180 setup solution?

[Artie]

I read one of Pat's threads a while back, and saw that he called the 180 a disaster. He said that the setup was extremely difficult. I bought one last year after owning a 184 for 14 years, because I wanted a better deck layout and this had it. Well, after playing around with the setup for a while (and a bunch of fishing), I have purchased a hydraulic jackplate from CMC. It will replace the manual plate I installed when I got the boat, and I think it will solve my setup probs in one move. If anyone else has tried this, I would be interested in your results. My problem is, the engine height must be lower for lower speeds in order to allow the prop to bite well. But this cuts down on top speed considerably. The hydraulic plate should let me have my cake and eat it too.

I haven't finished my 200 EFI yet, so I'm still playing with the 150 'Rude, but this will definitely let me know if I'm heading in the right direction.

Any input?

Artie

[pmgoffjr]

Err...it won't make much different, sorry to pinch your bubble.

180's main issue is carrying a load. Hydraulic plate won't matter with that issue. A lot of horsepower would help bunches, and a good amount of setback would offset the lack of load carrying lift.

[Artie]

Well, in the spring I will have about 220 hp on the back of it. More setback will require hydraulic steering, and I won't spend $1K on that unless I get good results on everything else.

And I usually don't have that much in it. I rarely fill the tank full, and my most common fishing partners are my wife and my son, who is 11. I weigh 250, but most everything else in the boat is pretty light. My batteries are Optimas, which are the lightest I have found.

I have 2 modified Tempests and a modified Chopper, all of which made my 184 literally fly. Hopefully they will work some magic on this boat. I really do like the layout of the boat for fishing and the ride and handling are pretty good.

Still, considering I bought the boat for $2K and it only took 2 hours to get the engine running well, I don't see how I can come out bad with it. I've already cleaned up the finish considerably, and by spring it will look good with new carpet and windshields. Even with the 200EFI, I doubt I will have more than $4500 in it after I sell the current engine and controls. Just time mostly, which I'm going to spend building something anyway. We shall see.

Artie

[MMosher]

The tinkering is the fun part. Maybe you'll find the sweet spot, maybe not. If you like the rig keep enjoying it. While it may not be the fastest "this or that" its still a ChampioN. ;)

[ChampioNman]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pmgoffjr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Err...it won't make much different, sorry to pinch your bubble.

180's main issue is carrying a load. Hydraulic plate won't matter with that issue. A lot of horsepower would help bunches, and a good amount of setback would offset the lack of load carrying lift.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Why? Just curious as I don't see many 180's? Is the dead rise off? Hull configuration?

Some hulls are just dogs and there have been a few and many are the Bomb!

[buzzzzbait88]

my 180 has always seemed like slug with a 175 on it. My best recorded speed is 63.9 hitting some big waves, but the best consistent speed was barely 60 with a worked 24 pitch raker. I don't have a ton of stuff in it and most of the weight is in the back. I had a hydraulic jackplate on it, but more setback might have helped alittle bit. I was never really happy with the performance of it.

[Artie]

I think more power is the real key. I am definitely going to get my 200EFI done by new years. I bet it'll run decent with the worked Tempest. But I may decide to find a 19' Champ and start over with another 200EFI w/SVS. I've been itching to build a 250 hp engine and stick it on a 19' boat. I've been talking to a couple of builders that tell me it's not hard to get that much power reliably from a 2.5 Merc.

More to come.

Artie

[Lea]

It was only built in 1993. Apparently the factory folks figured out it was not as perfect as it should have been.

[buzzzzbait88]

Honestly, I really like the way my 180 fishes, sits at rest and is layed out. It is pretty stable at rest, doesn't draft much water, sits pretty stable and tracts well. Other than it doesn't run real fast it was a pretty good fishing boat. I can't really compare to any other boat, since this is the only 1 I have owned, but other than the speed it has been a great boat.

[pmgoffjr]

I didn't have my 180 long, thank goodness...

I rigged it with a 175, added a 6" plate, no telling how many props until I decided it was a waste of time and energy.

Light load, one person it would run really well, as soon as I added a biscuit head in the passenger seat, it's done.

It's the same basic issue as the first run 190's, but worse. Thank goodness the 186 was right behind it, problem solved.

It was I believe Bill Pace's last stab at building a hull, and the one that made him pick up his ball and go home.

[MMosher]

Interesting. I didnt know Bill built that hull.