Confusing Numbers Help

[Michael49]

225 Opti Pro XS / TM Lower End
Just serviced / New Water Pump
Tempest Plus 24P / 2 Large + 1 Open
PTP = 3-7/16"
Half Full Livewells / 30+ gallons of fuel / 4 Batteries / 2 PowerPoles / usual full load of tackle

Was having some trouble in tough conditions getting on plane recently, recorded some numbers in smooth water yesterday after I removed one plug and lowered engine 1/2":
numbers off of smartcraft and gps

Idle at 580 rpm / Water pressure at 4.2 psi

About 4-5 seconds to get on plane
3750 to 3800 rpm

With minimal trim:
45 mph / 4510 rpm / 14.1 psi

With minimal trim:
63 mph / 5800 rpm / Water pressure at 9.8 psi

I do not know what is too much or too little trim at speed ..... no chine walk at 63 but extremely stiff steering
(had wife so did not push it any harder)
I adjusted my PTP and removed one plug ..... my holeshot was improved which was my goal, but the 9.8 psi at nearly WOT seems low
Any comment on these numbers as I know very little.

[bassnman81]

When at WOT the water pressure will fluctuate greatly with trim adjustment. When at WOT trim up and down until you find the sweet spot where the steering becomes easy. Use this as your starting spot. Check your pressure and see what's it reading and go from there. My 175 gets around 14-16 WOT trimmed just right. When I'm running around 45-50 it about 10.

[Rip Bass]

I can’t figure why your water pressure is dropping so much at higher rpm,usually it’s the opposite. Do you have anything obstructing flow to lower unit,like a transducer or gouge in the pad? According to my math,you are set at 3 14/16” under now so I also wonder if the LU is plowing water and taking water off the intakes,doesn’t seem likely but maybe. I would pull the lower and check the nose intake for obstructions,like wood chips or pebbles. How is the bow lift? Any chance you are trimming the engine high in the water instead of lifting the bow? Something is causing the low water pressure,just throwing out some possible causes.

[Michael49]

Rip Bass:
1) PTP = 3-7/16" (Just made the adjustment from 4" a week ago)
2) No unusual transducers: Have a Skimmer near the drain plug and an LSS-2 mounted flat on the plane.
3) No apparent blockage in the nose holes .... although I did not drop lower unit. I only have 3 hours on water pump since June 30 replacement
4) I'm not sure what is or is not normal bow lift ..... under normal "holeshot" it lifts to what seems like a normal lift of about 25-30 degrees off of horizontal, and it runs up to about 3800 and drops back down to "plane" and takes off ....... seems average bow lift to me
5) Trim I am not very sure of ...... Using the marks on my trim gauge: runs at 62 at about 1/8 trim ...... runs at 65 at about 1/4 trim. I have really never trimmed it up beyond the 1/4 point so I don't know what is and what is not "too much trim"
Thanks for your comments .... I have really never pushed my boat top end wise so I don't know what is normal.

[jt c]

If you want better holeshot switch to a fury prop either a 3 blade or 4 blade in a 24 p

[fishfarm]

A fury isn’t going to cure any holeshot issues but you will pick up speed but generally what ever you run in a tempest you drop 1 pitch for a fury so a 24 fury will not improve holeshot over a 24 tempest that is in good condition. Anyway don’t take offense but if your not sure how to work your trim at speed you need to learn how to drive with every bit of speed and rpm it has so we know the total performance of your prop. You need to drive it full throttle and keep working your trim till you get max mph and rpm then report back

[bigboyztoyz]

Your picture shows 2 talons, what height do you have them set at?

[Ky 520c]

Curious about the “skimmer” near the drain plug, as in the bilge drain plug? Too much trim and your speed will drop, rpms will go up. Try to keep rooster tail under the height of your motor cowling you want the prop digging/pushing not blowing water in the air. Your trim gauge is basically a reference with more seat time you probably won’t even look at it except to make sure your tucked in on takeoff maybe

[boulders]

Hell man you may want to just do a water pump impeller just to be safe. You should have 15-17 psi WOT no problem Trimmed Down. if the Water pump doesn't help have the guys at the shop look at your Pop off Valves one may be stuck open. Venting your pressure. but whatever you do Dont Run your boat Wide Open on less then 10 psi your asking for big money repairs

[boulders]

Hell man you may want to just do a water pump impeller just to be safe. You should have 15-17 psi WOT no problem Trimmed Down. if the Water pump doesn't help have the guys at the shop look at your Pop off Valves one may be stuck open. Venting your pressure. but whatever you do Dont Run your boat Wide Open on less then 10 psi your asking for big money repairs
may consider lowering your motor a 1/4 inch too may help.

[Michael49]

Your picture shows 2 talons, what height do you have them set at?

They are 8 ft PP Blades
The top of the PP Bracket is just about flush with the top of the SlideMaster ...... would say the bolt is about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the slot, so it is set higher on the bracket

PP Brkt.jpg

[Michael49]

Curious about the “skimmer” near the drain plug, as in the bilge drain plug? Too much trim and your speed will drop, rpms will go up. Try to keep rooster tail under the height of your motor cowling you want the prop digging/pushing not blowing water in the air. Your trim gauge is basically a reference with more seat time you probably won’t even look at it except to make sure your tucked in on takeoff maybe

Thanks Ky:
The skimmer, mounted by a very reputable Ranger dealer, is mounted next to the drain plug in the only place it could be mounted. (?)
I have had the boat for three years, so I do have some seat time but running at WOT is something I don't do often.
I have also never paid any attention to the water pressure, as the boat runs 63-65 without more than a few bumps to the trim. That is as fast as I needed to run.
Having read the various opinions, I will monitor the smartcraft water pressure at speed and check the numbers.
I did not miss the advice to not run the boat at WOT if I am not getting well over 10 ..... will report back as suggested.

Skimmer.jpg

[Ky 520c]

That transducer (even tho their reputable) in my opinion is in a bad spot, typically you don’t want anything on the pad of the boat it could be disrupting the flow to the water pickup not to mention first time you drop off a stump it will probably shear off. Someone else may chime in and prove me wrong but I would want that moved...also you’ll get better returns on your unit if you angle the transducer slightly forward instead of slightly behind or flat. At least that’s my experience, not knocking their install but just trying to be helpful.

[jt c]

A fury isn’t going to cure any holeshot issues but you will pick up speed but generally what ever you run in a tempest you drop 1 pitch for a fury so a 24 fury will not improve holeshot over a 24 tempest that is in good condition. Anyway don’t take offense but if your not sure how to work your trim at speed you need to learn how to drive with every bit of speed and rpm it has so we know the total performance of your prop. You need to drive it full throttle and keep working your trim till you get max mph and rpm then report back

I agree with everything but the statement saying a 24 fury will have the same holeshot as a 24 tempest. Reason I say that is i have a 2018 z519 and have ran a 25p tempest plus, a 24p tempest plus and the hole shot was terrible with 2 10ft blades and a second person. I now run a 24p fury 3 blade and also a 24p fury 4 blade and both fury props have a great holeshot compared to the 2 tempest props. When set up correctly he should have no issues with a 24p fury and I think it will be what he is wanting

[Michael49]

I agree with everything but the statement saying a 24 fury will have the same holeshot as a 24 tempest. Reason I say that is i have a 2018 z519 and have ran a 25p tempest plus, a 24p tempest plus and the hole shot was terrible with 2 10ft blades and a second person. I now run a 24p fury 3 blade and also a 24p fury 4 blade and both fury props have a great holeshot compared to the 2 tempest props. When set up correctly he should have no issues with a 24p fury and I think it will be what he is wanting

I will have it back on the water Saturday. I am going to confirm I am having no water pressure issues at speed, which is something I never paid any attention to running at 63 - 65.
And yes, I am looking to get a Fury 4 / 24P ...... as soon as the wife recovers from my recent Carbon and Ultrex purchases !!

Thanks all for the commentary and advice.

[fishfarm]

I agree with everything but the statement saying a 24 fury will have the same holeshot as a 24 tempest. Reason I say that is i have a 2018 z519 and have ran a 25p tempest plus, a 24p tempest plus and the hole shot was terrible with 2 10ft blades and a second person. I now run a 24p fury 3 blade and also a 24p fury 4 blade and both fury props have a great holeshot compared to the 2 tempest props. When set up correctly he should have no issues with a 24p fury and I think it will be what he is wanting

I never said the fury has the same holeshot as a tempest. I know on my boat with tempest and fury 3 setup for optimal performance my tempest will take my fury3 out of the whole anyday. Thats why abunch of guys drill anther set of 5/16 to 1/4 holes in there fury 3 blades. Now my fury 4 is an animal. My boat is pretty much loaded all the time so the fury 4 i get the best of both worlds. I got a good hole shot and still keep my top end

[Michael49]

Quick Update:
The 9.8 water pressure I reported last week was not correct ..... don't know what I was looking at.
Ran boat yesterday and water pressure psi was 14 - 20 at speeds between 40 and 65.

After discussing my "trim" with several guys in our Club yesterday with Mercs, it is obvious my Trim gauge is not calibrated correctly or has gone bad.
It moves, but not enough..... at the "1/4 mark" my prop is nearly out of the water, at fully raised it has not reached the "1/2 mark" which answers why I was not understanding the gauge readings.

Thanks for the commentary.

[besnyde]

Here’s a quick run down of what I learned with my boat, which will easily run 70-72 mph with almost 20psi at 5800 rpm. I will start off by trimming my motor so the rooster tail is below the top of the motor and the motor graphics are level with the deck (flat trim). I will run without any more trim until I get into the 50s and stop gaining speed. Then I will bump the trim from there. Slowly until I got the hang of where it needs to be. You will feel it begin to lift and you will gain speed without significant increase to your rpms. This boat motor combo does not need a lot of trim at all, far less than my previous boat. The mistake I usually see is too much trim too early will result in the boat not being able to actually get on pad and lower speeds at same rpms.

I do have a 24 Fury 3 and the was under the impression that the Tempest needed to be one pitch above the fury so 25 tempest is what I thought this boat needed. Anybody else confirm this? Also, with the TM lower you actually need to raise the motor. Mine came at 3.5” ptp and it chine walked bad at 69-70. Raised the motor to almost 3” and it reduced the chine walk and gained a couple mph. Hope this helps, good luck.

[Michael49]

Thank you besnyde .... good information from someone with the same boat.

[besnyde]

Thank you besnyde .... good information from someone with the same boat.

No problem. I remember when I first got it it was difficult to drive and wasn’t set up right. The TM was new to the ProXS so there wasn’t a lot of knowledge out there on set up. I also should have mentioned that I don’t have poles and I don’t have a bass pro shop amount of tackle in it so mine’s pretty light.