Hi All,
New to the forum here. I recently purchased a 2008 Tracker Targa V175 with the Mercury 115HP fourstroke motor. The boat is in almost new condition and was stored and unused in a garage for at least the last eight years. The previous owner had the motor serviced last June and had the prop replaced as the original had some minor wear or damage.
I've taken the boat out a few times now and have run plenty of fresh gas through the motor and it seems to run fine. My problem is the boat top speed is maybe 29-31mph max by the GPS. That's trimmed out on flat calm water, just myself in the boat, no gear, live wells dry and empty and maybe a half tank of gas. I'm not a speed nut, I was just under the thinking the boat should run faster and max out in the 40mph range with the 115HP motor.
I checked the new prop that is installed. It's a Quick Silver QA2038X 19P. Max speed with this prop when trimmed out is about 31mph at 6100rpm. The WOT range per the mercury 115hp fourstoke manual is 5800-6200rpm. Max speed after accelerating out of the hole without trim is about 25-26mph at 5800rpm. So after experimenting a little, I'm thinking I don't have the right prop for this boat and motor combination, maybe its over propped.
Does anyone out here have experience with a Targa V175 with the 115HP fourstoke and can let me know what performance I should expect from the boat? If my thinking is right about the prop, any suggestions of the best prop for this boat and motor combination?
I am primarily planning to use the boat for bass fishing on the California Delta. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave in CA