New owner of a Javlein with a few ?'s

[MixManSC]

I'm new here and new to bass boats so bear with me. Been on the water for years in other boats. Anyhow just bought a 96 Javelin 400SE, has the original trailer, Johnson Venom 200, triple batteries and chanrger, it seems to have all the goodies. Overall very good condition. I paid 7900. The engine runs great - had a dealer check it for compression etc and he said it's spot on. Anyhow, after fixing a few minor things like a new ignition switch since the original cracked I finally really got it out on the water. Engine sounds and runs great. Did not note my RPM's but the dash speedo showed me topping out at about 45-50. I did have three other people on the boat and a full tank of gas though.

I'm not sure of a few things. It does have a renegade 4 blade stainless prop. Do not know the pitch. It does not have a jack. It does have a hydrofoil bolted on. At speed it was pulling to the right - HARD. When running slowish (20 or so) if I turn fairly sharp it is very hard to turn the wheel back. Is this normal? Should I somehow attempt to lube the steering cables?

It has a hotfoot throttle but the prior owner liked the shifter throttle so the hotfoot cable is simply laying outside the motor. I have to say that I personally have never had a gas pedal on a boat and like the shifter throttle as well so I have not switched the cables. With the engine off I did put it to full throttle and noticed that on the upper part of the motor I could by hand open the throttles about another quarter of an inch. Is this normal or do I need to adjust the throttle cable?

Should I leave the plastic hydrofoil attached? If I remove it will the bolt holes affect water flow through that area? I've been told it helps the boat plane much faster, increases fuel economy and improved high end stability.

The prop seem to be in farily good shape. The skeg has some nice scuffs but do not seem detrimental. In any case I feel like I got a good deal on a nice 20' boat but coming from smaller skiing boats, and pontoon boats this is quite a change. Even at the 45 mph the speedo was showing that seems crazy fast when I'm only a foot above the water !! But it was dang fun. Anyhow sorry for all the questions. Heres a pic of the boat also.

[Jason Phillips]

Welcome to the boards. That is a good looking boat and you will really like it.

I'll try to help out with a few things.......

With three other people in the boat, you are not going to perform anywhere close to your potential.

The pulling you are feeling is due to torque. This and better performance can generally be controlled with motor height. Without a jackplate you are limited to how you can adjust engine height. You have cable steering, so it will be hard to turn. But, if those are the original cables, they need to be changed. It will not make it as easy as hydraulic steering, but it will be noticeably 'lighter'. You can attempt to lube the ones you have, but there comes a point in which it is a safer decision to replace the old ones than to try and make them work. Raising your motor should solve some of the issues that you mentioned.

The hotfoot will not hurt anything leaving it unhooked. I will say that it is my FIRM belief that if you are running anything with a 150 or larger motor, a hotfoot is a necessary safety item. When you get that much power that is capable of high speeds, it is better to have control of the throttle with your foot and both hands on the wheel.

The hydrofoil will not hurt your performance. It should be completely out of the water when you are running. If you take it off, the holes left will not really affect it, but I would have them filled in.

As long as you feel like you got a good deal (I think you did too) and you are happy, that's all that matters. If you want to get the very most out of your boat, we'll need to get a lot more specific information. That boat should run a solid 70 mph.

Enjoy!

[Luke]

i will agree with Jason i have a 96 400SDC javelin as well that i am trying to sell
they are great boats and ride really well and set up right they will really run for what they are
im with Jason on the hotfoot as far as a saftey item in my oppinion there are 2 things that are a must on a boat for me and that is a hot foot and pro trim on the wheel that way at a high rate of speed you have both hands on the wheel and can control the throttle and the trim easily without taking your hands off of the wheel

af far as the hard turning you are feeling that is prop torque from the motor
mine was the same way when i first got it with the cable steering it has, i put hydrolic steering on it and never had a problem since

[MixManSC]

Thanks guys. I'm going to look into possibly replacing the steering cables. It does have steering wheel mounted trim controls (plus the shifter, front of boat, and motor!!) I did also add a new engin kill and lanyard when I replaced the ignition switch since the original kill was part of the ignition switch. I will defintley make sure that is always clipped on. I've got a tournament pro (Jim Langston) thats going to go out with us in a week or two for a day to show us the ropes on bass fishing, properly dealing with chining, etc. I'm also going to give the hotfoot throttle a try so I'll be reconnecting that in the next week. Wish that was the dual type though so I could still have the shifter throttle for lower speed use.

I did also notice that the seat is dang short. I could hardly see over the windscreen unless I was planed out. The throw cusion made for a decent booster seat. I'm going to try and figure the prop shaft hight and also noticed this morning that the engine mount does look like it can adjust up and down to a point but it look like that could just be for centering. I also noticed a bar that has 5 positions under the lower unit which looks like that might be a stop for the lowest trim setting. Thanks for the comments. I imagine I'll be around here a good bit in the future. Already learning tons just reading. One last thing for now - anyone know the fuel capacity on this thing?

[Glenn_S]

Nice looking rig!

I took notice of your comment about the seats sitting so low. In the picture, I don't see any seat backs sticking up? Either the seats fold down, or maybe the original owner did something different from stock, and that is why you are sitting so low...

[MixManSC]

Well - the seats sit flat on the surface under them - they have a piano hinge at the front edge which lets them flip forward exposing the carpet under them. Maybe I should look at adding some sort of a frame under them? Also - I am thinking I'm going to buy a torque tab for the skeg to help with the pulling in the steering. Any ideas on a specific torque tab to buy, where to buy it online, and tips on installing it. It will need to fit on the skeg on my motor (96 Johnson Venom 200). Thanks again yall'.

Rich

[Luke]

you can get the torque tab at Bass Pro Shops for about 15.00
Richard ill find a pic of my Javelin and put it on here to show you how my seat is

[kmoore]

If you are interested in putting in hydraulic steering, which I highly suggest, I have a nearly new Tilt helm (Teleflex) I would sell for $175 plus shipping. All you would need is the hoses and ram unit for the engine. I will never have another boat without one. It is the one for the big engines and is fairly easy to install. Let me know if you are interested. Hoses and rear hydraulic unit can be found on Ebay or most marine dealers.

[PJCodner]

My seat in my Javelin was pretty low as well so I built a square frame that raised the drivers seat. Now I can see over the dash and I still won't lose my hat running wide open.

[DR Stratos]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MNJAVELIN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My seat in my Javelin was pretty low as well so I built a square frame that raised the drivers seat. Now I can see over the dash and I still won't lose my hat running wide open. </TD></TR></TABLE>


Did the same thing on my 278DC Stratos, due do be height challenged. Now can drive all day long and be comfortable.

[MixManSC]

Sounds like I'll be building a booster for my seat. I think I'll try it with some quarter inch thick aluminum I have lying around.

[Neilslure]

4 people in a bass boat? Wont go fast with that load. Speedos in boats are usually not accurate. Mine is usually off by 5-10 mph depending on trim and speed. Boat looks to be in good shape. Also good idea using a pier block to hold your jack wheel . Just dont forget its there when you drive off.