Aluminum bass boat setup generalizations?

[MassBass320v]

I'm going to be buying my father's Triton 19 TXP aluminum boat. He's owned it since new (2020) and has been struggling to find the right setup.

I'm just wondering if there are any general setup tips for aluminum bass boats. Do they generally like to have motors far below pad, do they typically need a lot of bow lift, etc. Or is each model too unique for generalizations?

(I know the 19TXP is based on the Ranger RT198P but the Triton has a slightly different layout and 25 extra hp so I'd expect the Triton to need a different setup than the Ranger)

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

[PatriotAW4]

Take care of it, those are hard to find, they only made them for a couple years. Yes in general aluminum boats like the prop 3/4-1" lower than what you would typically run on a fiberglass boat. Also those run much better if you grind the welds down on the bottom some. I would run a 6" jack plate and start with the motor about 4" below pad and work you way up until you no longer gain speed. A 23" pitch Tempest or 22" pitch Fury is the props I would use.

[MassBass320v]

Thanks for that. I need to figure out where prop-to-pad is currently set. It's got a 6" (I think) Slidemaster manual plate, spinning a 24p Tempest Plus 3-blade prop. I've only run it once myself so far but it felt like the prop was about to blow out at only 1/4 trim per the gauge which is why I was thinking the motor might be too high. I need some more seat time and measurements to dial it in.

[PatriotAW4]

A 24" pitch Tempest might be too much for that boat but you can try it, as long as it turns 5800-6000 RPM wide open and trimmed up you are good.

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

I've owned a Lowe 17HP (17' pad hull) boat with a 90hp Merc Opti since 2013. I love the boat but I quickly learned the performance tradeoffs of an aluminum hull. These comments may not apply or at least apply as strongly to Xpress hulls but I believe these comments are pretty good general aluminum bass boat truths. First: An aluminum hull won't ride like a glass hull. Some may come close and in fact my Lowe rides really good but not as good as glass. Second: Aluminum hulls generally can't be trimmed up for best performance like a glass hull. Why? I'm not sure but I think it is just that hull designers can do so much more with glass molds compared to bending aluminum. Aluminum bass boats tend to porpoise if trimmed up much. My Lowe hull takes very, very little trim to run the best it can run. Any more and it starts to rock back and forth front to stern. It is just the nature of aluminum hulls. The front to back rocking (porpoising) is even more pronounced the shorter the hull. My 17' hull in order to have a reasonable size back deck places the seats about in the middle of the hull. This moves the hull center of gravity toward the middle and is the main reason that you can't trim up very much in my opinion. This is proven out by the fact that my boat actually runs faster with the aft livewell full because with that weight in the back I can trim more up than without it. On a tin boat the engine prop combination just can't hold the nose of the boat up with the center of gravity so far forward. It is compounded further by heavy trolling motors and electronics up front. This is I'm sure not as big an issue the longer the hull. Another general principle with aluminum bass boats is that the engine usually needs to be at a deeper prop to pad distance compared to a glass hull which hinders performance. My little Lowe can cruise at 32-33 mph on gps at around 4500 rpm. If I could trim up more and get more of the hull out of the water I'm sure the speeds would be better but you can't without the hull rocking front to back. I've come to accept the limitations of my tin boat, I also appreciate the easy upkeep, the fantastic fuel economy, the easy way it tows, and for a 17' boat it fished great. Also a light tin hull (my hull is 990 lbs) doesn't need a 100+ lb thrust 36v trolling motor. My 75lb 24v trolling motor pushes it fantastic with more than enough power for even strong river current fishing. Tin boats are great as long as the expectations are reasonable. I had a 21' Skeeter FX21 250 SHO and the 17' Lowe 17HP 90 Merc. When I had to trade one of the boats I picked the Skeeter. It was hard to trade but I found that I was using the Lowe much more. It just cost less in time and money per fishing trip than the big glass boat. For sure I miss the speed of the FX21 for long trips but I fished this Saturday in the Lowe, covered about 30 miles total for the day, burned 4 1/2 - 5 gallons of gas and had a great time. I cruised most of the time from 25mph to 35mph going from spot to spot and it was a comfortable ride. Hope this helps.