Hello all,
I have a 2001 Chaparral 196 ssi (19.6 feet) with a Mercruiser 5.0 EFI on an Alpha 1 Gen2. Current prop is Twister 14x21 stainless 3 blade with some slight damage (Nicks in two blades a little bigger than a pencil eraser) and a pair of Nauticus trim tabs. Boat is new to me and I have had it on the water a total of 5 times. I have noticed it takes way too long to come up on plane and it requires WOT to stay there. It’s even worse pulling a tube although it does eventually get there. It loses a lot of speed when turning. It feels sluggish, almost underpowered, and I am getting 4000 rpms at WOT and a max of 36mph ( this is with full tank and 2 adults, 2 small kids). There is a very slight vibration and is more noticeable at just above no wake speed. I have replaced fuel water separator, ran 2.5 tanks of fresh premium fuel through, thinking it could’ve had bad fuel. I am at a crossroads here in trying to chase an engine issue like plugs, wires etc…. Or trying a different prop. Can the little bit of damage on the prop cause this much of a performance issue? Maybe Its a combination of issues. Where would you guys start in diagnosing?
I have a 2001 Chaparral 196 ssi (19.6 feet) with a Mercruiser 5.0 EFI on an Alpha 1 Gen2. Current prop is Twister 14x21 stainless 3 blade with some slight damage (Nicks in two blades a little bigger than a pencil eraser) and a pair of Nauticus trim tabs. Boat is new to me and I have had it on the water a total of 5 times. I have noticed it takes way too long to come up on plane and it requires WOT to stay there. It’s even worse pulling a tube although it does eventually get there. It loses a lot of speed when turning. It feels sluggish, almost underpowered, and I am getting 4000 rpms at WOT and a max of 36mph ( this is with full tank and 2 adults, 2 small kids). There is a very slight vibration and is more noticeable at just above no wake speed. I have replaced fuel water separator, ran 2.5 tanks of fresh premium fuel through, thinking it could’ve had bad fuel. I am at a crossroads here in trying to chase an engine issue like plugs, wires etc…. Or trying a different prop. Can the little bit of damage on the prop cause this much of a performance issue? Maybe Its a combination of issues. Where would you guys start in diagnosing?
