#38
Post
by Matt in Houston » Mon Aug 11, 2014 7:12 am
Raised the motor to the top hole and did some testing this weekend. With two adults and a kid, plus ~1/2 tank of fuel and an open rear bimini; we hit 36 mph GPS, trimmed out. This was up from my previous best of 33 mph GPS with the same load and the bimini closed. I picked up almost 300 RPM from raising the motor two bolt holes, and I'm now at ~5600 RPM. I'll have to try it again sometime with the bimini closed.
My steering is a bit lighter and the boat feels a little more nimble, and is quicker. My cruise speeds between 3000-4000 RPM are higher and should be more fuel efficient since I now have less drag. I imagine once the motor fully breaks in I may see a little more RPM, perhaps after the 20 hr service. Also when the temperatures begin to cool down that should make a nice difference too. August in Houston is very hot and the water feels like bath water.
I am happy with these results, even though yesterday when I tested with a heavier load up front (4 adults, 3 kids) I needed to trim down below neutral in a tighter turn or it will ventilate the prop. However, when pulling a tube and making sharp turns most people are in the back of the boat watching the fun so that helps to keep the prop hooked up better.
Speaking of props, I am happy with the Enertia over the Reliance. I think the Reliance might be a slightly faster prop since its a smaller diameter, but the Enertia hooks up better from what I can tell. The Enertia will vibrate the boat a bit when at the slowest idle speed, but bump the throttle a hair and it smooths out, no problem.
I would say from the Xcursion dealer they should mount the motor with one hole up instead of two, at least on the "XS" package with the 3/4 middle-toon. They could even mount it at the top hole like I did but some people who carry heavy loads frequently might not want to trim down so low in a turn to avoid prop ventilation.
Hope this helps!
2014 Xcursion X-25C Tritoon - XS Pkg - 150 Yamaha 4 Stroke - 15p Enertia