185 pro "step bottom" hull?

[Dragboatdriver]

I have a 1997 procraft 185pro with a mercury 175 efi.I run a 25 pitch 3 blade prop. The hull has a step in the bottom of it like you see on raceboats that is about a foot and a half long or so. I finally got to do a top speed pass the other day. I had a tailwind of about 6 or 7 mph. I know what my lowrance gps said i was running, but im afraid to tell people because they dont believe me. so i want to hear some opinions on what yall think that boats top speed should be.

[RiverRatMD]

Same hull as mine...I've got a 175 efi Blackmax. I'm getting 65-67 gps. That's with a Robbie Patterson 25 Trophy worked. That drops to 63-65 in summer heat and humidity. These hulls aren't known for real high speeds, but if you air 'em out, they'll go fairly well. So I'm assuming your in the same speed range. Give us your RPM and GPS speed, along with prop name and if it's been worked!

[bhinton-2]

exact same boat and motor. Stock 67 69 gps. no wind, keel walking so that's it. Put a set of Jay Smith's heads on and take it to keel walk much quicker. Have once gone on up, but not my deal. It now jumps out of the water. Tempest 25P

[Dragboatdriver]

Im probably going to to step up to a higher pitch prop. I race dragboats also so i have dealt greatly with props. Last weekend I had the boat completely unloaded and a 10 mph tailwind and the water had about 2-3 inch chop. my gps said 74.7 mph. I am afraid to tell people this because i am concerned they wont believe me but i have never had a gps lie to me.... thanks for the help

[RiverRatMD]

WoW! The highest I've seen on my GPS was 68 with a Tempest 26p on my '92 180/175efi. But I'm also always TX loaded, so I could see 70 being possible! Once these hulls get aired-outed (bow lift) they really go! One of my buddies has a '95 180 with a 150 XR6 and he's getting heads cut,200 4 pedal TDR reeds & reed assm, 200 tuner, and dry-stacked exhaust.....He's looking for 70 GPS. Shouldn't be a problem...I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

[Dragboatdriver]

Yes keep me posted on how it goes. Like i said my boat ran this speed completely unloaded with about half a tank of gas and a slight tailwind. So I had all of the factors in my favor that day. I will say though at that speed that hull really likes to chine walk.

[RiverRatMD]

With the 26 tempest it will chine walk a bit if i let it - over 65 mph. And it'll do 66-67 all day with the tempest 26(Poor hole shot). But with the 4 blade trophy25, it won't chine walk at all with speeds of 64-67 mph depending on the load. I would love to try a worked 25 Tempest on this boat....I think that would be the perfect prop as a tempest carries a load better and has way more lift. But i'm currently hard at work setting up my Gambler 2200 right now...going with a 28p Bravo I. But i'll prolly never part with my ProCraft...Too much good history with her!!

[Dragboatdriver]

How do you like your Gambler? I came very close to buying one but opted not to. I have a few drag boats (hydros) like you see on tv, so i get my speed thrills there. I know the gamblers are quick but ive always wondered how they handle, fish, and ride.

[RiverRatMD]

It is an absolutely incredible boat! The ride is sweet! I have a 250XB on it and it'll run 80+ and the handling is awesome. I had to learn how to drive it & i'm sure you know what i mean. It doesn't like a lot of trim to go fast. Trim it too much and she gets crazy and wants to go airborn. I have 12 inches of hydrolic set-back (my wife just walked by and chuckled about that one) & I'm about to put a worked 28 bravo on it. And they fish very good also. It's 22 foot long and since my ProCraft is 18'3", I had to adjust to fishing boat docks I fish the upper Chesapeake & Potomac & the rough water ride is as good as any Bassboat i've EVER been in. It's got Hydrolic trim tabs build into the hull!
I better stop there since it's a ProCraft board...I've had my ProCraft over 16 years now and I'm keeping her too! I'm sure i'll get good use out of both

[strongside]

ok i have a 180 dual pro with a 175 v max , 25p prop and a 6inch jack plate and i only got up to 57 gps,,,
anything i can do to improve that number?

[Dragboatdriver]

Does the 180 dual pro have the long "step" in the hull? Ive looked at some pics of others and they dont have the step in them that i am making reference to that is on my boat. I will have to post some pics of the hull.

[RiverRatMD]

Yes the 180 hull has the stepped transom (exactly as the 185...same hull)

Strongside....Give me some info: what RPM are you turning your 25 p prop. And do you know your lower unit gear ratio? I am assuming it's 1.89ish (same as Mercury) & where do you run your jackplate(prop should be 3 inches below pad).

My 180 Dual Pro / 175 EFI combo has a 6inch jackplate and the prop is 3 inches below pad. (any higher I lose speed--prop needs to run a bit deep on our hulls)
Prop is 25 trophy & blueprinted by Robbie @ Sandersons in Richmond,VA. & is worked to provide lots of lift to the bow. (prop slip is around 8%-9%)
Lower unit gear ratio is 1.89
It will run 64-67 mph all day long.

I think your prop has a high slip % (i bet it's around 17% or so) These hulls must get lots of bowlift to go fast. But they will Stock props typically aren't very good on the 180's unless you happen to get one that lifts real good out of the box (rare).

[Dragboatdriver]

Its funny that RiverRat brings up the bow lift, because everyone comments on how insanely high my boat carries the bow. Hence the speed. I dont have a jackplate on my boat but i measured my prop to pad and its exactly 3 inches so i see no point in putting a jackplate on it when im already set up where i need to be. From what i have found with this hull in the short time Ive owned it is that it LOVES trim. The higher you trim it the better. just be careful and keep a close eye on your engines "peehole" so that you dont trim it too high and run it out of water. Hope this helps

[RiverRatMD]

Yes sir they love trim indeed! Sounds like your boat is set up just right. And these hulls eat up rough water & fishing from them is solid. Most of these boats came with a temp gauge which i think is a waste because by the time the gauge reads it-the damage is done! If you have a water pressure gauge-make sure it works properly (zero's out when engine is off) and monitor your water pressure. Forward idle=2-3psi midrange=8-10psi WOT= 12+ psi. If you don't have a water pressure gauge--get one! Easy install! Take it easy fellas! Trim it out, air it out, and hold on tight!

[Dragboatdriver]

yes mine has a water pressure gauge, and all my gauges usually work. with that being said there are some days when they all just go crazy. for instance i can be cruising up the lake at like 30 mph and the tach will be reading 6,000 rpm. I look back and check that the motor is "peeing" every few seconds practically because i am very paranoid about a waterpump issue or trimming it too high. but yes my pressure numbers read pretty much exactly what you just said. thanks for that info, ive always wondered what it should be reading.

[eatmywake]

I have a 95' pro180 and the specification plate is wore off. Is my boat rated for a 175 too? Also was wondering about trim extenders. If you look at the transom it's not straight up and down, its angled. So my thought is that it would effect the trim of the motor. Just wondering what some others thought. Would I benefit from them or not. My current setup is a 6" manual jackplate, 24P tempest plus, running around 3" below the pad. By myself with the livewells full and full tank of gas it will run 60mph gps. with my partner it drops to about 55-57. Highest ive seen with a light load was 63.

[eatmywake]

To add to my post, when I get up and running full speed I dont have a roost. If I raise my motor to get a roost I loose a lot of speed. I see people running these boats in the mid 60's and was wondering what I needed to do to get there.

[RiverRatMD]

Hello eat my wake! Yes, your boat is rated for a 175 hp.
My buddy Joe has a 95 180 dual pro with a xr6 150 that has shaved heads(145psi compression), 4 pedal TDR reeds and reed cages, dry-exhaust, and wizzard 200 tuner and max advance on timing (24 degrees).
I have a 92 180 dual pro with a 175 XRi blackmax.

We both have 6 inch jackplates 3 1/4" below the pad. With a 26 Tempest plus both of our boats will do 65+ gps at 5500 rpms. His hole shot is incredible, mine is so-so at best. With 2 people & tournament load I slow down a few Mph...He does not. I think he has potential to hit close to 70 gps while I am maxxed at 65-66 mph. The trick is to air these hulls out....You've hit 63, so you know what I mean! We BOTH run trim extenders...they DO work but officially not recommended because they take the motor outside the confines of the swivel bracket...worth trying though i assure you! I've been running mine 5 years. You can get a 2 degree set back plate added to your boats jackplate to do the same thing.
What motor are you running and at what rpm??

[eatmywake]

Do you happen to know where I could get a new capacity plate? I am running a 95' mariner mag 2.5L. I get 5500 when I can air out the hull. With a heavy load it doesn't want to get up and out will only run 5200-5300. I asked about the trim extenders because I put a couple washers under each trim pad and noticed immediate results in the positive form. The actual trim extenders should give me a bit more. The only other option I can think of is to send my prop in and have a bit of cup added.

[RiverRatMD]

not sure where to get a capacity plate. Do you need one for Tournaments you fish? and yes, you can get your prop worked to gain a couple mph. I think a 25 tempest is worth a shot too. Remember also, you can cut your heads ($180) change your reeds(TDR's=$180) and set your timing advance to 24 degrees and eliminate your timing module(FREE). The drawback is having to use 92-93 octane fuel, but the added power is awesome. I could tear-up my friends 180 pro with his stock 150 against my 175, but now that's a different story with his mods completed. The trim extenders will give you a mph or 2.