Quote:
Originally Posted by Vezo, Part II
. . . I think I'm going to spend the $225 on a Bobs Machine 5 in 1 manual jack plate rather than playing the one hole at a time game. Respectable run yesterday between showers and tach worked flawlessly trimmed and minimal tabs she stuck at 5800, as I remember from original sea trial. Boat freaking flies. Though probably a little heavier than the MA, she seems much more aerodynamic and feels faster.?.
I am having trouble learning most efficient way to get her on plane. I'm not a fan of dole fin additions, but could see a four blade lifting eventually. Mine is stamped 6/06 and mine seems to steer much further than your engine/steering you addressed with yours. Can't understand that one at all.
Prop is a SS Viper with no stamped measurement, unless inside and I cannot see it while at the dock.
As you said, for $300 or so I may like to mount the I-Command gauge in addition to the 94sv because I liked the information constantly available. If Ken says its duplication, then I'll skip it. Not sure if he monitors as closely, or if it's only a button away. . .
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Michael, I added a jack plate because it was the only way to get my motor high enough (AV plate is 6.0" above keel!) without a major change to the bracket, but in your case it's a waste of money IMHO. Increasing the setback on a heavy motor on the 20' hull is bad idea because it will make the boat tend to porpoise, make it harder to plane, tend to hurt the ride, and installing a jack plate is a lot more work than just raising the motor a couple of holes, especially if you have a trailer with a tongue jack on it! Just ask Capt. Terry what hole the 20" E-TEC is mounted in on his '76 Seafari - no trial and error process required! To raise motor, just lower tongue jack, put a block of wood under skeg, loosen lower mount bolts, pull top bolts, then crank up tongue jack till top bolts align with desired mount hole, and then reseal and reinstall bolts.
The Seafari will feel different from a MA, not only because it's a bit heavier with most of the extra weight further forward, but also because the hull is noticeably stiffer in bending and torsion. The cabin top and bulkhead tie the two hull sides together, plus the tall coaming on the sides stiffens it in the fore and aft direction. Sandy has said several times that in a rough chop, my boat has a more solid feel to it than his SF model.
The Viper prop is BRP's bow-lifting high speed prop, good for bass boats, but probably not what you want if running offshore in rough seas where you want to be able to hang on plane at low speed for the most comfortable ride, which requires a stern lifting prop. If the 5800 WOT rpm is accurate, you're underpropped, since the optimum is 5300-5500 for a 2007 motor. My guess is that it's a 14.75 X 17P Viper, P/N 176626 or 763914 (2-piece TBX hub). Should be able to see PN inside the aft hub, just above the nut. Next time you're out, try trimming motor all the way down and see how slow you can run and still hang on plane. A 4B Cyclone, probably a 14.5x15P, will hang on plane at lower speed, have a much stronger hole shot and better mpg than the Viper, although it might cost you a couple mph in top speed.
Since I'm a performance oriented guy, I like being able to monitor a bunch of engine stuff all the time, and I don't think I'd like having to keep pushing buttons to switch a chart plotter back and forth between engine info and chart or depth sounder. My 2 large and 2 small I-Command gauges are programmed allow me to continually monitor rpm, water temp, % throttle, mpg, trim position, fuel level, fuel burned and range on remaining fuel.
The model code translates as follows: D=E-TEC, S=Saltwater Edition, L=20" Shaft (X=25"), SU=2007, F=Model Run or suffix. My S/N is 05147575, so probably earlier than yours and it's a 25" shaft instead of 20", so about 15 lbs heavier than yours. Denny