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  1. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #21
    Quote Originally Posted by BigFishSteve View Post
    Could be a water heavy boat. Many a nice boat got stored, nose down outside. I hate that so bad, my wife hate it too, as she will say it before me now, just to not hear me point it out.

    Also, does that motor have a flip down "trailering" positioin bracket? A simple thing, but could keep you from trimming all the way down. Can you trim it all the way down and put a side view picture here?
    Do you mean waterlogged? it seems to sit normal in the water. No flip down bracket, I use a transom saver.
    I store the boat away from the house but will be bringing it home tomorrow to check some things that have been suggested. Yes, I can post a side view picture.

  2. Member
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    #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Lea View Post
    At the top of theChampion boats forum here on BBC is a thread on how to measure prop to pad.
    Awesome, thanks! I need that info.

  3. Member
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    Nov 2012
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    Mercer County Illinois
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    #23
    HoustonG, a word of advice if you are new to bass boats, the 340 was not a beginners model. When on plane at high speed you have to "drive" the boat to keep it from chine walking. The flotation foam could be waterlogged adding excess weight. Ranger only made the 340 for a few years.

  4. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #24
    Quote Originally Posted by willwork4fish View Post
    Once you get up on plane and the boat is "doing fine" what are your RPMs? There's a chance your control cables might not be giving you full throttle. I don't know what max RPMs are for an '85 but I had a '96 150 ProV that I had propped to turn 5800. Running a 25M it would pop my '96 Eyra right out of the water. Yours probably has 1.86 gears.

    At WOT you should be able to turn over 5500 RPM. I would think more with a 21p.
    tr2.jpg
    this is trimmed all the way down
    Last edited by HoustonG; 06-17-2021 at 04:28 PM.

  5. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #25
    motor mounted on third hole down.
    tr1.jpg

  6. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #26
    Prop shaft is 3-4" below pad, cavitation plate just above pad. It seems these are about where i've read they should be.

  7. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #27
    I also installed a Stingray Classic Pro hydrofoil today. It's a pretty large fin and has Stingray's highest rating for stern lift. I'll see if it helps.

  8. Member
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    #28
    Quote Originally Posted by HoustonG View Post
    Prop shaft is 3-4" below pad, cavitation plate just above pad. It seems these are about where i've read they should be.
    A 1" variable is a wide margin, when tuning engine height you go in 1/4 increments. I ran Rangers for 20 years never heard of one needing a Stingray.

  9. Member
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    Aug 2005
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    Johns Island, SC
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    #29
    Quote Originally Posted by HoustonG View Post
    motor mounted on third hole down.
    tr1.jpg
    Why is that plate mounted against the transom?

    Gives me the impression the transom is bad. I’m betting your foam is also waterlogged. That boat should be a screamer if the motor is good.

  10. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #30
    An aluminum backing plate I guess. The side against the transom is rubber with long vertical grooves. As for the transom being bad, there's no flex in it whatsoever. Somebody else mentioned the waterlogged foam theory. Wouldn't the boat sit low in the water if that were the case?

  11. Member
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    #31
    Quote Originally Posted by HoustonG View Post
    An aluminum backing plate I guess. The side against the transom is rubber with long vertical grooves. As for the transom being bad, there's no flex in it whatsoever. Somebody else mentioned the waterlogged foam theory. Wouldn't the boat sit low in the water if that were the case?
    Every boat I’ve seen with a metal plate like that is due to the owner trying to buy time with a bad transom.

    You could have water saturating your foam and not notice much of a change in how the boat sits in the water. It could be widespread, or just localized to a section. One gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs. I still lean towards water saturating your foam, and due to that plate likely a bad transom. That boat should be a hot rod if the engine is good. Watch your motor when you try to get on plane, you may see it flexing.

    Can you post pics of the transom?

  12. Member paulrodbender's Avatar
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    #32
    I would drill a small hole on the inside of the transom just past the layer of glass and see if water comes out. I know you bought it this way but I don't really like the wedges, plate, steel nuts and bolts and looks like an aluminum prop.

  13. Member
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    Jun 2013
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    #33
    Maybe remove your transom bolts one at a time and see if the transom is wet inside. Either way, I would certainly replace the rusty bolts, washers, nuts with proper stainless steel and of correct tensile strength. Don’t forget to reseal every bolt. I certainly hope the best for you and your rig. As many have said, if your motor is running to specs and the setup is correct, the 340 should fly with a 150. Keep us updated and good luck.

  14. Member
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    Dec 2004
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    maryville, tn
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    #34
    I believe that years has a wooden transom. could be waterlogged leaking around one or more of the bolts. I had a 340 back in the day and it was a screamer with the 150. had to be driven when on pad.
    best of luck

  15. Member
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    Jun 2021
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    #35
    Had the boat out today with the new hydrofoil. All I can say is WOW what a difference. The boat gets on plane immediately and stays there at slow speeds. It gets on plane at around 2200 rpm. I drove around the lake for over 3 hours and that Stingray made a night and day difference. I do, however, realize it could be masking an underlying problem. After reading the comments about a possible bad transom, I checked it out again. With the boat trailered and the motor tilted up high, I put all my weight (230lbs) on the lower unit and bounced on it. I couldn't see any flexing but it's hard to really be sure when you're doing that while trying to look. I then had my wife do the same thing while I looked closely at the transom. When she bounced it really hard I think I see the very top of the transom move maybe 1/16th inch or maybe slightly more at most. I only saw that while she was bouncing on it hard enough to lift the tongue of the trailer off the ground a foot. I see no flexing near the lower mounting bolts. I've seen people say there should be absolutely NO flexing at all, ZERO. What I don't fully understand is how wood encased in fiberglass should be expected to have no flex whatsoever. Those materials are flexible by their very nature. I understand that the transom shouldn't bow in and out but this is not even close to what I'm seeing. Here are pictures of the transom that were requested.
    b1.jpg b2.jpgb3.jpgb4.jpg

  16. Member
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    #36
    I'm already planning to take the boat to be inspected by someone who knows how to evaluate the integrity of the transom. I have no choice now that the seeds of doubt have been planted.

  17. Member
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    Jun 2019
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    Illinois
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    #37
    Just have the engine remounted with a better backing plate and new hardware. It’s an old boat. Get as much use out of it without putting to much money into it. You will never get that money back. And because if it’s age you will be fixing small stuff a lot. It floats, it runs, and you can fish out of it. Be happy.

  18. Member
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    Apr 2012
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    #38
    Wow. Update your mounting hardware at once. Are those wedges under the top bolts? Anyhow, the hydrofoil haters try to knock what actually happens for cheap, that transom looks great as far as I cannot see any damage.
    With the placement of the wedges I think the P.O. tried to fix a problem with them, maybe that is the reason for the big aluminum plates, so the wedges don't eat into the fiberglass.
    I'm glad you can finally get some enjoyment out of being a boat owner.
    If the front wheel comes off the ground when you bounce on the motor, the transom might not be bad, but if you're getting excessive water in the hull you should check all the items that penetrate the transom for watertightness.

  19. Member paulrodbender's Avatar
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    #39
    33E4F63A-E9AD-48ED-B293-4AEBBFE036D9.jpeg
    Good idea to have it checked out. I could stand on my motor and not get any flex and this is how the transom was.

  20. Member
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    #40
    Quote Originally Posted by HoustonG View Post
    I'm already planning to take the boat to be inspected by someone who knows how to evaluate the integrity of the transom. I have no choice now that the seeds of doubt have been planted.
    Something doesn’t look right with that transom. I’m looking at the pics on my phone, it appears to have had some sort of repairs done to it. I’ve never seen a Ranger transom look so “unfinished”.

    Then look at the left plate, on the bottom there’s streaks coming down. Look at your bottom area where your drains are, there are streaks coming out.

    Dont listen to the advice about “just put new plates on it and drive it”. If that transom breaks loose at speed, the engine could flip up onto the boat, it could be catastrophic to those inside.

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