More problemshigh rpm no speed

"I have twin 350's with al

"I have twin 350's with alpha one gen one drives. 1988's on a 27' slickcraft. All season the boat has gone a strong 24 knts @ 3300 rpm. The last three times out it gets slower & slower. Now down to 17 knts @ 3400 rpm. The boat comes out of the water next week. What are some things that I should consider. Is it possible the marine growth on the hull & drives can effect the performance that much? I suspect its something slipping somewhere. Also notice the water in my bilge was nasty smelling lately with a glazed milky tint if that means anything.

Thanks again,"

"Jeff,
You didn't say wha

"Jeff,
You didn't say what type of water or how long the boat was in it.
I can say that the bottom of a boat left in from May to October in our fresh water lake looks like they have a lawn on the bottom when hauled out.
This will slow the boat down a lot.

As for the smell in the bilge, this can be from a summer of spilled drinks,food etc that has found it's way to the bottom of the boat.

If you have not needed to add much oil and the oil in the engines is still clean I would not worry about this stuff being from the engines.

Haul it out, clean it up, service it and check it over well for any leaks.

Have a safe winter."

"If the boat has been in the w

"If the boat has been in the water for an entire season then Charli is right. the bottom of the boat is going to look like a shag carpet. Raise up the foot and see what it looks like. if it is filthy then you can imagine what the hull looks like. clean it up and consider bottom paint to keep the growth down. that is unless you trailer the boat regularly, then skip the paint as it will wear off on the sleds of the trailer over time. The quick easy (cheap) fix is to take it to your local quarter carwash and hit it with the power washer. put it back in the water and see if it makes a difference.

good luck."

"Thanks guys. It is moored in

"Thanks guys. It is moored in salt water & has bottom paint as well. Its dirty but not like a carpet. Spun Prop? Engine coupler? This boat tops out at almost 50 mph so its tough to understand why it is struggling so much.

Thanks,"

"Jeff,

If both engines are

"Jeff,

If both engines are operating at the same power level it is unlikely you have and engine or drive problem. Even a trim problem would evidence itself with poor handeling or plowing.

If you have "rubbed" the bottom it is possible that both props are damaged. Make sure the trim is working properly and that the props look good. If everything looks good, pull it and blow it off. Even if you are pulling it for the season, drop it back in and run it, just to make sure that cures it. You don't want to start off next season with the same problem.

Good luck
Rick"

"BTW... Engine coupler would n

"BTW... Engine coupler would not be intermittant, nor would it "slip". Perhaps a spun prop hub... maybe. Sounds like you have a lot of living things calling your boat bottom "home"."