War Eagle Blackhawk?

[Hitekrednek]

Yeah dearJohn I know what you mean. Guess I just wanted to see the actual results vs theoretical. Where I load, GENERALLY the ramp and river is all mine for the most part. Not usually too much traffic at either area unless it's a holiday or something. I am fairly happy with my 23 pitch I have but just want to experiment with the 26p. I have seen videos of guys in the xpress boats running 80+/-mph on YouTube. I'm not even sure I want to go that fast, haha!

I honestly think y'all are right about that 26p prop being too much, though. I think it's gonna hinder performance more than help it.

[winghunting]

I bet that 26 pitch will be too much. I wish War Eagle would make the 961 rated for a 200, like Xpress or others. I think 60mph is about as good as its going to get on a 961 Blackhawk with a 150. Also, I wish they would put a bigger gas tank in them. The 16 gallon tank (I've only ever been able to get 14 in mine) doesn't last long with my old gas guzzling 2 stroke.

[DearJon]

Wow, 14 gallons, huh? That is pretty small. You'd think a 20 gal. cell would be the minimum considering the 2170s come with a 37 gal. tank. You prob don't want the added expense, but is there room where your current fuel cell is located to add a larger model with more capacity? Maybe an upgrade is in your future.

[Hitekrednek]

The tomahawk is basically the same boat and it comes with a 23 gallon tank. I actually called war eagle a day or so ago to ask about the fuel tank. I wanted to know if there was a way to get an upgraded larger tank in the 961 blackhawk, but Nick said there wasn't. Mine has been plenty for me so far, but I haven't ever tried fishing tournaments or anything. One of my friends has a H17PFC XPRESS which only has an 18 gallon tank. He complains about that fuel capacity because he wants to fish tournaments and can't go but so far from the landing. Also, we have another friends that just bought a H18PFC XPRESS and his came with a 30 gallon tank, so that guy has us kinda jealous in the fuel capacity area.

As far as the 26p prop being too much, I'm feeling the same way about it as y'all. I just want to try it out and see for myself since it's free to try. I'm not even sure I want to go much more over 60 mph.

The 175 Yamaha VMAX SHO weighs the same amount as the 150 so it makes me wonder why they didn't rate it up to at least a 175.

Have any of y'all added rod holders to your blackhawks? The side console model don't have a single rod holder. I was thinking of getting a few driftmaster rod holder bases put on. Thoughts? Pictures if any of ya have done this?

How about trolling motor quick releases? Do y'all lock your trolling motors on the bow or just use the cotter key? I just bought a small lock to use on mine yesterday, but I don't know how secure it actually is. Do they make a high security type lock specifically for this?

[okhawg]

I am going to have a removable tm base. They do make hardened smaller locks, but I haven't seen one in a while. For rod holder mounts, I intend to build a rack to go across the back. I hope to make it removable and somehow attachable up front. For the sides, they are gonna install Seaark Procat rails. I plan to use drift masters holders.

[Hitekrednek]

For curiosity, do y'all think a Jack plate with an 8-10 set back would cause my boat to sit much lower in the water in the rear? Would it be too much?

[winghunting]

I am running a 10" manual jackplate on my 961 with no problems at all. My motor weighs 400 lbs vs. yours that weighs 480 lbs. though. I honestly think you would be fine with one and would gain some top end.

[Hitekrednek]

That's kinda what I was thinking, but my transom is only about 8-10" above water (and I'm guessing at that I haven't measured it). I was concerned about it because I sometimes fish in rough water out in the bay. I was worried it might make it where a good wave would swamp my boat. Not too worried about it while running just while anchored.

[jeff_3272]

I wish War Eagle would make the 961 rated for a 200, like Xpress or others.

With a War Eagle BLackhawk 2370 still being rated for a 150hp, you'll never see a 961 rated any higher.

[DearJon]

I contacted Bob's today and they confirmed my jack plate and PPs will arrive on Thursday. They said there's currently 2-3 weeks between receiving an order for a jack plate and shipping it due to high volume and the machining process. That being said, my wait was only 10 days or so. Anyways, I'm planning on doing the install this Sunday. I ordered a piece of 3/8" 6061 aluminum to brace the inside of the transom. It's overkill I'm sure, but I have a tendency to over-engineer everything. I just don't want to ever worry about the increased stress I'm placing on the transom. I'll try to post pics and some of the details concerning the installation in case anyone else out there is looking at a similar set up. I'll also provide honest feedback on the pros and cons of the entire process. Then, folks can decide for themselves if the cost is worth it.

[Hitekrednek]

Please take a picture using a ruler or something that shows the depth of the transom in the water without the jack plate vs with it too. I think I really want one but I'm uncertain.

[Hitekrednek]

Man I wish they'd make a forum section for war eagle like they did xpress.

[DearJon]

Ok Hitekrednek, Ill try to get some before and after pics of the waterline on the transom. One thing I'm going to do is relocate the batteries for the trolling motor up front in the storage area. I think this will provide a more even weight distribution which will compensate for the addition of the jack plate and PPs.

On a separate note, I've had issues with the dealer installed trolling motor from day one. It has never worked right. It's a Minnkota Riptide 80# thrust. It would turn on (sometimes) and then die immediately. If I turned it off and back on, that would work occasionally. Usually, it would just do nothing, and I'd be forced to crank up the motor to avoid drifting into something. I finally decided to check voltage at the plug. Since it's a 24v system, I expected to see in the neighborhood of 27-28 volts. I got 13v. My initial assumption was, "those idiots hooked up the batteries in parallel". Turns out the batteries are wired correctly, but the worker who installed the motor is still an idiot. A 24v/40amp fuse, or relay was installed to protect the circuit. No waterproofing was applied. No heat shrink. No liquid electrical tape. No dielectric grease. Only standard butt connectors were used. Keep in mind, the boat is two weeks old, and has been wet three times. It was rusted and corroded terribly. I cleaned everything, and dressed up the connections the way it should have been done the first time. The motor's working perfectly now that it has the appropriate voltage. Point being, always protect wiring with the proper barriers from the elements. I personally like to use dielectric grease with waterproof connectors, and heat shrink tubing as a final line of defense. Short of the wire getting severed, it will not fail. I don't like things done half-assed. You guys ever see this stuff done on brand new rigs?

[winghunting]

With a War Eagle BLackhawk 2370 still being rated for a 150hp, you'll never see a 961 rated any higher.

I don't disagree at all, but I hate it. Most 19'6" plus boats are rated for more than 150. A 961 will definitely handle a 200, if you know what I mean.

[Hitekrednek]

The hp rating must be due to transom strength? ? ? I don't know.

[DearJon]

Please take a picture using a ruler or something that shows the depth of the transom in the water without the jack plate vs with it too. I think I really want one but I'm uncertain.

Ok. So I finally got the jack plate and PPs installed. It took me a couple days due to work and weather. I took the boat out and did the first trial run. She ran great, and the jack plate is amazing! I've never owned a boat with one before, but I can safely say I'll never own another boat without one. The PPs are really cool too. They deploy quickly and hold the boat well. We had a 12-15 mph wind with a 3 knt. current today. The boat 'sways' a bit, but holds position. Overall, I'm very pleased. I gathered some data to help inform others who might be contemplating a jack plate or Power Poles.

Boat Model: 2170 Blackhawk
Motor: Yamaha F150
Top speed without jack plate: 54 mph. (from the gauge, not GPS verified)
Top speed with jack plate: 57 mph. (from the gauge, not GPS verified)
Available freeboard before installation of JP and PPs: 12"
Available freeboard after installation of JP and PPs: 11"

On my particular hull, I lose roughly 1" of freeboard for each additional 100 lbs. near the transom. This may differ from your particular application, but its a good planning factor. I experimented by having my daughter (105 lbs.) stand on the back of the boat, and sure enough the transom sank another inch lower. Moving the two trolling batteries (104 lbs.) to the front is bound to give me back another inch of freeboard. Hope this helps someone make their decision. Pics inbound.

[winghunting]

sounds good......lets see some pics of it.

[DearJon]

sounds good......lets see some pics of it.

Sorry for the delay. I had a heck of a time resizing the photos without the quality degrading severely. I ended up just putting them in DropBox for which the link is below.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ie2uh0o95...dghDHp_Ea?dl=0

I was really concerned with the added stress on the transom, so I decided to go all out with a transom stiffening plate. I made it out of 3/8" 6061-T6 aluminum and then painted it in aluminum primer before topping it off with gloss white. It's super solid. The other pics are just a few showing the PPs deployed and there's one of the JP peeking out from between the motor and transom.

[DearJon]

Okhawg, are you still looking at taking delivery of your new rig this weekend?

[okhawg]

I looked at it today, as is it arrived early. They will have to wait on new seats, as they messed up the main bench. Everything else looks spot on. Delivery will most likely be late next week.