17' Nitro with a 150 Merc EFI

[thetr20one]

I took a look and my oh my how inconsistent can you be with numbers. There are guys running 150s and 175s that are outrunning guys with 200s and 225s. You can do the math and see that some of the post are BS, even with zero prop slip some of those numbers are odd. I only found a couple of 150-175s going over 64mph. Those guys must have made their performance runs when ALL the satellites were working. Obviously!

[Wayne P.]

Good points thetr20one, the last time is was in a tournament, I had two kids with me, one was around 250 pounds and the other was around my weight of 170 pounds. I usually don't run full throttle when I have youngsters with me, but they wanted to fish as long a possible in the area we were in. I had to WOT to make it in on time for the weighin and with those guys, a full livewell, 3/4 gas tank that holds 38 gallons, and all our tackle, I could only manage 60-61 mph. The speed I stated before was with a full gas tank, my normal lots of tackle, required safety equipment, three size 27 batteries, an emergency tool box, spare prop. and of course bow mounted trolling motor. My boat is not set up for any particular function, it just goes when I press the hot foot and trim up all the way. It goes the fastest when I am alone and slower as I add people/weight. With the price of gas now, most of the time I run it around 4,000 rpm at 50 mph.

That copy was just the highest mph I saw for Skeeters with 150 HP, but depending on props stated in others (not knowing what model boat is what) speeds over 60 mph were very common. It looked like lower pitch prop set ups were the ones limited to under 60MPH.

I run a 24" Raker and I see several guys with longer boats and 200-225 HP motors running 24" props. It is all about weight, and wetted hull that affects speed. I don't have much wetted hull at WOT. Do I get chine walk-HELL YES- I have to do more than ride, I have to drive.

[thetr20one]

My boat chines like crazy if you let it. Over the years I drive and don't even notice it anymore. I can raise my jackplate and eliminate it but I lose some top end, besides the chine keeps me alert. My hull seems to be 85% or more out of the water at WOT and is very responsive to input. Water pressure is not an issue because of the snorkle water intake on the front of my gearcase and it never drops below 15#. It is a very fun boat to drive and hate the day I must trade it in. We kinda hijacked this thread but I hope we have shed light on some things. I am just saying other than boat choice there is a trade off for everything boatingwise. Although I could never reccomend a Nitro. As I have stated in another thread I was at a boat show I walked across a Nitro deck and the compartments flexed and gave me a uneven feeling I could only imagine what they are like on the water. That is one of the boats I have never ridden in and don't care to really. Sorry Nitro guys feel free to knock Triton.

[Wayne P.]

thetr20one, isn't the chine walk deal why Triton makes the exective version? For those that can't handle the high performance hulls?

[thetr20one]

I have ridden in an X and the are very stable but, somewhat slower than the orginal TR platform. I have talked to a guy who went from a TR-20 to a TR-20X both with 225 OPTIs and he said he gave up 8 mph. The first time I tried to push my boat at about 66 mph the chine got so bad I about s--t myself. Then I found out what was happening. The only things that cured the chine was seat time and adjusting my jackplate height. My brother in law has the same year (2001) TR-20 with a RUDE RAM 225 and he goes about 72.7 gps with a fixed jackplate. I imagine he could easily go 75+ with a hydro plate but, he has his set for minimal chine with a respectable top end. Driving his boat has a completely different feel than driving mine for some reason and the only difference in hulls is his has a dual console. I really wish that Triton would release at least a limited edition new TR series but I don't think that will happen. I fish Erie alot and have never really been worried about big water, with one exception when I took a 8 footer from the side and pretty much swamped the boat. She stayed floating and running getting us back to the launch but, it was a long ride. The lake went from 3-5s to 6-8s in a hurry and caught us out in the lake. That was a good lesson on big water and high waves.