Running my Sabre in cooler weather

[Midnight Rider]

Got the Sabre FTD AE out yesterday on the Alabama River in Selma, AL. I didn't get on the water until about 8:30, but the air temp was still about 60 degrees. I have dual consoles, a MK Fortrex, 14 rods/reels, and a Plano bag that holds 7 boxes full of hard baits, plus scent, extra line, etc. All that is in the most rearward front deck compartment, with boat bumpers, life jackets and some other lighter things in the other front deck compartment. 175 SHO with a SHO T2 24" prop, 3" prop to pad. 30 gallons of fuel, and my 185 lb ass. Soft baits in the passenger rear compartment, spare prop in the bilge area, and of course the three batteries.

Got her up to 69.8 mph and 6,350 RPM (digital readout). Water pressure was 15-20 psi. Drove the chine for as long as I could...I think she'll run a solid 70 when I fully learn how to drive. Got the crap scared out of me coming back up river...again, had her up to 69 + and bumped the trim one more time. About the same time, I caught a gust of wind under the hull and could feel the boat trying to REALLY fly. Immediately trimmed down, but you couldn't have driven a carpet tack up my butt, it was puckered up so.

I'm thinking I've got it about as dialed in as it's going to get. With 50 degree air temps, I'm sure I'll be at 6100 rpm. I fish alone most of the time, by choice, so I think I'm going to call it good, unless somebody has a better suggestion. At 4500 rpm, she's running on pad and about 52-54 mph, which is my "normal" cruising speed. I can turn the steering wheel loose at that speed and it's like driving down the interstate.

[J Risco]

Got the Sabre FTD AE out yesterday on the Alabama River in Selma, AL. I didn't get on the water until about 8:30, but the air temp was still about 60 degrees. I have dual consoles, a MK Fortrex, 14 rods/reels, and a Plano bag that holds 7 boxes full of hard baits, plus scent, extra line, etc. All that is in the most rearward front deck compartment, with boat bumpers, life jackets and some other lighter things in the other front deck compartment. 175 SHO with a SHO T2 24" prop, 3" prop to pad. 30 gallons of fuel, and my 185 lb ass. Soft baits in the passenger rear compartment, spare prop in the bilge area, and of course the three batteries.

Got her up to 69.8 mph and 6,350 RPM (digital readout). Water pressure was 15-20 psi. Drove the chine for as long as I could...I think she'll run a solid 70 when I fully learn how to drive. Got the crap scared out of me coming back up river...again, had her up to 69 + and bumped the trim one more time. About the same time, I caught a gust of wind under the hull and could feel the boat trying to REALLY fly. Immediately trimmed down, but you couldn't have driven a carpet tack up my butt, it was puckered up so.

I'm thinking I've got it about as dialed in as it's going to get. With 50 degree air temps, I'm sure I'll be at 6100 rpm. I fish alone most of the time, by choice, so I think I'm going to call it good, unless somebody has a better suggestion. At 4500 rpm, she's running on pad and about 52-54 mph, which is my "normal" cruising speed. I can turn the steering wheel loose at that speed and it's like driving down the interstate.

Great running man!!! One thing I have found that matters a lot on mine (PII but prob will see similar results on yours) is the balance port to stbd really can help the handling and gain you a bit of mph if its balanced compared to if it's it's leaning (usually to stbd when solo). Try to get it perfectly level one day by moving tackle and take it for a ride, I know if mine is way out of balance she can be a handful. I set mine up to be balanced with a partner so when Im solo I either get to fight the handling a bit or I move some stuff around to help.

[Midnight Rider]

Yea, I need to play with that a bit more. Get my level out and see how far off it is across the back deck. That rpm was a typo...should have read 6035, not 6350!! Not a lot I can do about the front tackle storage, as I tend to sit on the cooler/step when tying on something different, but the left/right situation I could check and see if it helps. I had a PII back in the mid 90's with a Merc 200 and a Predator Eagle 4 blade prop. She'd run 72 with a tourney load and two people, and after I learned to drive that boat, it was effortless. Not much out ran me back then other than the occasional Bullet or Venture, and they had to struggle. This Sabre fishes much like that old boat, and the layout is very similar. The Sabre is perfect for me, as I am only 5'7". It's like driving a really fast Go Kart!! Very stable when fishing to be an 18'1" boat.