Last year I bought a 1995 17' Alumaweld (old Xpress) H51 hyperlift aluminum welded pad hull boat. I'd been looking for one a while and one finally popped up at a good price and I went and checked it out and it looked solid. New carpet. No cracked welds. No hooks or dents in the bottom.
First thing I did was put a 6" Powerlift manual jack plate and hung a 1991 3 cylinder Yamaha 90hp 2 stroke on the back. Put it in the water, and it ran 41 mph (GPS) empty with 2 guys in it. Prop shaft 2" from the pad. 17 pitch yamaha black stainless prop. I could trim the motor to the sky but not lift the bow. Was throwing a 5' to 6' rooster tail before the prop blew out.
Next, I sold the 90 and bought a 1989 Yamaha v4 130hp 2 stroke. It came with a 23p yamaha black stainless prop. I ran it and got about 45-46mph (GPS) tops. It didnt matter if I ran the jackplate up or down, still couldn't lift the bow. I borrowed a friends 20p laser 2. Same results. It didnt matter where the 6" jackplate was, the prop would blow out before I could get any bow lift even if I dropped the plate all the way down.
Finally, I bought a 12" setback rapid jack. With the 12" plate I've run a 21p old style quicksilver and gotten 50mph but the very best I've gotten is with a 22p laser 2 bumping 52-53 mph (GPS). It doesnt matter if I raise the plate up or down, every single prop blows out before I can lift the bow. Im currently running the laser 2 22p with the 12" plate bottomed out getting my best speed of 50-52 on any given day with an empty boat.
I've checked the hull thoroughly for hook. It appears to be straight. Not sure if I've maxed out the capabilities of the hull or if Im doing something wrong but any input or advice would be great. All I've got hooked up currently is a water pressure gauge and a minn kota trolling motor. 2 batteries in the rear of the boat and 18 gallon fuel tank in the rear. Minimal weight in the front of the boat, life jackets, paddle, etc.
Any help, suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated. I feel like this boat should be bumping 60 or better. TIA.