I've fished all day long with the drain plug out of my boat and only notice it when I take the boat out of the water and water is shooting out of the bilge drain hole like a fire hose.

metriccrescentwrench said:

I wasn't aware of the reputation of Tracker's to have wet foam, if you have some way to get to it that would be worth checking out.

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Trackers are very simple to disassemble because the decking is screwed down through the carpet leaving the fasteners exposed for easy deck removal in case there's a problem below deck. You can take the boat apart and put it back together whithout ripping up the carpet and having to put down new carpet.