Quote:
Originally Posted by pjzabo
. . . it takes a little while to get out of the hole and you get a little bit of a sky shot . . .
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This comment indicates that a 4 blade stern lifting prop with a little less pitch, a doelfin or equivalent and probably trim tabs are needed improve hole shot and help compensate for all that weight on the transom, even with the console and batteries moved forward.
Remember that the 20' hull was designed in the mid-60's for the I-6 Merc which weighed less than 300 lbs. The 18 is just a shorter version of the same hull, so I'd expect it to be even more weight sensitive than the 20. You can't hang a much heavier motor on it and expect it to ride and handle as it was designed to! You already have one of the best power/wt. ratio motors on the boat now, so I would expect that OVERALL handling and performance (ride, low speed planning ability, hole shot) will get WORSE with a heavier 4S motor on the transom, although it may burn a little less gas. I think you will need trim tabs, a doelfin and a 4 blade prop on that 4S to match the overall handling you have now. I'm speaking as a guy who went from a 300 lb motor on the transom to a 430 lb motor on a 30" setback bracket on a 20' boat that is less stern heavy than the CC configuration. Although I can now cruise a lot faster with half the fuel consumption and have a lot more load carrying ability, it took a LOT of tweaking to get the overall handling and performance as good as it was with the old motor! I'd pay a lot of attention to Snookerd's comments, as he probably has more experience with the 18 than anyone else on this forum.