Top speed of your sunbird??

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firehawkws6

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Jan 19, 2011
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Got a 89' 19ft sunbird with the 4.3 omc and can only get it up to 37mph, thats with a SS 14 1/2 x19p prop thats not in the best shape. Whats the top speed some of you sunbird owners are getting out of your boats?
 
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

91 sunbird 4.3 omc 19 ft cuddy cabin 15 x 17 prop in bad shape low 30s
 
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3djunky1

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May 16, 2011
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

i have a 18.5 corsair with a 4.3l cobra and a 14.25 x 19 pitch prop and at max wot im running 48mph!!!!
 

daman4469

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Feb 22, 2009
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

I have a 1990 Sunbird Corsica 195 with an OMC (Ford) 5.0L Cobra, 15x17 prop in great shape, running about 42MPH at WOT with 3 people on board, around 4200 rpm. I have seen 45 MPH on smooth waters.
 
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

Update bought a solas 14.5 x 19 gps said 40 was hopping for 45 but all well
 

thecaptn

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

93 Corsair 198 ss 3.0 ... 36mph. hydro fins on the cav plate added quite a bit
 

Tunedport350

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

97 Coral 190 cuddy, 115 Johnson (I'm the only one with an outboard ?) 14x17 prop = 38 mph @ 5200
 

Martuni

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

I just got my 1994, 19' Corsair Bowrider with Johnson 115 outboard. On the second trip out on the nice flat bay I hit 36 MPH. I hope to do a little better with some tuning and maybe a prop refurb or replacement.
 

Steve_in_Tosa

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

97 Coral 190 cuddy, 115 Johnson (I'm the only one with an outboard ?) 14x17 prop = 38 mph @ 5200

I have a 1994 Sunbird Corsair 170, with a 115 Johnson Outboard as well.. I have a beat up 13.2 x 17 aluminum prop (which is pretty beat up). My top speed is about 32 at WOT, but my RPM's are running way to high 6,200. Is your 14 x 17 SS or aluminum? I put a hydrofoil on as well and that helps the boat plane out a lot faster.. Thanks..
 

Animal Chin

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

Hey guys I think myself and maybe two other people in America have a 1996 sunbird neptune. I say this because well, try finding any info on this boat! Anyway, it's working out great for me and my family, we're having loads of fun tubing, fishing ,and skiing.

On to the question at hand.

I have a Sunbird Neptune 181 dc with a 90 hp Evinrude and a 14x17 aluminum prop. I'm getting 32 mph on my best days and around 28 mph average. Problem is, I'm only getting around 4200-4500 rpm wot depending on the load.

I just found a used stainless steel prop on Ebay in good shape and at a good price and I'm hoping and praying it's just what I need.

The new prop is a 13 3/8 x 12.

Now going with the math I've been reading from all the prop matching articles every degree of pitch results in 150-200 rpm gain/loss. So 5 degrees of pitch loss should equal 750-1000 rpm gain at wot.

I know the prop is a bit smaller diameter but I also understand that the stainless steel should be stronger and therefore result in a little bit less of rpm gain.

I'm looking for better hole shot to give my skiers a better chance of getting out of the water.

I'll try and report back and maybe the other 1 or 2 Sunbird Neptune owners can use this info for comparison!
 

Animal Chin

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

Update*

Well it turns out the prop I ordered on ebay wasn't a 13 3/8 x 12 but a 13 3/8 by 17. That means, supposedly the only difference between my old prop and the new one is 5/8 inch diameter. Well I thought I would give it a go anyhow just to get an idea and wow. Much better hole shot and gained 500 rpms. I also picked up about 2-3 mph, achieved 34 mph on the gps in rough waters. I think i'm going to stick with this prop for a while. Still have a bit of room for improvement but for a $70 ebay stainless steel prop, I'm pretty happy.
 

MrRobMayer

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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

My 18.5 ft. with the 3.0 topped out at 47 with about 400 lbs of water logged foam and wood under the deck. That's if the speedo wasn't lying to me.
 

SpitAndDirt

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Sep 23, 2008
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

My 18.5 ft. with the 3.0 topped out at 47 with about 400 lbs of water logged foam and wood under the deck. That's if the speedo wasn't lying to me.


+1 My 20.5 ft with it's 5.0L Ford H.O. Cobra got me up to 47mph also without any passengers. Of course my speedo could be grossly off. I would say at least 40mph. It's going to be awhile before I GPS it though.....:(
 

Destin Rigger

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Apr 24, 2012
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

I have a 1996 230 w/a cuddy cabin with a 225 Mariner O/B. I haven't had it but a few weeks, but it did 40 mph with still a little bit of throttle left.
 

mpilot

Seaman
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Feb 1, 2010
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

1994 Sunbird Corsair 200 open bow (haven't seen many of these around) with the 5.0 Ford. Hit 52 on GPS with two people on board and a quarter tank of gas roughly, but I was overrevving by a little bit according to the tach. Also this is when the boat only had a doghouse over the engine with no upholstery and two captains chairs. It's a little heavier beast now that it has the sundeck, bow cushions, etc.
 

ads8900

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Aug 18, 2013
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Re: Top speed of your sunbird??

Just had my 1996 Sunbird Corsair 220SL Cuddy LE 5.8 EFI on lake tonite,52 mph,with a 14.3x 21 prop.two people.
 

Jprevat

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Apr 25, 2016
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1998 200 SL with a 4.3 GL 2 bbl spinning a 21+ pitch ss prop and I consistently see 46 mph by GPS
 
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