Tracker PT170 42mph

[AndrewM-Fishing]

I'm a little perplexed with this setup. Currently have the motor as high as it can mount without a jp which is roughly 2" ptp. Doesn't matter if it's 2 people full gas and livewell the only thing changed by added weight is the hole shot which is literally instant solo and about 2 seconds fully loaded out. From 4"-2" ptp nothing changed, holeshot, top end, psi all the same. Also yes the tach is accurate, tried 2 new and 1 used all same 5100 wot. Throttle cable is achieving full stroke. Fresh fully rebuilt powerhead with break in done by me. She lifts nicely with very little input of trim, maybe 1/4 stroke, zero roster. I've still got 400rpm available but I think without some setback I'm pretty well getting what she has to give. I had a seastar hydraulic plate on but with full gas and well with poles it's too much weight back there. If anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them. Don't get me wrong, 42mph in a 16.5ft tin can is awesome but if I could squeeze a couple more I'd like to try.

2006 PT170
Merc 90ELPTO 2stroke
Apollo 21p 3 blade stainless
5100 rpm
42mph
2.3 ratio
5% slip
19pis wot

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

I have a 17' Lowe 17HP with a 2011 Merc 90 Opti 2 stroke and low 40's is all she will do. I'm running a 20p Laser II prop. I used to run a 21 pitch but I wanted my WOT rpm to be closer to the engines stated redline. I can turn the 20P to 5500-5600 while the 21P would only turn 5200-5300. I've posted before that in my opinion most tin bass boats are hindered by having a lot of weight centered closer to the center of the hull length. This is especially true in shorter 17' boats compared to 19' or even 20'. On our shorter boats in order to have a reasonable back deck they have to push the main seating forward in the hull. It is just too much weight for our mid size engines to lift. I think that is why our boats won't take much trim without porpoising. There just isn't enough power / bite with the prop to keep the nose up. I have no doubt that if I could get the nose of my Lowe up that the reduction in hull wetted area would allow me to run a 21P prop and get to the top of the engines WOT rpm range. Then I think I would see high 40's speed. I messed with my setup changing props and engine height until I finally came to the conclusion that I have at best a low 40's mph boat. It cruises low 30's at 4500 rpm which isn't bad for what it is. I just decided to accept the performance limitations and just go fishing:-)

[mdtritn21]

Slip is close to 10% not 5% and with a tin boat your lucky to get that. You don't have a planing hull and it's not smooth like a glass boat just be happy with those numbers. You actually should be seeing more slip with it set higher than 4" under.

[Podcast]

Slip is close to 10% not 5% and with a tin boat your lucky to get that. You don't have a planing hull and it's not smooth like a glass boat just be happy with those numbers. You actually should be seeing more slip with it set higher than 4" under.

Agreed. Lucky to get there. My Lowe 170W with a 70hp would hit 35 on a good day. The extra 20hp is getting you into the 40's and that's all you're gonna see.

[AndrewM-Fishing]

Tried out the Ballistic XHS 22p and picked up 2.1 mph. Holeshot was maybe 1/2 second down from the 21p but still impressive. Pushed her pretty hard and noticed the motor start to stumble around 5150-5200. Backed off right away, my first thought it was going lean. Checked the fuel pump and I guess when you pay for a complete rebuild that doesn't include the pump. Did a little look through and looks like the carbs a slightly out of sync so she's going in for a double check and new fuel pump. I'm confident based on the numbers that I can get 46-47 out of this rig.

[Sylvanboat]

This reminds me of Bass & Walleye mag from the 90s. They had a feature where their mechanics would spend 3-5 thousand dollars changing & tweaking a motor to pick up 1-2 mph, and everybody agreed it was money well spent. It was a great read.