I have a 2020 suzuki 20 hp tiller on my alumicraft 145 escape. Boat is underpowered but gotta go with it for now. Runs so so with me alone it it but struggles to plane with 2 people. It came with a 9" pitch prop and really struggled to plane then hit the rev limiter when it was running. Got a 12" prop ( cheap on ebay). Similar results but runs pretty good with just me in it. I was wondering what prop options are out there for this motor. 4 blade? Stainless? Thanks for any info!!
I've got the same motor on my little 12ft mini bass boat. I have a 9 and a 10 pitch, the 9 gets on plane a bit better with 2 people, but will hit the limiter, the 10 takes a little longer to get up, but runs faster and doesn't hit the limiter. I bought a 4 blade 8 pitch and it won't go above 5 mph without cavitating. 1" of pitch makes a lot of difference on these little motors. I bet the 10" pitch would suit you perfectly. Jumping to the 12" was just too much of a change.
Thanks for the info tim. Can't really do much now as money is tight. It's my fault for going cheap and getting the 20. Should have got the 25 with tnt. Was more worried about the extra 40# s too. Really like the motor though. 3 gallons of gas goes a long ways! I took the battery for the trolling motor out up front. Running just 1 battery. Don't see any problems with that right now.
I was really wondering about any stainless options.
Sometimes weight distribution makes all the difference in a low HP boat especially a tin boat. Taking the trolling motor battery out, did you remove it or just move it? With 2 people try having the other person sit forward and see if you plane out easier. A boat with a nose high attitude is really hard to plane with low horsepower.
I originally got the motor to put on my old hull, which had a 90 degree transom. The old Yamaha 25 autolube worked fine with it, but the Suzuki, and maybe all more modern motors are built for angled transoms, so they don't tuck under enough for a 90 degree transom, which is why I had troubles with the old hull and messed about with props, including the 4 blade, to try to cure it. There are very few, if any stainless props available for the little Suzuki. You should be able to get a 3 blade 10 pitch off ebay for under $100.
I removed the trolling motor battery which was up front. Running just one battery which is in the back.
The other significant thing is how deep the motor is set, will have a big impact on how well she gets on the plane, how much the nose reaches for the sky, and on top speed.
Lift the motor up so it sits higher on the transom if possible. Try to get the anti vent plate skimming the surface when running at speed.
Maybe you can temporarily put it back and see if you get a positive change.Originally Posted by Alumicraft145
I did raise the motor on a board about 3\4". Might have room for a little more. Maybe I gotta try putting the second battery back in the front compartment. Thanks for the tips. The props these things come with look like toys.
Well, only make one change at a time. If you make more than one you won't know which one, or was it both, that helped.
Yeah Bill i thought of that. Will proceed one change at a time life is a whirlwind right now, work is going crazy, ramps closed with the virus etc. Still haven't even got registration yet from dealer. I did walk by the boat yesterday and figure i can still raise the motor a bit. It clamps on so I got limits to this. I do have a few more questions... Motor is a portable... How hard to install a tach?
It's a great little motor though. $ 3300 to the door. The 145 escape is A nice little boat. Tows great with the fiesta. goes forever on 3 gallons of gas. One thing I did was get the transducer pad for the sonar. I really like that.
A buddy just left a care package in my car... gave me his old x18c sonar GPS(plus an old hot spots maps card) so got a free upgrade to install. Now I can move the Garmin up to the trolling motor. Looks like I got a beer filled boat service day coming up!!
When moving motor. You would not believe how many motors that were clamped on come loose and leave on their own. Check the clamps frequently, some even use a chain or cable to back up the clamps. I have towed two in that left the dock with a motor and didn't come back with one.
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