1996 Cobra 201DC/200Merc

[moldman]

This is my project boat that I'm putting together and any advice would be appreciated on setting it up to get decent performance from it. It has a 6" manual jackplate and I have two props to start with. One is a 24" three blade OMC
raker and the other is a 25" 4 blade Pro Tech. I have only ran it a few times and I realized very quickly that I can't run it very close to the bottom of the hull without loosing water pressure when I trim up. My prop shaft is now 2 3/4 below the hull and the water pressure actually increases when I trim up. Is this an indication that I need a bigger jackplate to get my pickup into the swell behind the boat. Backlash says these boats are built like the Rock of Gibralter so I am wondering if I can put a 12" jackplate on it. Both of these props run about 60 gps @5700 rpm. The boat does not seem to lift the bow when it is running. Is this normal for this boat? If not what do I do to get it to lift? I don't think 60 is decent performance but I have't had a chance to play with it very much. Any advice? Thx

[Backlash Ar]

Jimmy...Some folks are running 12" jackplates on their 201 Cobra's but many more are running a 10" jackplate. (You need a minimum of an 8" plate). I'd also recommend a 23 pitch Tempest or Trophy Plus. I believe those two props will give you the best performance....better hole shot and mid-range punch with the 4 blade Trophy but better overall speed at WOT with the Tempest. Depends on what you're looking for but the boat will handle a bit better with a four blade. With a manual jackplate I'd start at 3" below the pad and adjust upward in 1/4" intervals until you find the sweet spot...of course keep your eye on the water pressure (12psi is bare minimum but I'd try and keep it around 15psi as the minimum). You're not going to get much bow lift with a Cobra because they run fairly flat. About the most you can expect to get out of her is 65mph if the load is balanced.

[moldman]

Thanks so much for info. You have been very helpful. This website is really informative on a lot of different topics. Glad I found it. Thx again

[Pat Cella]

Jimmy I am running a 12" with a 225 EFI and a 25 pitch Tropy plus on my 201D and have had no problems. If I had it to do over I would go with a 10", because I went for an 8" to a 12" with almost no performance gain.

The best money I have spent performance wise was sending my prop to Mark Croxton.

Pat

[moldman]

Pat I appreciate your input to my question. I will keep your advice on the prop in mind.