What is your speed and setup on your RT188?
What is your speed and setup on your RT188?
90 hp Optimax, 42 mph with two anglers, half tank of gas, empty livewell and all the gear you can carry. Filling the livewell costs 1 mph, getting rid of co-angler + 1mph. All in 80 degree water and 80 degree air. Laser 2, 22” prop with extra cup (really need to drop to a 21”). Mounted on 3rd hole.
I recently purchased a new to me 2018 RT188. 3 trips on it so far. Mercury 115 ProXS. Tempest 21 pitch 3 blade prop. 45-47 MPH is the best I have seen. That is with full tackle and full tank of gas. With live wells full it’s more like 44 mph. My engine is mounted 4th hole down from the top. Would be interested to hear where others have theirs mounted with the Mercury.
115 Opti ProXS, mounted at hole #3. 19" Spitfire X7. 45.7 light and 44 heavy. Both are with full tank. Really shines with Ultrex down. Floats in a foot and it's just dandy.
2015 Ranger RT188 DC; BassCat Storage Box; Mercury Optimax 115ProXS;
19" Spitfire X7; Vessel View Mobile; Minn Kota Ultrex 80; GForce Handle;
TM Eliminator; Helix 7 G2N SI Combo F/R; HydroWave KVD; BBT 4" Angled Bow Mount; Durasafe Locks for Electronics and Ultrex;
Twist Step Boarding Ladder; EZEE Step ES1; BAC RAC Rod Storage; Motor Mate Transom Saver
That is the same setup that I have. 5700 or 5800 rpm is the most I can get. 42 or 43 mph.Originally Posted by Scuba Scott
ALL stock.. 44.6 GPS
Tim Messer ~ Lake Ariel, Pa.
US Army 1968 ~ 1971
2019 Ranger RT188 ~ Merc PRO XS ~ MK Ultrex
I get the same as XMP. Normally cruise at 30 though lol. I have the 19" Spitfire X7 as well.
Danny Head
Hinton, Oklahoma
2015 Ranger RT 188, Mercury 115 4 stroke
I really have to work at it to get the 45 plus speed. I have not had much time in it so far but feel like the engine is mounted high being the 4th hole down from the top. I was thinking 3rd hole down would be the spot. Either way, It does well out of the hole and mid range power is good. Most importantly it fishes stable.
Mine is mounted in the third hole and performs well. Some say that they can run 48-50 mph. I sure can't.
Maybe people get 48-50 with an empty boat or with a strong tailwind or something on a perfect day. These boats do not run that in real world conditions. The RT188 was designed as a fishing boat - big front deck, stable as big glass boats, good storage, etc. It was not meant to be fast. It is fast enough to fish. The aluminum is welded in a jig by hand. One little curve in the hull can make a big difference from one particular hull to another. Weight and weight placement makes a HUGE difference in top end as does wind and air temperature. Prop condition makes a huge difference too. I just dinged one on a shell bed and the speed dropped. Also, some people post speeds from a speedometer which is a joke.
To compare speeds on different days in different water with a used prop is useless. You probably rarely ever run wide open anyway, I know I don't. If you did not have a digital readout on the GPS, you could not even tell the difference between 47 and 44... so why worry about it and spend money for a couple MPH because you read here someone ran faster??? Spend it on a better graph or something ....
RT188
I LIKE boats...BUT I LOVE PLANES
Oh yeah.... I love the RT188 too.
2017 rt188, 115 4s ct, dual 8’ talons, 36v ultrex, 6” jack plate, 21p tempest, trim tabs removed, 50.6mph solo half tank and 47mph 2 angler tourney load with full livewell half tank. 48-49mph easy but 50mph will need a slight chop.
[QUOTE=FloridaFlyer;12082836]Maybe people get 48-50 with an empty boat or with a strong tailwind or something on a perfect day. These boats do not run that in real world conditions. The RT188 was designed as a fishing boat - big front deck, stable as big glass boats, good storage, etc. It was not meant to be fast. It is fast enough to fish. The aluminum is welded in a jig by hand. One little curve in the hull can make a big difference from one particular hull to another. Weight and weight placement makes a HUGE difference in top end as does wind and air temperature. Prop condition makes a huge difference too. I just dinged one on a shell bed and the speed dropped. Also, some people post speeds from a speedometer which is a joke.
To compare speeds on different days in different water with a used prop is useless. You probably rarely ever run wide open anyway, I know I don't. If you did not have a digital readout on the GPS, you could not even tell the difference between 47 and 44... so why worry about it and spend money for a couple MPH because you read here someone ran faster??? Spend it on a better graph or something ....[/QU
I'm happy with my boat and I'm not planning on spending anything for speed items. I was only wanting to compare other set ups. bought my boat for fishing and it does that perfectly.
I'm mounted in second hole down, 50 is doable by myself. It has to be the perfect day to hit 50. Day in and day out it's a 45 MPH rig. I have a standard gear case 115 ProXS 4S running a 20 LaserII without a jack plate.
1 mph for extra water weight and 1 mph for an additional person doesn't sound too unreasonable at all considering how much more weight an engine has to move and how much more weight that adds on the hull as a whole thereby putting more of its surface on the water. So if you hit 44-45 regularly on your own plan on seeing a 2 mph drip if it's loaded up, maybe even 3 mph.
- 2020 Bass Tracker Classic XL - SOLD
- 2024 Lowe Stinger 178
Mercury 115HP ProXS CT
Vance 6" hydraulic jack plate
24P 3 blade Ballistic XHS XL propeller
NGK Ruthenium plugs
Garmin Force troller
Garmin 126SV/93SV/73SV Livescope/ dual GT54 transducers
DD26 motor toter
IG: extremeboating
Since I bought my boat with outboard only (it came from another boat) I wished I had run my boat prior to rigging it. Minus two batteries, no trolling motor and no gear. Obviously impractical but I like data.
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
When boat was new saw as high as 51 (for a brief second) and 50 a hand full of times. That was before I loaded ALL my gear into boat. Mine is standard gearcase and laser II 20p. I can usually run 46-47 by myself or 44-45 with additional passenger.
2014 Ranger RT188
115 Merc 4s, laser II 20p
humminbirds
44-45 with a passenger, have hit 47 loaded down in the winter once or twice.
What is the maximum rpms you are seeing on the 115 ProXS?
i am running a 20 inch LaserII and the best I have seen is 5600. It was down to 5400 when I pulled it and sent to Mark Croxton. Mark said that with all the damage and out of balance I had, I should be able to get the RPM up after it is repaired. Should have it back late next week and hoping for 5700.
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
Bill
thanks for the response. The manual for the 115 ProXs states max rpm is 5000-6300 which is quite a range.
my motor is new so I am still breaking it in but it looks like even when trimmed out the max I am going to see will be about 5600 also.
my concern is being so far below the 6300 max will the engine be broken in completely or will I have engine oil issues.
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