How has hot weather affected your performance?

[joevandal95]

This summer I have been wondering if there was somethiing wrong with my new E-Tec because it has not been running as strong as it use too. Well Sunday I took it out an it was a rather cool day with rain. I finally got the E-Tec and the top end of the RPM range. The hot weather was costing me close to 400 RPM and 6 MPH off the top end. Has anyone else see a performance hit like this in the warm weather? Anything one can do to help combat it?

[RGK]

Hot, Humid weather = less oxygen = less HP. Wait for cooler weather is all you can do and maybe less pitch in your prop.

[joevandal95]

Should I be concerned that I am lugging the engine to much if I am only running between 5000-5200 RPM when it is hot?

[RGK]

That might be a bit low, lugging an engine is hard on them. You might want to consider 1" less pitch in your prop to gain 200 or so R's. I have only lost about 200 r's........

[nola 521dvx]

I've actually been surprised at how well my 04 225HO deals with the heat/humidity in SE Louisiana. We recently fished in >100 degree air temps with very high humidity and in spite of an ice box full of ice and redfish (~100lbs), a full live well, and two people on board, my motor still ran at 5600 and pushed my 521 to 65 or so.

[rudetech1]

I'm sorry, I can't resist! The hot weather has made me slow!

[DoferGofer]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by joevandal95 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> E-Tec and the top end of the RPM range. The hot weather was costing me close to 400 RPM and 6 MPH off the top end. </TD></TR></TABLE>
What was your top end speed and RPM range and what prop are you using?

[joevandal95]

I am using a 14.5 X 20in Raker. My top end speed this weekend was 55 MPH at about 5800 RPM. During the hot July we had, hottest on record with an average temp of over 83 degrees, I would run about 46 RPM at 5200. I am in a fish and ski so my speed really depends upon getting the bow of the boat to lift. When it is hot, I do not seem to have the HP to get the bow up.

[ZeroHour]

Try hot weather up here at 5-6k ft above sea level....Thats some performance robbing stuff right there!

[Lockjaw]

My carb 150 is pulling 5400 with 24 pitch props, no sweat.

In my old boat, I had to pitch down 2 inches in the summer to keep the RPM's where I want them. At the speed you are running when its hot, you probably don't have the power you need to get on the pad. My Javelin only seems to hop up once I get around 50mph or better.

[DoferGofer]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lockjaw &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My carb 150 is pulling 5400 with 24 pitch props, no sweat.

My Javelin only seems to hop up once I get around 50mph or better.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
Am I missing something here, are you saying that your boat don't plane or get on the pad until you reach fifty mile per hour or is it that bass boats pane differently from fish & ski or center console boats?

[ChampioNman]

Well I really haven't wanted to get out of bed in the AM too hot! Haven't wanted to go too crazy with the Flying Welunda because it too hot so... Yes the Hot weather has effected my performance. .

[DoferGofer]

It's not the weather, it's your age.

[joevandal95]

The hull on a fish and ski are a little different and I see the same thing at about 50 MPH it jumps on the pad and you really start picking up some speed. Would a jackplate help get it on the pad at a lower speed?

[DoferGofer]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by joevandal95 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The hull on a fish and ski are a little different and I see the same thing at about 50 MPH it jumps on the pad and you really start picking up some speed. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Ok, you youngsters are teaching this old man something today. I always thought that when a boat was on plane it was on the pad or being on the pad was on plane.
Learn something new most everyday. At any rate, thank you young fellows for allowing an old timer to tag along with this thread.

Chow,

[Lockjaw]

Maybe... I think the kind of prop and how much lift it has will do more.

If your boat isn't balanced properly, then moving the engine back some should help, especially in the amount of trim you have to use to get the nose of the boat up.

On my boat, a 4 blade does a much better job of getting the hull up and running free, and I also get faster speeds with a 4 balde, on this hull and my old one.

But most of the boats I see people talk about have to have enough speed going to get up on the pad. If you aren't up there on it, then the drag from more hull in the water won't let you go but so fast.

You might try a 6 inch jack, and raise the engine so the prop shaft centerline is 3.5 inches below the pad. Raising the engine will reduce your drag, and you may pick up your missing RPM's. You may also have to get a bigger prop.

[joevandal95]

I do have a bigger 14.5 X 22 XL ballistic prop. So I may eventuallly look at getting a jackplate. I can run the 22 when the conditions are right, but once it get hot I jump to the 20 pitch to maintain my RPM's