New Cobra Owner

[rbarton]

Well I did it. I am a brand new owner of a 2000 Cobra 201 w/ 2006 Optimax 225. I posted a couple of months ago for info on Cobra's and once I sold my Procraft Pro 185 I couldn't wait to go and pick up the Cobra. I have run it twice and absolutely love it. I have even had it out in the rough stuff and it handled great. I will thank everyone in advance for the answers to the questions that I come up with. Pictures to come.

My first question is what top speed I should expect. I have read almost all of the old posts in the last year and I think I should be getting more out of it. I will list all of my specifications and see if anyone has any ideas of how I can bump it up a little.

67 mph (GPS) with medium load, Full gas tanks, and 1 person
I am hitting my rev limiter on Smart Craft at 5750
2000 Cobra 201
2006 Optimax 225L
10" Slidemaster with 10" setback
2 1/4" below pad
27 Trophy
Excellent Hole shot


In reading the old posts (Fastest Cobra) it seems like I should be in the range of 70-71mph. My biggest concern is I am hitting the limiter with a 27 Trophy.

Please let me know if anyone has any ideas on how to get a little more.

Thanks again and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone.

[Psychologist]

Drop the engine down to 3" below the pad and go from there. Your are too high. Your prop is not carrying a load very well. I could not run a trophy that high and carry weight. Welcome to the club!

[Pat Cella]

Hmmm. You shouldn't be hitting the rev. limiter with a 27 pitch trophy. I am running a 25 pitch with no problems. What kind of rpm's are you turning?

Oh just noticed, looks like your engine is a little high. Probably need to drop it to about 3 to 3-1/2" below pad and see what you get.

[rbarton]

Thanks for the help. Lowering the motor was my gut instinct. I possibly may try changing to a lower pitch prop depending on RPM's that I am getting with the motor lowered. I will let everyone know how it goes the next time I get it out.

Am I right in thinking that I should be able to reach 70 with fine tuning and possibly a different prop?

Thanks again and more questions to come.

[Backlash Ar]

Ryan...yes, 70+mph is not out of the question and lowering your engine to 3-3.5" below the pad should lower your RPM's a little due to creating more drag. Make sure your water pressure doesn't drop below 12 at WOT...15 would be better but you can get by with 12 if need be without worrying too much. Something else for you to consider instead of getting a new prop would be to have Mark (BBC) blueprint your current prop and put a little more cup in it. Most of the folks I know who are running your set up and turning a 25" wheel on their Opti...but whatever works for your engine.

Realistically, with a non-tournamnet load, no water in the livewells, 1/4 or less of gas in your tank, and with a little ripple on the water you should be able to hit 70+ mph. You'll always get your best speed during the Spring or Fall when the water and air temps are cooler.

[rbarton]

Thanks for the info Backlash. I am going to start with the motor adjustment and see how it does. I do need to get a back-up prop and I may go ahead after I have fine tuned this one check into getting a differerent pitch as my primary. I will definetely be looking at sending my primary prop to Mark as soon as I feel like I have it tuned right.

Thanks for all of the help and I will let you know how it goes.

[FishMoore]

rbarton
I spoke to Brian St. Jermaine on Wednesday and told him bacially the same thing. Looks like you need to lower the engine.
Good luck with the new ride. I think you will enjoy the boat and the Cobra family on this site. They are always VERY helpful.

[rbarton]

FishMoore

Thanks for the info the other day. The next time you are in town we need to meet up and go fishing. I love the new ride.

[FishMoore]

Sounds like a good idea. I'll see if i can get hold of Brian the next time i come through.
If your in the oil and gas buisness you need to see if you can get Bruan and yourseldf to fish the Louisana Oilmens tourney on Toledo the first week of April. It's always a good time and lots of people to see. There is usually close to 700 teams for the tourney. You'll have to go to the LOBI website and request an invitation, if you guy's decide to to.
I just hung a 225 on my boat, going out today to wee what she'll do.
Keep in touch

[rbarton]

FishMoore,

I am going to try and make it this year but I may have to work. If I get my schedule cleared we can definitely meet up.

Let me know how the new motor ran. Any setup secrets would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

[FishMoore]

You might want to take a look at the post below. It talks about setup for a 225 merc on a Cobra.

http://www.bbcboards.net...45686

[MigAz]

Congrats on the new acquisition! Where are the pics?

[rbarton]

I will post pics as soon as we have a nice day that I don't have to work.

Thanks for the welcome.

[Cleveland]

Ryan.......

WELCOME TO THE COBRA FAMILY MY FRIEND !!! GLAD TO HAVE YOU ABOARD !!! And by the way....... don't pick on me and don't believe any bad things that Backlash tells you about me either.

I'm a little dumplin around here and EVERYONE here thinks I am as sweet as the dew on a honeysuckle vine.

[Backlash Ar]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Cleveland &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ryan.......I'm a little dumplin around here and EVERYONE here thinks I am as sweet as the dew on a honeysuckle vine. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Oh brother...get out the shovels and hip boots again!

[rbarton]

Cleveland,

I believe every word you said but I am going to keep my waders handy.

Thanks for the welcome.

[Backlash Ar]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rbarton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Cleveland,

"I believe every word you said but I am going to keep my waders handy.
...."</TD></TR></TABLE>

[Cleveland]