Just thought I would share a very positive improvement by making 2 simple changes to our motor. Normally I would not make two changes at one time but my son needs the boat for a tournament this weekend. Our small boat varied in speed performance based on load and weather conditions but generally averaged about 18-24 mph speed with 2 people in it with some gear. But as of late we were running 15-20 MPH because of more gear. During a practice session my son and his friend with a live well full of water and an extra 1.5 gallons of fuel could not get over 12 mph on a smooth lake. We had never had water in the live well before but they definitely had some extra gear for the tournament practice. Since the prop that came with the boat was a little beat up I ordered a new Solas which met OEM specs. We had added a doelfin which improved ride but I think that definitely had an effect as if kept the bow down some but with a loss of 1-2 MPH.
So, after the new prop and doelfin removal we hit the river for a test and with my son alone the boat ran at 30MPH for the first time ever. We ran 10 miles up the Hudson on smooth water at 26 MPH (I clearly out weigh my sons friend by about 60 lbs). Got to the creek we wanted and filled the live well for the ride home and ran 24.3 MPH all the way home. Now, the river was like glass but we could tell the boat was riding higher out of the water without the doelfin. So new prop and doelfin delete worked wonders.
So, after the new prop and doelfin removal we hit the river for a test and with my son alone the boat ran at 30MPH for the first time ever. We ran 10 miles up the Hudson on smooth water at 26 MPH (I clearly out weigh my sons friend by about 60 lbs). Got to the creek we wanted and filled the live well for the ride home and ran 24.3 MPH all the way home. Now, the river was like glass but we could tell the boat was riding higher out of the water without the doelfin. So new prop and doelfin delete worked wonders.
