Super User A-Jay Posted August 30, 2018 Author Super User Posted August 30, 2018 Got a surprise call from my Mercury Marine dealer today. The surprise is my New Motor Is IN ! ! ! Still ironing out some details but tentative plans indicate that by the end of next week the Pro-V Bass will be sporting a new power plant . . . More to follow. Who's stoked . . . . A-Jay 7 Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 31, 2018 Global Moderator Posted August 31, 2018 Awesome! Sounds like you might have won the lotto. From what I've read they are 2 or more months out because they were ill prepared for the popularity of the new motor. One thing's for sure the Pro-V bass is going to be even more sweet looking if that's possible. 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted August 31, 2018 Author Super User Posted August 31, 2018 3 hours ago, 12poundbass said: Awesome! Sounds like you might have won the lotto. From what I've read they are 2 or more months out because they were ill prepared for the popularity of the new motor. One thing's for sure the Pro-V bass is going to be even more sweet looking if that's possible. I certainly appreciate the 'earlier than expected' delivery. The dealer was Very Surprised. I will admit that I've been in Mercury Marine's 'hear' every chance I got. Don't know if that played a role but I'm going with the squeaky wheel got the grease. A 6 inch Sea Star manual Jack plate will be part of the deal as well. Can't wait. A-Jay 3 Quote
Tim Kelly Posted August 31, 2018 Posted August 31, 2018 Looking forward to hearing how great it is. The 200hp motor selection was the only weak point with the 1875 PB, now the V8 is available I think it will make it the boat even more popular, and rightly so. 1 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 12 hours ago, A-Jay said: A 6 inch Sea Star manual Jack plate will be part of the deal as well. 2 things I'm curious about, why the Jack plate...and why manual? 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 I had a manual 12" jackplate because manual was lighter, and once the boat was set up, there was no need to adjust. 1 Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 31, 2018 Global Moderator Posted August 31, 2018 18 minutes ago, J Francho said: I had a manual 12" jackplate because manual was lighter, and once the boat was set up, there was no need to adjust. Is the purpose of a jackplate to be able to run in skinnier water? 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, 12poundbass said: Is the purpose of a jackplate to be able to run in skinnier water? It's not the only reason. A set back adds performance, as does properly setting the height. 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted August 31, 2018 Author Super User Posted August 31, 2018 On 8/31/2018 at 8:52 AM, Further North said: 2 things I'm curious about, why the Jack plate...and why manual? On 8/31/2018 at 9:16 AM, 12poundbass said: Is the purpose of a jackplate to be able to run in skinnier water? On 8/31/2018 at 9:19 AM, J Francho said: It's not the only reason. A set back adds performance, as does properly setting the height. @Further North @12poundbass The manual jack plate choice came with a lot of research while assessing at how & where I run the Pro-V. @J Francho summed it up well and I will add some to that. I do not run super skinny water on plane - ever. Too risky and I'm all about eliminating risk. No doubt it'd be nice, but I do not really 'need' the hydraulic deal and all that comes with it. (weight & $$$$$) What I do need is more space between the motor and the transom that the unit provides as it will allow better clearance for the SI transducer unit without having to tilt the motor. (which is a little bit of a PIA). For me, the boat, motor & electronics package all need to play nice together and currently there is room for improvement. The timing is right to address it too. Along with that, I'll be happy to also benefit from any performance improvement attained along with having the ability to tweak it a bit if need be. My dealer is 'talking to' Mercury & Lund on my behalf to inquire as to what may be the proper / efficient prop choice. Where very few Pro-V's have this new motor yet, there may be some trial & error here. Initial plan is to move the 21" Tempest Plus ( which is working well) from the V-6 to the V-8 and start there. Be nice if it ended there as well. Where the motor's weights are also identical, I might get lucky. More to follow. A-Jay 1 1 Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 31, 2018 Global Moderator Posted August 31, 2018 43 minutes ago, A-Jay said: I do not run super skinny water on plane - ever. Too risky and I'm all about eliminating risk That's why I was asking. I didn't figure you'd run skinny water on plane. I sure as heck wouldn't. What is the current draft on your rig right now and what will it be capable of after the jackplate is installed? Something you mentioned that caught my attention was you said you have issues with SI unless you tilt the motor. Do you only get clean images from one side because of the motor being in the way? Is this a common problem for rigs without jackplates? You're right it would be a royal PIA if you have to tilt up every time you want to idle around and scan. I've heard people talk about but haven't gave it much thought since I currently don't have a boat or a unit I want to install it on....yet. 1 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 The setback should mitigate the SI issue. Getting the prop higher out of the water means less drag. Moving the prop back puts the prop in "cleaner" water. 2 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted August 31, 2018 Author Super User Posted August 31, 2018 Pro-V's Draft is 16 inches ~ Anything less than 36 I'm using the push pole. Yes, clean right - obscured about 30 % left without operator intervention. Can't say to what extent the SI deal is - just know that my fitment is about to improve. A-Jay 3 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 2 hours ago, A-Jay said: @Further North @12poundbass The manual jack plate choice came with a lot of research while assessing at how & where I run the Pro-V. @J Francho summed it up well and I will add some to that. I do not run super skinny water on plane - ever. Too risky and I'm all about eliminating risk. No doubt it'd be nice, but I do not really 'need' the hydraulic deal and all that comes with it. (weight & $$$$$) What I do need is more space between the motor and the transom that the unit provides as it will allow better clearance for the SI transducer unit without having to tilt the motor. (which is a little bit of a PIA). For me, the boat, motor & electronics package all need to play nice together and currently there is room for improvement. The timing is right to address it too. Along with that, I'll be happy to also benefit from any performance improvement attained along with having the ability to tweak it a bit if need be. My dearer is 'talking to' Mercury & Lund on my behalf to inquire as to what may be the proper / efficient prop choice. Where very few Pro-V's have this new motor yet, there may be some trial & error here. Initial plan is to move the 21" Tempest Plus ( which is working well) from the V-6 to the V-8 and start there. Be nice if it ended there as well. Where the motor's weights are also identical, I might get lucky. More to follow. A-Jay I knew you'd have thought it through and would have good reasoning, thanks. I also don't ever run skinny water on plane, but have always bee interested in the idea of a powered jack plate to get the motor up out if the way if I'm fishing skinny water on the trolling motor, or like you, with a pole (which I don't use often, the Ulterra will run pretty shallow). Any performance benefits to the powered jack plate for me would be incidental to that...and like you, I don't need the weight and expense. My SI runs really clean on this rig, even without a set back for the motor, so I don't have to worry about that. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 4 minutes ago, Further North said: I also don't ever run skinny water on plane, but have always bee interested in the idea of a powered jack plate to get the motor up out if the way if I'm fishing skinny water on the trolling motor, or like you, with a pole (which I don't use often, the Ulterra will run pretty shallow). That's what trim and tilt is for. 1 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 4 minutes ago, J Francho said: That's what trim and tilt is for. It is...to a point. I like leaving the motor down as much as I can when I'm moving with the trolling motor because it acts like a rudder. Without the big motor down acting as a rudder, my boat handles like a drunken rhinoceros on a wet clay river bank. I've looked and I feel like if I could raise it straight up (or closer to straight up) I could at least keep enough of the skeg in the water (On the same line as the bottom of the keel) and at least maintain some semblance of a "rudder". Tipping it out of the water doesn't work well. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 You only need to raise enough to be at the same level as your boat drafts. The usually leaves at least 12" or more in the water, and you still have a rudder. Also, I'd rather the skeg hits bottom before my hull. The skeg is sacrificial, the hull is not. The skeg's only purpose is to protect the prop. A side benefit is the rudder action when on the trolling motor. 1 Quote
JLBBass Posted August 31, 2018 Posted August 31, 2018 Amazing a V8 four stroke outboard weighing just a tad over 500lbs! AWESOME! 1 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 1 hour ago, J Francho said: You only need to raise enough to be at the same level as your boat drafts. The usually leaves at least 12" or more in the water, and you still have a rudder. Also, I'd rather the skeg hits bottom before my hull. The skeg is sacrificial, the hull is not. The skeg's only purpose is to protect the prop. A side benefit is the rudder action when on the trolling motor. Yeah...the angles on mine are all sorta weird the way everything goes together. By the time I get the motor up enough to clear obstructions it's pretty close to worthless as a rudder. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 5 hours ago, 12poundbass said: That's why I was asking. I didn't figure you'd run skinny water on plane. I sure as heck wouldn't. What is the current draft on your rig right now and what will it be capable of after the jackplate is installed? Something you mentioned that caught my attention was you said you have issues with SI unless you tilt the motor. Do you only get clean images from one side because of the motor being in the way? Is this a common problem for rigs without jackplates? You're right it would be a royal PIA if you have to tilt up every time you want to idle around and scan. I've heard people talk about but haven't gave it much thought since I currently don't have a boat or a unit I want to install it on....yet. A number of tin boat guys will run 2 SI transducers one on either side of the motor to get unobstructed images while leaving the motor trimmed all the way down. A single transducer will bounce images off the motor with the trim all the way down. Trimming up some will reduce the feedback but also gives you less boat control at slower speeds 2 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, slonezp said: A number of tin boat guys will run 2 SI transducers one on either side of the motor to get unobstructed images while leaving the motor trimmed all the way down. A single transducer will bounce images off the motor with the trim all the way down. Trimming up some will reduce the feedback but also gives you less boat control at slower speeds Jason Halfen recommends that approach. I'm pretty sure he had his Ranger set up that way. Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted August 31, 2018 Author Super User Posted August 31, 2018 12 minutes ago, slonezp said: A number of tin boat guys will run 2 SI transducers one on either side of the motor to get unobstructed images while leaving the motor trimmed all the way down. A single transducer will bounce images off the motor with the trim all the way down. Trimming up some will reduce the feedback but also gives you less boat control at slower speeds Good idea and probably requires less funding than a new motor & jack plate. **** Update **** Dealer called. Service department's two-blocked for coming week. Next available time slot for the re-power is the week after next. So mid-September now. Still at least 30 days earlier than expected. In the mean time, guess I just have to keep picking off those brown bass, for a couple more weeks anyway. Jack plate's ordered. A-Jay 2 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 10 minutes ago, A-Jay said: Good idea and probably requires less funding than a new motor & jack plate. A-Jay Looks like you can get a manual jack plate for around $310, a Helix SI MEGA transducer is $350 before tax and shipping...and you'd need a splitter...that's another $40... 2 Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 31, 2018 Global Moderator Posted August 31, 2018 11 minutes ago, Further North said: Looks like you can get a manual jack plate for around $310, a Helix SI MEGA transducer is $350 before tax and shipping...and you'd need a splitter...that's another $40... Not to step on @A-Jay toes but he doesn't have a MEGA so it would be cheaper. However the performance increase could very well be worth it. 1 Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 2 hours ago, A-Jay said: In the mean time, guess I just have to keep picking off those brown bass, for a couple more weeks anyway. Life is tough. Soldier on. ? Quote
Super User Further North Posted August 31, 2018 Super User Posted August 31, 2018 2 hours ago, 12poundbass said: Not to step on @A-Jay toes but he doesn't have a MEGA so it would be cheaper. However the performance increase could very well be worth it. Oh, heck yeah! ...even the old XHS 9 HDSI 180 T is $270. Add $40 for the splitter, tax and shipping...a push, at least, dollar wise, and in this case the improved oomph from the jack plate is a no-brainer. I looked at the dual transducer set up when Jason Halfen suggested it for my rig, two boats ago...and rejected it based on cost, and having to worry about two transducers on the transom (I'd already crushed one backing into a BAMF rock drifting backwards downriver in the Chippewa River). The bigger question is: Why in the heck doesn't @A-Jay have MEGA? That's simply unacceptable! I'm calling the Smallmouth Bass police, Humminbird, the NAACP, INTERPOL, the Canadian Mounties and the SPCA! 2 1 Quote
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