2012 nitro z7 setup Questions

[brandonxc]

I'm gonna summarize this story/question into a very short post.

here we go.

i bought a 2012 z7, with a merc 150 pro xs w/ 24p. I've never "setup" a boat
no jack plate ( and don't want one)
motor checked out perfect.
OnLy did 45 mph at full throttle and 4900 rpms
Changed prop to 21p tempest
now it goes 50-55 @ 5700 rpms depending on load

then i I noticed the motor was mounted in the second hole from the top. From the factory.
ive checked out several boats, all nitro z7 or z18.
and they all are mounted in the third hole.


So my question is If I moved it to the 3rd hole, which would raise the motor. Would I have to reprop it because my rpms would be to high?

And secondly - was it suppose to be in the third hole all along?

im not that big in to being the fastest, but I do want it to perform correctly. My last boat did about 68 mph so 50ish is kinda painful

[Z7Mike]

I have the same exact boat (2012) and motor that you do. From the factory, it was mounted in the second hole (no jack plate) and came with a 24P prop. It would easily run 58-60 mph GPS. Something does not seem right if you were only able to run 45 mph. Did you trim the motor all the way out? I doubt that raising it one hole would increase the speed by that much. I can't answer the question about how that would affect the RPMs.

Since then, I have added a 6" Atlas jack plate and two power poles. I have not seen much increase in speed since I added more weight as well as the jack plate, but there is a night and day difference in the way the boat rides. With no jack plate, it would chine walk really bad once it got into the upper 50's, but with the jack plate it rides very smooth at all speeds.

[brandonxc]

Yes those speeds are trimmed all the way up

[Brewerbass]

If you look at the nitro set ups thread that is pinned you will see other z7's like yours that are turning a 23 or 24 tempest and getting 60 out of the boat. Since you got it used you might want to try another known "good" 24 tempest on the boat and see if it makes a difference. You should also measure your prop to pad distance and that will help you to decide if you need to change the motor set up

[brandonxc]

When I got a new prop he did say something was wrong with it but not so much that it would have tanked my rpms and speed

[SRYE]

I know that you said that you don't want a jackplate but I am here to tell you that it will make a huge difference. My father and I just went through the same thing you are going through. I actually posted about it a few months back. He has almost the same boat as you except it is a 2014. He added a 6" plate and it is a totally different boat performance wise. No he is getting around 57 mph on gps at around 5600 rpms. He did try a 23P and the rpms went up but the speed went down. Also tried my 25P on it and speed did go up slightly but rpms went down to about 5300. Not to mention it made a big improvement on how much more fishable the back deck was by moving the motor back a few inches.

[brandonxc]

The reason I don't want a jack plate is that it won't fit in my garage with out angling it. Taking up the whole garage

[brandonxc]

bump

[Bassmaster611]

I have a 2011 Z7 with 150 pro xs and 5000rpms and 51mph no plate.. I'm going to try one soon I hope

[Brewerbass]

When I got a new prop he did say something was wrong with it but not so much that it would have tanked my rpms and speed

hard to know this without trying a known good prop. You will not get any more speed without getting the motor into its powerband

[nitro 90]

I just added 8" manual slide master Jack plate to my Z-7 last October. I haven't ran it due to it being winterized with plenty of ice on lakes around me here. I'm looking forward to April so I can try/adjust it if needed.

[brandonxc]

I was messing around today, and my brother in law measured the pad height. It is at 5 inches currently. In the 2nd mounting hole from the top.

this can't be at the right height?

[ctriverrunner]

And you didn't need to extend your harness?

I just added 8" manual slide master Jack plate to my Z-7 last October. I haven't ran it due to it being winterized with plenty of ice on lakes around me here. I'm looking forward to April so I can try/adjust it if needed.

[remaly181]

I was messing around today, and my brother in law measured the pad height. It is at 5 inches currently. In the 2nd mounting hole from the top.

this can't be at the right height?

5 inches is way too low. If it is, in fact, 5" then that is most likely the source of your problem. (The most obvious answer is usually the correct one) Before spending money on props and other accoutrements, get an accurate prop to pad measurement. Most of the z-7s are very happy somewhere around the 3" mark with 23/24 tempests. You also have to be very mindful of your water pressure when raising your motor. 15 psi at WOT is pretty much what you are shooting for. 12 is said to be the minimum but I like a little breathing room.

[SRYE]

Raise it up to around 3.5 below pad and you will think you have an entirely different boat.

[nitro 90]

And you didn't need to extend your harness?

Nope had plenty of room.