Prop Triton 179TRX.....need help!

[Roboz]

I bought this boat in February and have been having trouble getting any lift at all on the hole shot, when i get it up on plane (which takes some maneuvering) it runs great with a top speed around 45 MPH @ 6200 RPM's but still bow steers some.

When i throttle up it revs right up to 3200 RPM's and just plows water for days..Frustrating!

Details:
2017 Triton 179 TRX
Yamaha 115 SHO
Talon ss prop - 13 1/8 x 18
Prop to Pad - 5"
2 people (me -180lbs wife 130 lbs)
1/2 - 3/4 tank of fuel
Full livewells, empty helps some.

I called Yamaha and they said i should go to the FX-4 in an 13 1/4 - 18 to get the lift required to get it up on plane....Thoughts on a 4 blade?

Last weekend headed to a weigh in at a local lake i had to plow water for a while, let off the throttle and wait for the waves to catch up to the back of the boat to help get it up on plane.

The other strange thing is if i let off the throttle on plane the boat sinks into the water and slows down immediately, almost like i am not getting much lift at all.

Dealer hasn't recommended changing anything plus they are 6 hours away, Triton says the 4 blade may help some with the 115 but say each boat is different.

So i came to the experts.

[ntxwaterfowl]

I’m not an expert at all but something is definitely off. How well does it respond to trim? It sounds like it’s overweight/underpowered which shouldn’t be the case at all or it is slipping a lot on hole-shot. A 4 blade should help your hole shot but I wonder if there is more to it. I ran a 1985 17ft Ranger with an 84 Merc and a 21” 3 blade for years. With 600+ lbs of people in the boat it would be slow to plane but would and could run an honest 45mph on gps. Your boat should be able to plane quicker with just you and the wife.

[mdtritn21]

You need to raise your motor up higher probably to 4.25 under since you don't have a jack plate.

[Roboz]

I can raise the motor one hole, just not sure if that's enough to change anything? Seems to respond to trim, the rpm's climb and the speed increase as i trim up but i still don't feel like it is raising the bow enough, as it has some bow steer going on. Cavitation plate is approx. 3 inches above the pad.
My previous boat was a Tracker 190 with a Merc 90 and it would run circles around this thing..haha

When i first got the boat i couldnt hardly get it up on plane here at home (3000' elevation) we took it to Mohave and used it off and on over 2 weeks at sea level and it ran pretty decent (except the bow steer), i thought it had worked out its issues after the motor was broke in. But got it back home and i realized how bad it still was.

Bad part is no one has any idea what is going on, the dealer said to bring it back and they would go through it but they would have it for 6 weeks. Triton gave me some things to look at as far as motor height etc. and Yamaha says to go to a 4 blade prop and set the cavitation plate even with the bottom of the boat, if i do that my prop to pad will be 8 inches.....This is my 3rd boat and i have never had this issue before, just minor changes to prop pitch etc....I'm confused at this point.

[Roboz]

I can t imagine that i have it overloaded, the front has 10 rods, 8 plano 3700 boxes full of plastics etc, 2 self inflating life jackets, 1 regular life Jacket. throw cushion, net and a 10 lb anchor.
Rear compartments have 3 plano box's, small tool kit and of course the batteries.

[ntxwaterfowl]

Certainly doesn’t seem overloaded, that’s not much weight at all. Could there be something wrong with the hull? I would think the motor might not be making full power but you can spin it to 6100 so that doesn’t seem to be likely either... Going up a hole seems better than going down to 8” below the pad, that’s really low.

[baysdad]

My old TR 176 (115 Opti) had trouble getting out of the hole until I added a hydrofoil. It didn't look all that great, but improved hole shot tremendously and didn't sacrifice hardly any top end. I added the hydrofoil because I didn't have a jack plate or time to test out a bunch of different props. I think it had a 19P 3 blade Solas prop. Fully loaded would get 47 MPH.

[Roboz]

I was hoping to avoid the hydrofoil but it may come to that, i may just order a 4 blade see what it does.

[mdtritn21]

You need it to throttle up to 3500-4000 at take off to get on plane. Take the anchor out of the front and try it to see what it does. 10 lbs on a small motor can make a lot of difference on the bow. If it was a tin boat setting the motor at the bottom would be the place to start but if it's a glass pad boat hull set it higher. A jack plate would make a difference since you could adjust the motor height without taking the motor off the boat. You have another problem and that's the 3000 ft. elevation and that will knock 10% off you hp.

[Roboz]

You need it to throttle up to 3500-4000 at take off to get on plane. Take the anchor out of the front and try it to see what it does. 10 lbs on a small motor can make a lot of difference on the bow. If it was a tin boat setting the motor at the bottom would be the place to start but if it's a glass pad boat hull set it higher. A jack plate would make a difference since you could adjust the motor height without taking the motor off the boat. You have another problem and that's the 3000 ft. elevation and that will knock 10% off you hp.

Thanks for the tips, i will try them. I ordered a 4 blade Solas Titan 17 to try out too.