Cajun 185 starting point

[JoshKeller]

Hey guys, 185 cajun fishin machine. 200 hp merc 2.4. No jack plate. What's a good height to start with motor height ? Thanks

[pmgoffjr]

That is a really heavy hull. Without a plate, I wouldn't go more than second hole up.

[JoshKeller]

That is a really heavy hull. Without a plate, I wouldn't go more than second hole up.

With a 200 and no plate, what kind of speed should I expect? It would be 60 - 61 when I was testing the motor

[pmgoffjr]

Sounds about right. You could rig a plate, test a bunch of props and may find 64ish. I'd just save my nickels and go fishing.

[JoshKeller]

That is a really heavy hull. Without a plate, I wouldn't go more than second hole up.

Are you saying install motor with bolts thru the 2nd set of bolts from the top? Looks like I need to drop down a hole then..

[pmgoffjr]

Don’t touch anything until you run it. Let the boat tell you what it wants.

[JoshKeller]

What should I be looking for?

[pmgoffjr]

You want all around performance, good hole shot, decent handling, and optimum top speed.
So, with your regular fishing load (Never test light) see what it does, holeshot: time to plane, does it lug along before it finally breaks over? Does it cavitate and blow out?
Midrange: does the boat porpoise? Does the prop want to cavitate in turns?
Top speed: With full power/full trim, what's it doing? RPMs? Speed? Does the boat feel flat to the water? Is the water breaking out the sides or straight back? Is the steering super stiff in a left turn, or sort of numb? How high is the roostertail?

That's what you need to know before you change anything. Setup is taking it too far and bringing it back, but without a starting point, you can't make that decision.

[JoshKeller]

You want all around performance, good hole shot, decent handling, and optimum top speed.
So, with your regular fishing load (Never test light) see what it does, holeshot: time to plane, does it lug along before it finally breaks over? Does it cavitate and blow out?
Midrange: does the boat porpoise? Does the prop want to cavitate in turns?
Top speed: With full power/full trim, what's it doing? RPMs? Speed? Does the boat feel flat to the water? Is the water breaking out the sides or straight back? Is the steering super stiff in a left turn, or sort of numb? How high is the roostertail?

That's what you need to know before you change anything. Setup is taking it too far and bringing it back, but without a starting point, you can't make that decision.

I got some run time in sunday. Mercury revolution 4 blade 21p. holeshot even better with all 4 plugs removed - no blowing out with 2 people and fishing gear.

60 mph gps at 6300 rpm.
Great hole shot. No cavitation.

Mid range was dead smooth, 4500 rpm at 43 mph. No steering torque. I can trim the motor completely out and it never loses bite. No cavitation in turns.

Wide open the boat was easy to drive without any steering torque. 60 mph at 6300 rpm. Water spray coming straight back with a cowling height rooster tail and full trim. Water pressure was 22psi. Steering had some torque at half trim, but goes away after trimming. When i cruise and hammer down, the ass end of the boat does slide a tiny bit to the right side. running wot fully trimmed, and letting off the throttle to go back to cruising speed, the hull slides to the left a little.

I believe I may need a steeper prop, however it was 45 degrees out, and my other rig loses 2 - 300 rpm in the hot humid summer air. I have a 25p solas 4 blade ill try next time out to get some numbers on it.