Motor height on pontoon?

[Cheaptoon]

Hello all, Got a 1986 bass buggy pontoon 20' with an 84 merc 50 hp.First off I know I'm pitched wrong (well I do now anyway 14 pitch on a toon)......My question is.. where should the center of the prop sit in relation to th bottom of the toons? As it sits now the center of the prop is sitting about 2" above the bottom of the toons. The motor is a 20" shaft i do know that.It seems to me like the prop should should sit below the toons ....yes? Thanks ahead for the advice.

 

[Cubbyblue22]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

I know as of now my prop is sitting about 4 inches below the bottom of the toons, however I haven't had mine in the water yet, that's just how it's sitting. I would imagine you'd want it at least at the level of the bottom. I know this is a simple question but is your motor mounted all the way down on the transom?

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

The anti-cavitation plate above the prop needs to be within an inch of the bottom of the transom, therefore, the prop should be well below the transom. What the relationship to the pontoons is, I couldn't say.

 

[Cheaptoon]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Here are a couple more variables to add to this, It does ventilate rather heavily when i make sharper turns, and it does have a hydro foil installed on it. I will post pics later today of the the back of the boat to show the location. Thanks all

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Here are a couple more variables to add to this, It does ventilate rather heavily when i make sharper turns, and it does have a hydro foil installed on it. I will post pics later today of the the back of the boat to show the location. Thanks all

Is it a long shaft (20")? It needs to be.

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Hello all, Got a 1986 bass buggy pontoon 20' with an 84 merc 50 hp.First off I know I'm pitched wrong (well I do now anyway 14 pitch on a toon)......My question is.. where should the center of the prop sit in relation to th bottom of the toons? As it sits now the center of the prop is sitting about 2" above the bottom of the toons. The motor is a 20" shaft i do know that.It seems to me like the prop should should sit below the toons ....yes? Thanks ahead for the advice.

I also have a '86 Bass Buggy (GREAT BOAT)
I run a '86 110 Johnson on mine & a 17 pitch works best on mine but dont help you much (sorry)
This is the only pic i have rite now (mines sitting in a barrel doing some tuning on it this week) but it might give you a idea where the cavitation plate is in relation to the toons- The 20" shaft is right for you boat-

 

[Cheaptoon]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Thanks for the pics there It does have a 20" shaft motor on it, I guess I could have mentioned that earlier (hey boss When you get a minute can you get me a lower shot of that backside? Thanks all

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Just mount the motor full down. A 50 HP motor on a 20 foot toon is going to want all the bite it can get. In fact unless you have a bunch of power (say 100 hp or more) mounting full down is the best setup. The engine on a pontoon operates in very turbulent water so the lower you get it into the water the better. Drag caused by the low mounted engine is a drop in the bucket compared to the drag the and turbulence caused by the design of the pontoon.

 

[Cheaptoon]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Just mount the motor full down. A 50 HP motor on a 20 foot toon is going to want all the bite it can get. In fact unless you have a bunch of power (say 100 hp or more) mounting full down is the best setup. The engine on a pontoon operates in very turbulent water so the lower you get it into the water the better. Drag caused by the low mounted engine is a drop in the bucket compared to the drag the and turbulence caused by the design of the pontoon.

Thats just the problem it is full down on the transom, To go lower I will need to alter the transom

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Thanks for the pics there It does have a 20" shaft motor on it, I guess I could have mentioned that earlier (hey boss When you get a minute can you get me a lower shot of that backside? Thanks all

I'll get a good pic this weekend

 

[Cheaptoon]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

Here is a pic of the back sidethe motor is tilted up around 3 " do to the trailer,do i need to go lower with this motor or should it be ok?

 

[can-amsledder]

Re: Motor height on pontoon?

From the pic the cavitation plate is below the water line. You should be fine.