2019 Z185 150 ProXS FourStroke setup

[beertab]

Mine does around 55 with tournament lpad and one person with 3/4 to full tank of gas

[contium]

Update #2 on my setup....

Last year I spent more time playing around with my setup and here is the latest (updates in red):
150 ProXS FourStroke
Switched to Tempest+ 24P
Added 6" Vance Manual Jackplate (JPL4500)
Prop to Pad 4"
WOT Water Pressure was strong, over 20 psi
VesselView Mobile Link

So I realized after my initial testing the 22P Tempest+ Ranger sent with my boat was way under propped and I was in fact 120 RPM over redline (my redline is 6000) at WOT. I bought a manual jackplate to play with another prop and the motor height. In the end I landed on the boat liking a 24P Tempest+ at 4.0" P2P. I hit 57-59 solo, half tank of gas, full live wells at 5920 RPM with great lift out of the water! When I add a co-angler I'm at 55-57 at 5750 RPM and the lift out of the water is not as good and boat doesn't want to turn as well without trimming down a bit. I should've been able to eek out another 1-2mph after having the prop blueprinted because the stock 24P is very out of balance and all 3 blades vary in length.

No throw all of that out the window because I just ordered (2) 8ft Talons which will add about 110#s to the stern so I will be retesting and likely end up with a 4 blade. I'll be working with Croxton to get it dialed in and see where I end up. More to come....

Interesting that you got the best performance at a 4" prop to pad. Mine came from Ranger a 3.25". I was thinking of raising it but that sounds like it might be the wrong direction. I thought the point of the ProXS was that it could be run higher with the lower water inlets. My previous Z185 was close to 4" PTP with a non-ProXS and it ran over 60.

[mactlman]

Update #2 on my setup....

Last year I spent more time playing around with my setup and here is the latest (updates in red):
150 ProXS FourStroke
Switched to Tempest+ 24P
Added 6" Vance Manual Jackplate (JPL4500)
Prop to Pad 4"
WOT Water Pressure was strong, over 20 psi
VesselView Mobile Link

So I realized after my initial testing the 22P Tempest+ Ranger sent with my boat was way under propped and I was in fact 120 RPM over redline (my redline is 6000) at WOT. I bought a manual jackplate to play with another prop and the motor height. In the end I landed on the boat liking a 24P Tempest+ at 4.0" P2P. I hit 57-59 solo, half tank of gas, full live wells at 5920 RPM with great lift out of the water! When I add a co-angler I'm at 55-57 at 5750 RPM and the lift out of the water is not as good and boat doesn't want to turn as well without trimming down a bit. I should've been able to eek out another 1-2mph after having the prop blueprinted because the stock 24P is very out of balance and all 3 blades vary in length.

No throw all of that out the window because I just ordered (2) 8ft Talons which will add about 110#s to the stern so I will be retesting and likely end up with a 4 blade. I'll be working with Croxton to get it dialed in and see where I end up. More to come....

get a bravo 1 or marks copy prop and drop down on pitch with. may have to vent some also bravo1 fs has 4 pvs holes from factory

[dgrabs]

Hows it doing with the talons? I have similar rig as you, waiting to install the vance jpl4500, and debating ordering a 24P or seeing how it does with the 22P tempest

[avidbasser]

Following this as well.

I have a Z518 w/ Merc 150 4s, Hydro jack plate, & Tempest+ 22P. I keep thinking I'm under propped as I usually see around 52 MPH. If I lightly loaded and a slick day, I've seen 55.

It's more than enough, but if I can get more, than I'm all for it.

[deerhunter414]

Update #3 on my setup....

Updates to my setup are in red:
150 ProXS FourStroke
Switched to Bravo I FS Pro Finished 25P
6" Vance Manual Jackplate (JPL4500)
Prop to Pad 3.5"
Added (2) 8ft Power Pole Blades
WOT Water Pressure was strong, over 20 psi
VesselView Mobile Link for accurate RPMs

So in my last post I stated I had just ordered (2) Talons. Lucky for me there was an issue getting both in from the supplier and after seeing one of the Talon brackets I realized just how enormous those brackets are! I cancelled/returned the order and went with (2) 8ft Power Pole Blades from K&K Kustomz who advertises on here (his prices really can't be beat!). This saved me around 50-60# in total weight and couldn't be happier.

My initial testing showed 0-1/2 mph top end loss and no impact to hole shot after adding the poles and still running the 24P Tempest....which surprised the heck out of me.

I still was not happy with the boat handling and how long it took the 24P Tempest to accelerate to/near the top end. After much research I decided to go with the 25P Bravo I FS (Pro Finished ver) as they recommend going UP 1" of pitch when switching from a Tempest to keep the RPMs the same. This also assumes you will be raising your motor height 1/2"-3/4" with the swap to the 4 blade.

I changed my P2P from 4" to 3.5" and headed to the lake. My initial test run with the Bravo was a Holy $&!# moment! There was heavy chop (15-20 mph wind on smallish lake) and it was 39 degrees. For the first time my bow REALLY lifted and so did the stern getting that heavy rig up out of the water. The boat was dancing on top of the chop and it was a blast to drive. Since then I have tested the P2P at 3.0" and 3.25" but my boat really liked it at 3.5" the best. The average of my 4 runs were:

56.6 mph
5780 rpm
13.9% slip
3.5" P2P
LW half full
Gas tank half full
solo
heavy chop
great bow and stern lift

I have attached all of my prop testing data for those of you that would like to look at it.

[dgrabs]

Now this is what im talking about!

[avidbasser]

Holy details batman!!!! This is amazing. Thank you.

[dgrabs]

Again, great work and all this data is much appreciated. I fish solo 90% of the time in my rig, so i went ahead and grabbed a brand new tempest plus 24P. I am also adding a 6 inch vance plate, and two powerpoles. I can confirm that i was also red lining WOT with the 22P, not sure what ranger was doing rigging so underpropped. I will report back with my rigs results. Id be ecstatic if i can duplicate your results in the high 50s.

[dgrabs]

Added the following to my rig, Vance 6 inch plate, two powerpoles and brackets, and a 24P tempest.

Boat improved everywhere. I went went 54 ish (half tank) to 58 with a full tank and slight chop Better bow lift and hole shot. Even after adding the pole weight to transom.

Thanks again for all data collected OP!

[Johnnyred]

deerhunter414, was hoping to get a long-term update on your Bravo 1 FS experience?

[contium]

I picked up a Trophy+ 23P to try out. Couldn't even get on plane at first. Just blow out the rpm. Added a prop ring and solid plugs. Now it jumps out of the hole. Runs about 52 mph just a little over 6000 rpm. So lost about 6 or 7 mph compared to the Tempest+ 24P. But the handling is unreal. Crank the wheel and the Z185 leans deep on the side. My local lakes are all 35 mph speed limit so I will probably leave the Trophy+ on and switch to the Tempest+ 24 when I travel to lakes where I can let her run.

[avidbasser]

So you're running a Tempest+24p? I have a Tempest+ 22p and feel I need the Tempest+ 23p.

[deerhunter414]

deerhunter414, was hoping to get a long-term update on your Bravo 1 FS experience?

Only thing I've changed on my setup is swapping out my lead acids for Ionic lithiums which shaved 64# off the rear end. I honestly haven't had the time to go do any more testing but did notice I've lost about 1-2 mph on my top end this season from where I last tested and adjusted my motor height. This could be due to a couple of different factors:

1) I had to have my 25P Bravo repaired after burying it into a gravel bottom on take off last year. I don't think the cupping on the repair was quite like it was stock...I've been told that Bravos are only manufactured in even numbers of pitch and the odd numbered pitches just have more cup added to them. My 25P rides just like my 24P Bravo now (less lift) so I think I just need to have it reworked a little more.

2) I may need to tweak my motor height now that I reduced battery weight by 60+ lbs.

I'll let you guys know the outcome whenever I can get some time to do some test runs.

[Johnnyred]

Deerhunter414, certainly either or both of those things you cited would affect WOT. Multiple guys here have posted about losing a little speed when going to lithiums from lead. All about weight distribution, bow attitude, prop depth on plane, etc I guess.

[deerhunter414]

Deerhunter414, certainly either or both of those things you cited would affect WOT. Multiple guys here have posted about losing a little speed when going to lithiums from lead. All about weight distribution, bow attitude, prop depth on plane, etc I guess.

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback!

[contium]

Deerhunter414, certainly either or both of those things you cited would affect WOT. Multiple guys here have posted about losing a little speed when going to lithiums from lead. All about weight distribution, bow attitude, prop depth on plane, etc I guess.

Yeah, it seems pretty common to loose a little top end when switching to lithium.

[Johnnyred]

Ran my new Bravo 1 FS 23p today for the first time on my RT198P with Merc 150 4S 1.92:1 gear. Wow, I think I might have a winner!

Best I can tell from comparing to my numbers on my Tempest Plus 22p from yesterday's runs, the Bravo was 150 RPM less at WOT and 1.5 MPH slower. But wow, the handling is amazing! And it did not lose grip or blow out with aggressive trimming while getting on plane nor in turns.

Honestly, the Tempest would have required me to move the motor down to the lowest mounting position as it was losing grip too often for my preference. The Bravo in the 2nd hole grips great. A better top speed, WOT RPM comparison would be the Bravo one hole higher than a Tempest and I imagine the RPM and speed would be about the same.

What I can alreday tell, though, is that you can prolly run higher speeds more comfortably in real-world water conditions with the Bravo than you can with the Tempest. It just rides over waves better and inspires more confidence.

The gas mileage with the Bravo was a little better, too, compared to the Tempest.

I used the Quicksilver version of the Merc SSR hub... exactly the same components I assume. Not sure exactly what hub was in my Tempest but it did have a plastic sleeve. Anyway, between the SSR hub and the Pro Finish Merc Racing puts on the prop, it is butter smooth! Shifts into gear were super soft and quiet.

I was 5300 RPM at 53 MPH today with 85 degree water and chop. I suspect in smooth, cooler water my rig will do 5500-5600 RPM and 55-56 MPH. That is exactly what I would expect and what the Merc prop calculator says I might get. The Tempest Plus will always be a little faster top speed if you are the only boat on the lake. I think the Bravo will allow you to drive as fast maybe faster in real-world lake conditions.

I need to run it a lot more inc in different water temps, with a co-angler, livewells full, to know if I have the very best pitch but I suspect it will be or real close.