Prop to pad starting point??

[DVHammer]

Have a buddies 17 yr old son who bought his first bass boat, a 1989 Basscat in need of a ton of TLC. After getting it water worthy he states it will not get on plane without someone hanging off the front and is asking me for help. I suspect prop to pad on his manual jack plate and/or prop amongst many other possibilities.

Looking for a starting point on prop to pad and proper prop for a 1989 Merc 150.

haven’t been in the boat yet but he dropped it off tonight as asked and want to do whatever I can to help him.

Any thought or suggestions would be appreciated.

[mactlman]

3.25 below is prop vented? is motor down a cylinder? lots of maybes to work through likely

[Bass Cat Boats]

What propeller and 150 engine does he have.

[DVHammer]

Didn't look that close when he dropped it off but my plan is to dig into it after work today and will add info as I get it (vented prop, engine ID, etc.)

[DVHammer]

Grabbed a couple pictures before leaving for work.

NON vented prop. Quicksilver 48 73982 A5 21P

Mercury XR6 2.5L Serial#0D167446

Not sure if it's down a cylinder but he said it runs good.

[Bass Cat Boats]

Alright...

Let's start by saying that we would flip that down to a 22 or 23 Fury. We think that is a much better propeller than the QSS you have on this rig, and we would never have suggested this propeller. They will push the boat, just not very well. The fact that this is a 21" QSS indicates that something is awry with the engine or boat itself. That should put it on plane fairly quick and you have a lot of work before you determine what propeller you need. Boat weight, engine power, fuel lines, fuel supply, cylinders all firing and etc...

[DVHammer]

Agree and understand completely. I went through the tuning process with my Z8 which should be somewhat simple with all the info available and was shocked with how involved it ended up being and that was with a 2 year old boat with almost no hours on it.

I know I have my hands full with figuring this out but he is a great kid and want to do whatever it takes to get him on the water and enjoying fishing instead of being frustrated with his first boat.

Appreciate all the info and input!

[11pounder]

It could be dirty carbs and they need rebuilt and cleaned.

[DVHammer]

Good point. Fairly quick and simple to do just to make sure and eliminate carburation as a problem.

[caddyjoe77]

that is a beauty of a motor overall!! Hope you get that thing running right for him!!

[Bass Cat Boats]

It will make him a good rig as a starter.

[DVHammer]

I WILL give it back in working order but swamped at work and it’s been hard juggling between work, home, and getting this figured out.

[basshole51]

I had a 96 with a 96 150 Merc xr6. holeshot instant with a multitude of props. a 21 qucksilver being the best but was terrible for top end. I ran the 21 as a "beater" prop on shallow rivers. 23 tempest ran best (around 60 MPH)

I replaced plugs once and forgot to re connect one spark plug wire. it ran as you mentioned.

I would certainly check the motor out first as its definitely not getting full power

next would be to check transom, stringers, etc the boat could have a substantial amount of water weight as well

[DVHammer]

Thanks. I will definitely put in a fresh set of plugs and check to make sure it's firing on all cylinders first.

[mactlman]

Thanks. I will definitely put in a fresh set of plugs and check to make sure it's firing on all cylinders first.

i would pull compression reading also while there

[DVHammer]

Welllll.
Pulled the hood off but struggled to get the port side latch to release. Once I did I found out why. The plug wire was tangled in the latch! The picture shows it exactly how I found it. I called him to let him know I most likely found the problem and that we should change plugs while doing a compression test. He informed me that he already changed 4 plugs because that is all they had. I will be changing all 6 and do a compression test while they are out.

Baby steps! LOL

[mactlman]

Welllll.
Pulled the hood off but struggled to get the port side latch to release. Once I did I found out why. The plug wire was tangled in the latch! The picture shows it exactly how I found it. I called him to let him know I most likely found the problem and that we should change plugs while doing a compression test. He informed me that he already changed 4 plugs because that is all they had. I will be changing all 6 and do a compression test while they are out.

Baby steps! LOL

will be a marathon not a sprint!!! someone has pulled compression readings at one time it appears also

[DVHammer]

Noticed that as well. Going to compare old readings to current and see what has changed.

NEXT issue I have is his steering which is another reason I have his boat. Said it was always very hard to turn but the last time out it quit and locked up. Pulled the steering cable out and apart and found this!

Yup, probably a lot harder than what I envisioned as "hard to steer". I have been looking around for a replacement (Morse 300620-138IN 6611) and not finding a direct replacement but see a number of cables that "LOOK" the same but are 144" not 138" like the cable is labeled.

How important is the length? Will the extra 6" make it unusable and not fit correct?

[basshole51]

Welllll.
Pulled the hood off but struggled to get the port side latch to release. Once I did I found out why. The plug wire was tangled in the latch! The picture shows it exactly how I found it. I called him to let him know I most likely found the problem and that we should change plugs while doing a compression test. He informed me that he already changed 4 plugs because that is all they had. I will be changing all 6 and do a compression test while they are out.

Baby steps! LOL

well that is good news it was that simple! hopefully you can get the steering cable figured out. the best upgrade I ever made on my 96 was to hydraulic. it was pricey though and I am sure that is not within the young mans budget. Kudos to you for taking on this project and helping him get on the water!

[DVHammer]

Thank you.
'Ya money is definitely tight.

We were all there at some point. Going to school, working a part time job to save and scrape up enough money to buy our first boat knowing full well that a boat in that price range will need a LOT of work and not having a clue how to or what to do.

I remember it like it was yesterday and wouldn't change a thing but enjoy helping to make it a bit easier than what I went through.