Setting up new boat (top end and adding shallow water anchors)

[hawkeye17]

Hey all, have been reading for awhile but have never posted myself. Hoping someone can answer a couple questions for me. Checked through other posts and can't find an answer. 

 

Just picked up a Nitro Z18 with a Mercury 150 fourstroke a couple of weeks ago and just finished the 10 hour break-in period. Went with the fourstroke because the lake I normally fish is small enough that I end up idling a good deal but wanted something big enough for the larger reservoirs and rivers. As I was still in the break in period I didn't run it wide open too often (just the amount that was recommended) but when I did it seemed that it was a few mph lower than what I was anticipating and some tests I've seen showed. I was topping out around 57-58 on GPS with full tank and 2 people. 

 

I don't need every last mph by any means but part of why I'm curious is that I'm looking at installing a hydraulic jackplate (it doesn't have a hydraulic or manual one now) and 2 shallow water anchors. Would that additional weight slow me down considerably? Not sure if this could be correct at all but I thought that perhaps while the extra weight could slow me down, being able to adjust the hydraulic jackplate could make up the difference. 

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm not sure a jack plate will do much on the Z18 or its predecessor, the Z7 .  Before you do anything such as adding a jack plate, or something like power poles, check with your dealer.  Seems to me I read that those may void your warranty.

[gim]

The "towers" of the shallow water anchors aren't real heavy but they do obviously stick up a ways vertically so there will be some wind resistance.  You might be able to get a little more speed out of a better prop.  I don't know if your outboard came with a stainless steel prop or an aluminum one but a ss one will usually perform better.  The down side is the price tag and if you hit a rock.

[hawkeye17]

It does have the stainless prop. Would plugging the prop help? 

 

If a hydraulic jackplate wouldn't do a ton I could just do a manual jackplate just to mount the shallow water anchors. Just didn't want to weigh the back down enough to take off more then a couple mph. 

[Al Wolbach]

1 hour ago, hawkeye17 said:

It does have the stainless prop. Would plugging the prop help? 

 

If a hydraulic jackplate wouldn't do a ton I could just do a manual jackplate just to mount the shallow water anchors. Just didn't want to weigh the back down enough to take off more then a couple mph. 

 

Playing around with different combos of plugs is necessary for every boat. Even two identical boat/motors can need different size plugs or add/remove plugs. The load you are carrying can also make a big difference so make sure you do your testing with your normal fishing load, including live well and fuel. You just have to play for a day to see what works best however your dealer should be able to give you a good starting point. Good luck

[Tas1498]

 

 

I run a 8 inch slidemaster with a 23p Tempest 2.5ins under the pad 60-61 loaded 5700-5900 rpm's. In the mornings I only use 3/4 trim to keep the rpm's down. If you run a lot with empty live wells and light in general you could probably run a 24p Tempest and pick up a few mph's.

[hawkeye17]

Thanks for all the info! I'll mess around with plugging the prop. I'll also check out the Tempest prop.