1989 Evinrude 60hp VRO "sluggish"

[fishinisfun]

Hello! 3 years ago, I purchased a 1989 16'9" stratos bass boat. It came with an Evinrude 60 hp vro outboard motor. Last time the boat was driven before me was 1991. the previous owner said that his wife died so he hurried off the lake and never ran it out of gas. that was the last time it was touched until i bought it in 2010. Since then, i had 3 marine engine mechanics go through the engine. ive had the carbs cleaned and re jetted, impeller replaced, a few seals replaced and had the whole motor gone over by all 3 mechanics. i heared that the oil injection sometimes failed, so i took it out and just started mixing my oil into the gas. i also had problems with water getting into my gas tank from the breathing tube, so i put a gas water separator. i then had problems with it starving for gas, so i put in an automotive fuel pump with a regulator.

The engine now seems to run great, but it just feels sluggish. im not sure if its because its a heavy boat with all my gear and such, but it takes quite a while to get on plane... with 2 people and the livewells filled, good luck getting on plane unless one person helps by moving to the front casting deck. I put a hydrofoil on the motor and that helped a little, but its still a huge problem. Here's the kicker, once i get on plane, my max speed is 28mph at 5200 rpms.

my prop is a 13 3/4 x 15 3 blade. i have friends 16 foot boats with 40hp motors that get out of the hole and have a top end speed faster than mine.

So basically, i have a poor hole shot, and poor top end but my rpms reach a decent 5200. does this mean that my boat is just too heavy? any help would be appreciated! thanks!

 

[fishfeatures]

Re: 1989 Evinrude 60hp VRO "sluggish"

i have a 1990 60hp , and it has a 13 3/4 x 15 and the hole shot is great and it goes at 5700 rpm. I also have a 17" prop too which still gives a good hole shot a bit more top end . Now the boat in my avatar is what it's on so it's considerably smaller than yours but i do carry 2-4 people and with 4 people it takes a bit longer to plane but still goes great.

Whip off the silencer cover and see if your butterflies are opening at 90 deg at WOT. if not do a lync and sync other than that my only comment is "automotive fuel pump"?? my fuel pump is connected to the bottom of the crankcase which provides the suction/pulse to draw the fuel in. I don't know how an auto pump works but i reckon change that for a start cause you ain't driving a car M8...

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: 1989 Evinrude 60hp VRO "sluggish"

i have the same boat but a 91 model. mine has a 70hp now after i removed the 120 that required a jacking plate or it couldnt be tilted. the boat was way back heavy with the 120 and 6" plate and was no fun to drive and i hate fishing of a boat that wont sit level. with the 70 its better ballanced but it does seem way slower and more tame coming on plane now. im no expert but i know on these boats that prop and engine height make a real big diffrence in the handling. im on a 20" shaft running one bolt hole down ran better i think at 2 or 3 bolts holes down (raising engine another 1 to 2 inchs) i am at the moment running a 13-1/4 x 17 prop and my only complaint is the engine takes a while to wind up im trying my old prop which is 12-3/4 x 21 this weekend if it doesnt rain to see if thats better or worse. do you have trim and tilt?. do you have 3 large batterys and 20 gallons of gas in the back? has it got a case of the dreaded wet foam adding extra weight (11 years out of the water and bass boats dont live in the water more like trailer queens so i wouldnt look at the foam as a starting point but i have to mention it)
i think one of them there mechanics owes you a favour and could lend you a few used props to play with. also take a few pics of the rear of the boat, height of the cavation plate compaired to bottom of boat and trimmed all the way in or where you have the pin placed