Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi all,

We just purchased a 2005 Lowe Tahiti 220 deck boat. We have actually had it almost two months and have been enjoying it every weekend since. It has the 115 Evinrude. Now I wish we would have found one with a larger motor. Seem to have a problem getting skiers up. Anyway, its our first boat (I had a small john boat when I was younger) and my wife, son and I are happy to have a boat to play with. I hope there is some people here that are familiar with these boats and can lend some insight and tips that will help us to get the most out of our deck boat experience.

Howdy.....

Toons are great for everything. Play with the prop, that will make a huge difference in boat performance.

That's the aluminum hulled deck boat right? Yes 115 seems low hp for that rig. I would have thought a 150 would be a good starting size

Welcome
Got any gps speeds, can't trust those odometers. Might be some tweaking in the prop that can be done. Imagine that is a fairly heavy boat for a 115, but we all got to start somewhere. The one good thing is the rude motor, should be very reliable.

doc

lakerunner wrote:That's the aluminum hulled deck boat right? Yes 115 seems low hp for that rig. I would have thought a 150 would be a good starting size

Ya - aluminum hull. The hull is rated up to 175hp. I wish it was a 150+ now but there isn't much I can do about that, at least until the boat is paid off!

Most of the time I can get it up to 30-34mph according to the speedometer but we don't have a GPS. The dealer put a SS prop on for me (after I argued with them that the aluminum one that was on there was to chewed up). They replaced the aluminum one with the same size SS but I have no idea if the previous owner has changed from stock. Is there anyway for me to find out what the stock prop specs would be for that engine?

edit* --- I believe the placard says the boat is 2100 lbs.

kdmiles wrote:

lakerunner wrote:That's the aluminum hulled deck boat right? Yes 115 seems low hp for that rig. I would have thought a 150 would be a good starting size

Ya - aluminum hull. The hull is rated up to 175hp. I wish it was a 150+ now but there isn't much I can do about that, at least until the boat is paid off!

Most of the time I can get it up to 30-34mph according to the speedometer but we don't have a GPS. The dealer put a SS prop on for me (after I argued with them that the aluminum one that was on there was to chewed up). They replaced the aluminum one with the same size SS but I have no idea if the previous owner has changed from stock. Is there anyway for me to find out what the stock prop specs would be for that engine?

edit* --- I believe the placard says the boat is 2100 lbs.

Doubt the maker would have specs on the prop since they really don't know the type of boat it is going on. Thinking a 13 to 14p should be in the neighborhood for the 115. If you feel the tach is reading correctly you should be running about 5800rpm at wot throttle. If you are turning less than say 5400 you may need to drop down a little from your current pitch (whatever it is)
If the 30 to 34 are correct reading you probably have the correct pitch.
doc

Welcome, I wish I had a better knowledge of the deck boats but I agree to play with the prop...

dockholiday wrote:
Doubt the maker would have specs on the prop since they really don't know the type of boat it is going on. Thinking a 13 to 14p should be in the neighborhood for the 115. If you feel the tach is reading correctly you should be running about 5800rpm at wot throttle. If you are turning less than say 5400 you may need to drop down a little from your current pitch (whatever it is)
If the 30 to 34 are correct reading you probably have the correct pitch.
doc

I checked the prop yesterday, the numbers stamped on it are 13.25x17.

Which number is the pitch?

13.25 is the diameter and 17 is the pitch!

17p is a bunch of prop for a 115, actually more than a 150 could turn. Not saying that a 13 to15p will help yank the skiers up, but should give better overall performance.
doc

dockholiday wrote:17p is a bunch of prop for a 115, actually more than a 150 could turn. Not saying that a 13 to15p will help yank the skiers up, but should give better overall performance.
doc

Dang. So I guess that means I am just going to have to buy more props (of different pitches) until I get the desired performance? Is there any place that sells used props or something? A fella could spend a fortune just trying to find a prop...

One more question if you don't mind.
Is my prop so high pitched that it could be hurting my top end? I don't want to lose much of the little top end I have.

I agree, casting my vote that a 17pitch is WAY too much pitch for that boat. I am sure you can do 34mph, but probably with just you and someone else with you. I would suggest going back and seeing if they will let you try a 15pitch. I have a 13"x 15 pitch that a prop shop customized for me and made a 14pitch (which you probably will not be able to find off the shelf.). I get 32mph with just me at 6000 RPM. But here is the kicker, I get 27MPH with 15 adults while towing a skier or I tow two tubes with 8 (yes adults on them at once (25MPH).

So prop pitch is where it is at my friend. Do you want to go 34 MPH by yourself or tow a skier with a boat load of people. For me, the more people the merrier!

Good luck. Check out mike hood props in houston (google him) if your dealer wont help you.

texaspontoon wrote:I agree, casting my vote that a 17pitch is WAY too much pitch for that boat.

Good luck. Check out mike hood props in houston (google him) if your dealer wont help you.

Thanks for the info. I will try to see if the shop will let me trade in the 17p for something smaller. Now I just have to figure out why the tach isn't working....

a final note - got a 15p put on last weekend and it made a big difference on take off with only 2 mph loss according to the boats speedo.

Thanks for everyones help!!