A friend and I went on a couple large lakes and a river in the past couple of weeks with an Intex Mariner 4, the Intex motor mount, and two different motors. The first motor used was an 86 lbs thrust electric motor that we thought would make it upriver on the Muskegon River in Michigan (Lower Peninsula by Newaygo), the second largest river in the state. It basically was running in place, though once we got it turned around off the edge of the river, at the motor's top speed level it got back upriver to the launch (a bit over a football field distance return trip) at about 1-2 mph. We didn't attempt that nonsense again. The second motor we ran in large lake called Wabasis, and another lake called Murray, and the motor angles in so the propeller is at a higher trim angle than it should be. It stiffens and even prevents steering when it does that, so we're trying to learn what is a way to get the motor to not dig so strong or completely keep it straight in the water, and on a sort of budget. The second motor is a gas-powered, 2.5 HP Suzuki, weighing 31 lbs., 3-blade prop, and has a kill switch. It's really interesting that it merely goes 5 mph at not even 1/2 throttle stick rotation, and I surmise that it doesn't go faster when increasing the stick rotation because of the motor digging and the propeller angling into the raft. It's pulling up on the plastic holes that the mount bars go through quite strongly, stretching them a bit too much, and I fear it's capable of ripping them off the raft.
One aspect of the Mariner 4 is it has an inflatable keel, and it's a stabilizing factor for the boat, but I think it may also create somewhat of a drag force on the motor propeller's water action, allowing it to quickly tip in to the raft on the initial torque of a speed slightly higher than minimum. If the motor were lifted out of the water by around 6", and secured in its upright position (not able to angle in easily), then I think it would be sufficient to get a faster speed and not cause steering issues or strain on the raft's onboard components. The design of the Intex motor mount is another factor that is off for the raft too. It's too far down, actually being well below the mid-line of vertical plane of the raft (where there's a rock guard around the perimeter of the raft), so it's distributing weight with the top-heavy engine on the aft of the boat, which is probably inducing the motor to dig in at an angle with enough propeller thrust.
Any ideas?
One aspect of the Mariner 4 is it has an inflatable keel, and it's a stabilizing factor for the boat, but I think it may also create somewhat of a drag force on the motor propeller's water action, allowing it to quickly tip in to the raft on the initial torque of a speed slightly higher than minimum. If the motor were lifted out of the water by around 6", and secured in its upright position (not able to angle in easily), then I think it would be sufficient to get a faster speed and not cause steering issues or strain on the raft's onboard components. The design of the Intex motor mount is another factor that is off for the raft too. It's too far down, actually being well below the mid-line of vertical plane of the raft (where there's a rock guard around the perimeter of the raft), so it's distributing weight with the top-heavy engine on the aft of the boat, which is probably inducing the motor to dig in at an angle with enough propeller thrust.
Any ideas?
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