To make a long story short...I had to cross a 200 yard stretch the other day on plane to access a little creek. While making the run I missed the very narrow stretch I needed to be in by a few feet and felt the skeg dragging in the mud. I also bumped a few objects along the way although nothing seemed to hard. I was in some pretty skinny water because if I wasn't going 55 I would have been stuck until the tide came in. So that's what happened and here is my issue...
I'm running a 24p Trophy Plus on a 285 Stratos with a 175 Pro XS. I have a hydraulic jack plate and normally run the motor on #2 on the jack plate gauge although I can run it as high as #3 while on plane and still have decent water pressure. No matter where I run the motor, I have never had a rooster tail even when fully trimmed out. After this incident of getting into the creek my boat seems to be running different. I now have a rooster tail that is just below the top of the cowling when running the motor at #2. On top of that, if I run the motor any higher, my water pressure falls of drastically. It is as if my setup has completely changed.
I figure I need a water pump because who knows what I did to it when I went though all that mud at high speeds but what is up with the rooster tail? Could I have damaged the prop in a way that is giving the prop more stern lift to the point where I am surfacing the prop to create a rooster tail? I have inspected the prop and have found no cracks. Could 88 degree water and 90 degree air temperature cause this even though the prop wasn't doing this a week ago with similar water/weather conditions?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mcmanucr
