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  1. #1
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    Question for RT 188 owners

    This is my first Aluminum boat. Running a 115 Pro XS (2 stroke) w/ Lazer II, 21P prop. Speed at 5200 rpm's is 43 - 44 mph (gps). Not sure what max rpm's are for this motor. When running and trimmed up all the way, the boat is running what I would call level. All my FG boats, the bow was up higher than this boat. Is this normal? What speeds are you getting with your props? Also does ranger make a special seat pole for these? The ones I purchased seems to be a touch smaller diameter and wobble some. Thanks
    Last edited by FlFedAngler; 03-20-2020 at 04:29 PM. Reason: add info


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  2. Member Bill Reynolds's Avatar
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    #2
    What year model is your boat? If it is 2015 or later, it should have the little trim tabs welded to the bottom of the boat at the transom.
    These were added to stop the porposing of the 2013 and 2014 models but the extra resistance tends to raise the bow.
    I have the same motor and run a 20 inch LaserII. I have a great hole shot and can feel and see the bow lift when I trim up while coming on plane.
    I believe the motor’s rated horsepower is at 5750 RPM but I have never been able to get close to that. 5400 is about it with the 20 inch prop. I have run this same motor on a 2014 RT188 without the trim tabs and speed was 46-48, but my current hull is a 2015 with the tabs and I lost about 2 MPH.
    The seat post are a standard 3/4 king Pin with threads. I have not heard of any being loose but there there were some problems with the threads getting stuck and requiring a pipe wrench to loosen.

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    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Reynolds View Post
    What year model is your boat? If it is 2015 or later, it should have the little trim tabs welded to the bottom of the boat at the transom.
    These were added to stop the porposing of the 2013 and 2014 models but the extra resistance tends to raise the bow.
    .
    Trim tabs will always hurt bow lift. Trim tabs added to correct porposing, means their purpose is to keep more of the hull in the water, which means less bow lift.

  4. Member Bill Reynolds's Avatar
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    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by PolarKraft195 View Post
    Trim tabs will always hurt bow lift. Trim tabs added to correct porposing, means their purpose is to keep more of the hull in the water, which means less bow lift.
    HYMMMM- I am getting more bow lift from somewhere, Same prop. My 2015 hull has the 4 inch setback plate, Maybe that’s it.

    I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
    Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching

  5. Member Panama's Avatar
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    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by PolarKraft195 View Post
    Trim tabs will always hurt bow lift. Trim tabs added to correct porposing, means their purpose is to keep more of the hull in the water, which means less bow lift.
    I ran the 2013 hull without the tabs.... I had them added at the Ranger factory when I was there for another purpose. The bow lifted more and the boat ran faster with the trim tabs added than it did without them. They still won't lift like glass boat, but they will lift a little and you can feel it in the seat of your pants if it is set up right. You really can feel it lift at maybe about 80% full throttle.

    To the original poster.... I think you need to try a 20 prop instead of the 21. As to the seats.... these seat poles are supposed to screw in and tighten to the nut on the bottom of the seat base. Your seat base nut might be broken off. That nut is not strong enough or very well fixed to the base. If the seat pole s not screwed down all the way and someone gets a little over anxious setting a hook then the nut breaks loose. Then the pole will wiggle a little.
    Last edited by Panama; 03-20-2020 at 07:10 PM.
    ----------------------------
    The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
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    2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
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    #6
    Thanks for the input. Mine is a 2015. I can hit 5500 easily but until I find out what max rpms I did not want to max it out very often. It is riding on the rear of the boat like it should be when trimmed up. I'm just used to seeing more lift. I guess the seat pole problem is the ones I purchased don't screw in. Thanks again.


    Have a good one and thank God for it!

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    #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Panama View Post
    I ran the 2013 hull without the tabs.... I had them added at the Ranger factory when I was there for another purpose. The bow lifted more and the boat ran faster with the trim tabs added than it did without them. They still won't lift like glass boat, but they will lift a little and you can feel it in the seat of your pants if it is set up right. You really can feel it lift at maybe about 80% full throttle.

    To the original poster.... I think you need to try a 20 prop instead of the 21. As to the seats.... these seat poles are supposed to screw in and tighten to the nut on the bottom of the seat base. Your seat base nut might be broken off. That nut is not strong enough or very well fixed to the base. If the seat pole s not screwed down all the way and someone gets a little over anxious setting a hook then the nut breaks loose. Then the pole will wiggle a little.
    I've NEVER heard trim tabs increasing bow lift...???

  8. Member Panama's Avatar
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    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by PolarKraft195 View Post
    I've NEVER heard trim tabs increasing bow lift...???
    I believe the reason is that the tabs allow me to trim the motor up. That is what lifts the bow.....the ability to trim. After the tabs were installed I could actually go to full trim. Before the tabs were installed, you could not trim much at all and the boat would porpoise. Just FYI....another thing the tabs improved was that the boat would dig and take a hard turn at full speed a lot better without the rear sliding a little bit.
    ----------------------------
    The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
    long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin

    2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
    LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
    1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA

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    #9
    I can't get anywhere near full trim on my 2017. It runs best with a little bit of trim.

    These mod V hulls don't lift like a pad hull.

    I'm running a 2017 ProxXS 4S with a 20 LaserII and no jack plate.

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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by n2ratfishin View Post
    I can't get anywhere near full trim on my 2017. It runs best with a little bit of trim.

    These mod V hulls don't lift like a pad hull.

    I'm running a 2017 ProxXS 4S with a 20 LaserII and no jack plate.
    Mod V aluminum hulls will not lift like a fiberglass padded hull, or an aluminium padded hull.

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    #11
    My RT does not like full trim at around half it gets easy to steer and rides best

  12. Member Panama's Avatar
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    #12
    Quote Originally Posted by fishon396 View Post
    My RT does not like full trim at around half it gets easy to steer and rides best
    I hardly ever run full speed.... I normally just cruise and my boat runs best between half and 3/4 trim but weight distribution and actual weight in the boat make a huge difference. I do not carry a Bass Pro Shop in my boat. I travel pretty light. I live on a lake with the RT behind my house. I normally know where I am going to go and have a good idea of what I will use. My RT spends most of its life like this. I travel light. I used to not travel light but one day I realized I carried probably 50-75 pounds of stuff I never used. I took it out.

    I seldom ever run full speed and trimmed all the way, but it will do it if the water is smooth - like first thing in the morning. And it drives just great.
    ----------------------------
    The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
    long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin

    2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
    LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
    1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA

  13. Member Panama's Avatar
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    #13
    Quote Originally Posted by PolarKraft195 View Post
    Mod V aluminum hulls will not lift like a fiberglass padded hull, or an aluminium padded hull.
    If you read post number 5, I said the same thing.....not like glass.... But it will lift some. You can actually feel it if you know what to feel. I have a you tube video somewhere here on this forum with my boat and motor running at full trim. I cannot find it now, but it created a discussion about the Yamaha trim gauge vs. the Merc trim gauge because it was at full trim and running fine. At the time, Bill Reynolds commented on it and we discussed it years ago. My boat will run at full trim on calm smooth water and it does a good job there ------ and the hull lifts some....but not like a glass boat.
    ----------------------------
    The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
    long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin

    2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
    LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
    1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA

  14. Member tcesni's Avatar
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    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by FlFedAngler View Post
    This is my first Aluminum boat. Running a 115 Pro XS (2 stroke) w/ Lazer II, 21P prop. Speed at 5200 rpm's is 43 - 44 mph (gps). Not sure what max rpm's are for this motor. When running and trimmed up all the way, the boat is running what I would call level. All my FG boats, the bow was up higher than this boat. Is this normal? What speeds are you getting with your props? Also does ranger make a special seat pole for these? The ones I purchased seems to be a touch smaller diameter and wobble some. Thanks
    As stated earlier, your maximum rpm is 5750 so you definitely need to reduce the pitch on your prop by at least one inch, maybe two depending upon what your normal load is. Also, what hole is your motor mounted at? This can definitely reduce rpms if it is mounted too low. Definitely seems as if the nut on your seat base has broken loose, mine has the same issue. These hulls run pretty flat but if you get some cup added to your prop (Mark Croxton is a sponsor and does a really good job) you can definitely get some lift.
    2018 Ranger RT188 SC Black/115 hp Yamaha SHO 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - north
    2018 Ranger RT188 DC Black/115 hp Merc Pro XS 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - south
    14' Mirrorcraft tin boat (ancient) with a 9.9 Mercury 4-stroke, no electronics; catches fish anyway

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    #15
    Thanks for all the info. Bottom line seems to be mine is pretty much running like everyone else's. If I can find a 20p to borrow I will give that a shot.

    Another thing I noticed while lake Seminole yesterday is while running (almost fill throttle) a lot of water was getting thrown up onto the bottom of the motor. I mean a lot. Next time some of you are out look back and see if yours does the same thing. Just curious.


    Have a good one and thank God for it!

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    #16
    The spray on the motor is common due to the disruption of the water flow by the trim tabs. My Triton 18TX does it too.

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    #17
    Like Panama said....you need to try a 20 prop. That's what I run and it runs great.

    Also, these boats DO lift some. They absolutely do. They don't lift like my glass boat did, but they do lift. I can feel it lift up around full throttle when trimmed out a lot....like maybe 75% full trim and 80 or 90% throttle. You can feel the boat lift all of a sudden. Weight location and weight amount really do affect these boats quite a bit.
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  18. Member tcesni's Avatar
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    #18
    Quote Originally Posted by FlFedAngler View Post
    Thanks for all the info. Bottom line seems to be mine is pretty much running like everyone else's. If I can find a 20p to borrow I will give that a shot.

    Another thing I noticed while lake Seminole yesterday is while running (almost fill throttle) a lot of water was getting thrown up onto the bottom of the motor. I mean a lot. Next time some of you are out look back and see if yours does the same thing. Just curious.
    If you end up going with a 20” prop and want to sell your 21” PM me. I would be interested.
    2018 Ranger RT188 SC Black/115 hp Yamaha SHO 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - north
    2018 Ranger RT188 DC Black/115 hp Merc Pro XS 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - south
    14' Mirrorcraft tin boat (ancient) with a 9.9 Mercury 4-stroke, no electronics; catches fish anyway

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    #19
    If I trim my 2017 much over half way it'll start hopping. Maybe a jack plate will help?

    The couple times I've hit 50.X it's taken a lot of playing with the trim keeping air under the hull without letting the hull hop and hit the water slowing me down. Most of the time I'm puttering around between 35 and 40 MPH. They just are not meant to go fast.

    Mine is a DC and I carry a "tackle boat" worth of stuff.

    One day I'll spring for a Spitfire. Most say those are the best props for the 188. I can turn the 20 too 5800 RPM's. With the ProXS 4S I could step down to a 19.

  20. Member Panama's Avatar
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    #20
    Quote Originally Posted by n2ratfishin View Post

    Mine is a DC and I carry a "tackle boat" worth of stuff.

    .
    And I bet you don't use 15 percent of it. I got a lot of stuff out of my boat and have not missed it at all....not one bit. I had stuff in there that I had not used in 5 years.

    I think your boat is running good. If it was mine, I would not mess with it if you are happy with the ride and hole shot. Your numbers are very good. Anything bought for it would not add enough improvement for the money. You have it dialed in better than most. People say they don't run fast and they don't. But they are designed for interior layout and front deck fishing. And when you think about it, really for a 19 foot boat with a 115 they do well. On your personal rig, I don't think you would expect much better than it is giving you. Nice job.
    Last edited by Panama; 03-24-2020 at 11:10 AM.
    ----------------------------
    The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
    long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin

    2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
    LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
    1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA

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