ParallaxBill
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2006
- Messages
- 341
Hi folks, it was 50 degrees @ 10 AM today in sunny south/central NC so I finally got my boat back on the lake for some GPS speed trials and a test run of my wireless W45 trolling motor. We had been at Bass Pro Shops yesterday so my daughter caught the fever to go boating and talked me into getting off the couch for a while.
First off was the speed run to test out my prop selection and maximum rpms since I fixed my tach problem some time ago. Trimmed out for speed with two adults, 2/3rd's fuel load on board my 18' Tarpon Glassmaster tri-hull ran 41 mph (gps) at 4,300 rpms. I think that was excellent as the redline for my 165 Mercuiser L6 is 4,300 rpm. My prop is a new 14.5" x19 pitch alum.Michigan Wheel. Previous was a 13.75"X21 pitch SS Mercruiser prop.
The GPS worked flawlessly.
The wind had picked up to 15-20 mph on the lake so it was going to be a great test of my new trolling motor. In all conditions it responded extremely well once I got used to the standard remote foot controller. The optional key fob remote would be far better just for the convenience IMHO. But I gotta save up for one of those. My boat is pretty heavy at 1,800 Lbs but at full trottle the 45 Lb thrust moved me into the wind quite well. I ran the motor constantly for 3 hours with no indication of subtantial battery drain. I am using an old deep cycle battery of questionable life.
So to summarize, I'm glad my daughter talked me into going out on the lake. My prop choice seems to be dead on for my boat/motor/load combination, and my Lowrance H20 GPS helped me determine my max speed on wind driven choppy water.
All in all a good day with no problems to report.
First off was the speed run to test out my prop selection and maximum rpms since I fixed my tach problem some time ago. Trimmed out for speed with two adults, 2/3rd's fuel load on board my 18' Tarpon Glassmaster tri-hull ran 41 mph (gps) at 4,300 rpms. I think that was excellent as the redline for my 165 Mercuiser L6 is 4,300 rpm. My prop is a new 14.5" x19 pitch alum.Michigan Wheel. Previous was a 13.75"X21 pitch SS Mercruiser prop.
The GPS worked flawlessly.
The wind had picked up to 15-20 mph on the lake so it was going to be a great test of my new trolling motor. In all conditions it responded extremely well once I got used to the standard remote foot controller. The optional key fob remote would be far better just for the convenience IMHO. But I gotta save up for one of those. My boat is pretty heavy at 1,800 Lbs but at full trottle the 45 Lb thrust moved me into the wind quite well. I ran the motor constantly for 3 hours with no indication of subtantial battery drain. I am using an old deep cycle battery of questionable life.
So to summarize, I'm glad my daughter talked me into going out on the lake. My prop choice seems to be dead on for my boat/motor/load combination, and my Lowrance H20 GPS helped me determine my max speed on wind driven choppy water.
All in all a good day with no problems to report.
