Success at last!!

[2broke4this]

After last week's depressing trip to the ramp, I decided that I would NOT overlook anything before launching again... Turns out we were really smooth and didn't have the shift cable adjusted properly... partially because I don't think we had the lower unit all the way in forward when we put it back together after the water pump impellor replacement and partially because the cable wouldn't move all the way... We (my mechanic friend and I) spent a few hours last night (and into the morning) working it all out and getting the cable adjusted, and when we were finally happy and it was shifting in and out of gear on the muffs, I went home for a few hours of sleep....

This morning was the first successful trip to the lake!! The 260 hp Mercruiser is such a monster compared to the 140hp OMC I had in the last boat (this one is a little bigger, but not much). We (the boss and I) took the boat to a local reservoir today and ran it for about an hour and a half with no troubles! It took a LOT of restraint not to ignore the 20mph speed limit and just stomp on the gas, but I know the limit is there for a reason... and I just wanted to be sure it would run before I dragged it to a big lake to really see how it will move. I just wanted to share how happy I am! If you take a look in the restoration section, you can see how sad my boat looked when I got her... and you'll understand why I'm such a happy camper!

Tomorrow we go to a big lake and I'll hopefully post more fun news and pictures! I'm going to try to get some WOT numbers and see how it'll pull the tubers and such... it should be a fun day! Just in case you are wondering.... yes, there will be another boat there to tow me in if/when something breaks! I hope you guys are having as good of a weekend as I am!

-Carl

 

[studlymandingo]

Good to hear

Good to hear

Congratulations!

Can't wait to see some pics. Have a great time opening her up tomorrow!

Pretty windy today so I decided to not go out; I'm not complaining because the wind is on the heels of a storm that dropped a few inches of much needed rain on us. I will probably take a cruise tomorrow though.​

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Success at last!!

Thanks studly! We are leaving in a little bit for the lake! I hope you have a nice cruise today!

I also want to thank the forum (and its memberss) for the amazing amount of information and encouragement on here that has been incredibly helpful in this whole process... There is no way I'd be on the water yet without you!

-Carl

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Success at last!!

Good luck too. Hear you on the wanting to "romp on it".

Study. I'm surprised you guys down there haven't gotten more of the storms that have been ripping thru here. They run almost due N-S and come straight across.

Mark

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Success at last!!

We have had some serious easterly winds over the last couple of months that has kept all of the fronts coming from your way heading north or breaking up before they have made it here. Looks like the Gulf breezes are finally winning out. Hopefully we will be back to our daily "scattered afternoon showers" soon.



2broke: Let us know how WOT feels in that boat!!!​

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Success at last!!

Today was a blast! The questionable weather kept most people off the lake, so the ramp was deserted and we had the lake pretty much to ourselves! It didn't rain the whole time we were out (about two hours) so it was a perfect day for a speed run!

The boat takes off pretty quickly when you really get on it and proceeds to around 46-47 mph at 4600 rpm at WOT! It's a 20 foot deep vee running a 21" prop (not sure of the diameter)... we had four people in the boat (200, 200, 150, 150)... around 40 gallons of gas... and probably around 100 pounds of other random stuff.... So I guess that's around 1000 pounds of weight in the boat.... I bet I'd break 50 with half a tank and half the people! (feel free to set me straight on this)

It's not the fastest boat on the lake, but that's plenty fast for me! I don't need any more speed than that... the lakes around here just aren't big enough! Cruising at around 35 was nice, and only ran around 3500 rpm... and wasn't overly loud. There may be a few adjustments left that can be made (bogs for about half a second when you hit the throttle hard), but I'm really happy! I'm most excited to see how it'll do with a wakeboarder (friends all do it) behind it because it pulls like a freight train!

I wasn't able to get any shots of the boat from outside of it (Steve didn't bring his boat today) but here's a link to a few shots on the water!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2598800/2

Thanks for reading, hope your day was as good as mine was!

-Carl

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Success at last!!

Looks like she runs great! Good for you Carl!

The boss looks happy too.....

Sounds like its propped correctly,should break that 50mph mark with just a couple people aboard..

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Success at last!!

Glad to hear you got to open her up. Is your prop vented? If not that could improve the hole shot a bit.

Looks like the Misses enjoys the boat as well! That should help tremendously

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Success at last!!

Studly, Gary, thanks!

I don't think the prop is vented... I'll attach the best pic I have... and yes, she does like the boat... which makes my life SOO much nicer! She only gets annoyed when I disappear for days to work on it... but those days should be relatively few and far between now that I've finally got it up and running! Not to say that I won't be working on it, but I shouldn't have to be gone for weekends at a time multiple weekends in a row...

-Carl

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Success at last!!

looks like that prop has a good bit of cupping to it,good for lift.
if it is vented it will have a couple holes near the front edge near the gear housing.
looks like a nice prop!

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Success at last!!

You can vent the prop yourself if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, a prop shop will do it for not too much change. It could definitely help her spin up when you push the throttle forward.​

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Success at last!!

Thanks again guys, is there any downside to venting the prop? Will I lose top end, or will it stay about the same? It planes out pretty quickly as it is... The prop is the one that came with the boat... which seems to have seen very little use! I was afraid that I'd have to change it out to get better holeshot (before I had the boat out) but it seems to be matched pretty much perfectly!

-Carl

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Success at last!!

From what i have read about venting is it helps more with hole shot than top end.When you start pulling tubes and skis if its a little slow on hole shot then think about it. With the boat running 48 mph with the load you had today i think you are doing great.Imagine out by yourself,she will fly!!

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Success at last!!

What venting does is create exhaust bubbles on the surface of the prop, this allows it to spin up faster for better out of the hole performance; once the prop spins up and the boat is moving forward, the exhaust no longer comes out of the holes so the prop "bites" more. Venting won't affect your midrange- top end at all. It could make a good bit of difference with the slight "hesitation" you mentioned earlier.​

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Success at last!!

Here's an excerpt on prop venting:

1.5.7 Vented Blades
​

An increasingly popular trend on high-performance boats these days are vented props - holes drilled in the outer hub.
Traditionally, props vent exhaust through the center of the hub to ensure undisturbed water delivery to the blades. Vented props allow a limited amount of exhaust to pass into the blade area through holes drilled in the outer hub. This aerates the water and reduces drag resistance on the blades. As the boat accelerates, the vented prop turns easier, allowing engine rpm to rise more rapidly for quicker hole shots. This means that vented props are hole-shot specialists. Once a boat is planing, water passes over the vent holes so fast that the holes effectively become ineffective and only minimal exhaust slips through. With the blades operating in solid, non-aerated water, there is no effect on top-end speed.
Too much aeration through vent holes, will cause a prop to slip. To keep this from happening, Mercury's new Performance Vent System (PVS) allows you to regulate flow by installing plugs into a series of holes with graded sizes. Each PVS prop comes with a set of plugs, which allowing you to find one that delivers the best performance for your set-up.