Break Out Another Thousand Stratos 282

[bassonwylie]

Not sure if I'm posting on the right board, but I'm looking for some assistance with setting up a 97 Stratos 282 with a 96 Johnson 150 Fast Strike.

A little bit about the boat and current set-up:
-Heavy items always been stored in back of boat.
-Motor has new electrical and fuel system replaced within last 8 months so no performance issues
-Does not have a jackplate
-When running at WOT, trim level was pretty much maxed out
-4 Blade 25p Renegade (used in every scenario)

Here's what's going on:
I found a great deal on some lithium batteries and decided to swap out my old lead acid batteries for the decreased weight and consistent power. It was a great upgrade, however performance has taken a massive hit. Lost 5mph with the swap and zero bow lift. I was running two group 27 lead acids which gave me top speed of 60-61 at 5500. Fastest this boat has gone was with two group 24 lead acid where it would hit 63-65 pretty consistently so I know this boat has got some speed to it. After researching the boards and comparing similar boats, it seems a 10" jackplate will help out greatly on performance but my biggest concern is still not getting enough bow lift. Is it worth while in looking into wedges to help angle the motor to where I can use more of the trim range or should I be looking to send my prop off to get worked on to achieve the greater boat lift and performance?

Any advice is greatly appreciated even if it's not stratos related.

[lpugh]

You absolutely must have a jack plate, I would recomend a 6in slidemaster or dietwieller. 10 in is too much for that boat. Wedges are not the answer as that will only get you a taller rooster tail. You need to restore the correct balance point of the hull getting weight further back, this will get you more bow lift and allow you to easily adjust to the right prop to pad height for your boat.
Do not get a plate that uses a cable and ratchet for adjustments such as Hydronamics utilizes!
A 25p prop may be just a bit too much for that boat, what is the max recommended rpm for your motor, prop it to achieve that rpm with a normal load under good conditions after installing the plate and getting the height set correctly..

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

You absolutely must have a jack plate, I would recomend a 6in slidemaster or dietwieller. 10 in is too much for that boat. Wedges are not the answer as that will only get you a taller rooster tail. You need to restore the correct balance point of the hull getting weight further back, this will get you more bow lift and allow you to easily adjust to the right prop to pad height for your boat.
Do not get a plate that uses a cable and ratchet for adjustments such as Hydronamics utilizes!
A 25p prop may be just a bit too much for that boat, what is the max recommended rpm for your motor, prop it to achieve that rpm with a normal load under good conditions after installing the plate and getting the height set correctly..

This is spot on in my opinion based upon my general bass boat rigging experience. Lots of hulls don't do well with the new light weight lithium batteries. I'm not knocking the batteries, the technology is fantastic. It just upsets the balance point. I also think 25P with 150 hp is too much prop. You probably should be turning 5800 to 6000 with that engine. I'd try a 23 if you can find one to borrow.

[walnutshoe]

That particular hull definitely needs a 6” plate. It will be night and day difference. The optimum rpm on the faststrike is 5500. Renegade has more stern lift than bow lift and requires tons of trim. Original raker was best prop for your combo back in the day. After all said and done, you may still need to get some weight back of boat. If the engine is healthy, it should twist a 26p raker to 5500 and mid sixties. Assumes hull / pad hood condition.

[outdoorsguy]

Depending on your budget, if it's tight some cup can be added to your current prop to get some bow lift, which should bring back most of your speed. If budget allows, an ideal set up would be, as walnutshoe stated, a 26" Raker and a 6" (max) jack plate would bring it to life and give maximum performance (although being lighter in the rear may still require some added cup) and probably get you running faster than before the lithiums.

[Bob_Fish]

I had a 282 Stratos. Ran it for 22 years. It had a 24p raker, 6" jackplate on a 150 Intruder. Would run low 60's (60-62) any day. Max that I had it was 63mph. With the 24" prop it turned 5300 rpm. Max rpm for that motor was 5500. Stratos only recommended a 6" max jackplate. It has been a few years since I own this boat but this is what I remember. I don't remember p2p, just set it and forgot it. Good luck on the boat. I put many miles on the one I had.