06 Champion 187DC set up

[Zebra13]

Gentlemen,

Got some boat set-up and prop questions for you, especially Mr. Pat Goff, who I understand is the Champion set-up guru.

I have an 06 Champion 187DC with a 175 Opti (35hrs) on it...my first real bass boat. With a 23" Trophy set 3.250" (centerline) below the pad, and just me (190lbs) in the boat, a light load and a half tank of gas, I got a GPS'd 58 mph at 5750 rpm's...with buzzers, bells, alarms, etc. Didn't like that. So I put on a 24" Tempest Plus, and with the same set up, got 63 mph at 5350-5400 rpm (max). Much better...good holeshot, too.

Fast forward about a week, but I got The Dad in the boat. I barely got 60 mph, and it was straining to get to 5200rpm's. Felt kinda sluggish. Next week after, I take the jack plate up .250" and I've got The Wife with me...same thing. Kinda tapped out in the 5200-5300 rpm range. Niether Wife or Dad is heavy, either...Dad's about 190, Wife is about 140. Elevation was about 800 ft. My concern re: the above is that The Wife will ALWAYS be in the boat with me as she is a bass fishing freak, and the boat just didn't feel right.

I think I'm not quite there yet, and the boat has a bit of performance left in it. I think WOT should be in the 5500 rpm range. So I ask you, what do you guys think, and where should I go from here? I've seen post from guys running 25's on 187's and a 175, and getting 65 mph, but that doesn't make sense to me looking at what I was getting with a 24, speed and rpm wise. But...I don't know much about setting up a boat, either. The jackplate is a 10" Slidemaster. I don't know the water pressure as I don't have water pressure gauge.

Raise the jack plate? Different prop? It's fine, leave it alone? Worry about something else and just go fishing? Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

Thanks,
Justin

[iron banks]

See the props section of the boards. The prop guy can give you advice and having your prop blueprinted may solve your problem. Only problem with a blueprinted prop is they are more easily dinged if you run them in the shallows but it can help when your in the situation you describe.

[Lea]

Welcome to BBC and the Champion forum. Folks will be along to help...
Glad you joined us...

[06champ198]

Something is not right here. You should be turning a 25 Tempest Plus to or close to 57 to 5800. I had a 186 with a 175 EFI and it would turn a 25 all day long to 66 or 67 MPH. It was worked. I could put a 23 Tempest all over the limiter. Maybe you have an engine problem or not getting WOT at the linkage. You should see a lot better speed than that. After you get the engine checked or try a 3 blade 25 I would invest in a water pressure gauge before I even considered raising the engine.

You might also try trim extenders which should help you on the top end by helping with lift. It sounds like you are not getting the boat out of the water and the motor cant spin up.

[dstacey]

You need to get a water pressure gage before you start adjusting the jackplate to insure yu maintain a minimum psi. The h2o pressure and tach are the most important gages on a bass boat.

[Ed R]

If it's a regular Opti the limiter is @ 5750 rpm=bells and horns.

A water pressure gauge is a must if you are going to raise the motor for speed and performance.

I wouldn't give up on a 4 blade yet