Re: New to pontoons
I would run a calculation using a prop calculator and see where it comes out. You will need the max rpm of the engine, the pitch of the prop and the gear case ratio of the motor. I do mine manual as follows: This example is based on a 5,500 rpm engine with a 1.87 :1 gearbox ratio and an 11-pitch prop. (1 / 1.87=.5347) Sorry I just like math.
5,500 engine rpm x .5347 gearbox ratio = 2,941 prop shaft rpm x 11 inches per rev = 32,351 inches per minute. Then 32,351 / 12 = 2,696 feet per minute x 60 minutes = 161,760 feet per hour / 5,280 = 30.63 mph theoretical speed. The slippage factor is a wild guess but with a basic aluminum prop let’s say it’s 25% loss, which will knock this example down to about 23 mph.
My gut feeling is that this is aggressive math for that boat and you will probably be below 20 mph. At one time I had a 24-foot with an old 85 hp on it and we could barely tube behind it. That boat was long and only had 19” tubes so it didn’t turn well and that’s what you need if the riders get bored with tubing straight behind the boat. I skied behind it once just to say I did but it wasn’t fun. The tubes on the boat you’re looking at are probably larger, it’s a shorter boat and the motor is rated stronger than the old ones so there’s some upside there on all three accounts. You might check the max hp rating and see if there’s any room to grow in the future if it’s a great deal now.
You will have fun fishing and putting around the lake but if you’re tube riders get a little brave and want some action outside the wake, you’re going to have a hard time and probably be disappointed.
If you do buy it there are two relatively easy things you can do besides making sure the motor runs good to get the max out of the boat. 1) Skin the underside of the boat with sheet aluminum so the splash and rolling waves don’t hit the cross joists and slow the boat down in surges. There are several good threads in this forum you can search for on “under skinning”. 2) Get with a good prop shop and select the best prop for the boat. It’s amazing what the right prop will do. I use Power Tech out of Louisiana and they can help with the right pitch as well as getting the right style prop for the boat. You have to order it through one of their dealers once they help with the selection. When you start talking to several dealers about props you will get several opinions and based on my experience most of them are conflicting. These guys Power Tech know what they’re taking about.
