How fast should my boat go

[Frogman]

I am just wondering.  I have a 17 ft Stratos with a 100 HP motor.  I can't get it over about 40 MPH.  Does this sound right?  Anyone out there got any suggestions or experience in this?

[Way2slow]

I have an 88 Stratos 176V with a 115 I-6 Merc on it I keep at the lake and it usually runs about 50 - 52 with two 220# men and gear.

[Catt]

I have a 1996 Stratos 258V 15' 5" with 70 hp Johnson & it'll run 42 mph

[Under the Radar]

I've got a Stratos 176XT with a yammy 70 on it. Tops @ 36.7mph GPS with 2x200lb men, full gear & livewell

[Team_Dougherty]

I am just wondering. I have a 17 ft Stratos with a 100 HP motor. I can't get it over about 40 MPH. Does this sound right? Anyone out there got any suggestions or experience in this?

How are you measuring your speed? what is the RPM your motor is running at full throttle?

[cart7t]

Is this GPS speeds or from a speedometer?  Speedo's are very unreliable. 

[Frogman]

I'm getting my speed from a Humminbird 597 system.  My tach seems to top out around 5500 I believe.  Tach goes to 7000.  How hard should I be pushing it?  I have thought about playing with prop sizes and pitches, but that can get expensive.  Also thought about replacing my stabilizer, but theres nothing wrong with the one I have.

[Way2slow]

RPM depends on the motor.  OMC cross flow, 5,500 is about right.  Some other motors may want to see close to 6,000.  Find the max rpm rating for your motor within 100 - 200 rpm is where you want to get.  Also remember, during the colder weather, you will can a couple of hundred rpm.   

There's a lot you can do with setup, but anything you do, other than playing with engine height, is going to cost money.

[Frogman]

What could I do to get me the most extra MPH.  I mean don't get me wrong I don't wanna go real fast, but 50 would be super nice.  I probably won't see it, but.... I would like to

[Team_Dougherty]

I'm getting my speed from a Humminbird 597 system. My tach seems to top out around 5500 I believe. Tach goes to 7000. How hard should I be pushing it? I have thought about playing with prop sizes and pitches, but that can get expensive. Also thought about replacing my stabilizer, but theres nothing wrong with the one I have.

What could I do to get me the most extra MPH. I mean don't get me wrong I don't wanna go real fast, but 50 would be super nice. I probably won't see it, but.... I would like to

With the numbers you posted 40MPH maybe all you get. 100HP is not that much. I have a 40HP on a 16' V bottom and it will go 32 with a light load and a tail wind going downstream.

You maybe able to try fine tuning your trim/tilt and motor height.  Maybe a stainless steel prop.

[Way2slow]

As mentioned, a 100 on a 17ft boat is not a lot. Then it depends on what year and how fresh the motor is whether you're getting the full 100.

Other than a little you might get adjusting the engine height, most a set too low, you can expect to spend a couple hundred bucks (or more) for each mph you gain. Make sure you have a good, working water pressure guage before you start messing with height.

The first step in optimizing a boats setup is installing a jack plate with enough setback to get the motor back the proper distance from the pad. That's usaually means getting the leading of the lower unit about 1 1/4" from the edge of the pad, for each foot of boat lenght. This sometimes means having to change steering cables and possilbly control cables

The next step is finding the right, high performance, stainless steel prop. Usually the first one is not the perfect match.

So, just how fast do you want to go? The answer is just how much do you want to spend.

[Nitrofreak]

Way2Slow,

I have a question,  My friend has a jav 18' with a Johnson 150 looper, I have a TF170 Nitro with a 115 rude and we were on the lake one day and decided to...play.

He told me that he was doing 62.4 according to his gps.

Now he was going faster than I was and I was maxed out getting all I could get out of mine, But he was not pulling away either.

Now I don't know how fast I was going but at the rate he was pulling in front could not have been more than 1 mph.

Me personally I don't think that my boat is capable of going that fast although it does make me wonder since it takes a quarter tank of fuel to get it on plane. LOL

I have had it up to 55.4 before with my gps but conditions were much different and I did have a little throttle left but not much, Is it possible he is not fibbing me?

[Wayne P.]

Nitro, my last fiberglass bass boat was a Javelin 379T with an 150 OMC Faststrike. I had the motor raised the highest it would go without a jackplate. My top end was 68.4 mph with a Raker 24 pitch.

With a tournament load and partner I got 64.6 mph.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Is this GPS speeds or from a speedometer? Speedo's are very unreliable.

They usually are not even close.

[Way2slow]

Setup play a huge role in how fast a boat is.  When it comes to setup, most people don't have a clue how to, and are not willing to spend the time or money required to get one dialed in.  Some hulls respond very well to being optimized, some you can bust your butt and no matter what you do, you will see hardley any difference.

It's also not uncommon at all for some boaters to inflate the speeds they claim they run.  I've run with several boats that claimed speeds as much a 10 mph more than mine.  A couple of years ago I was showing a friend some hot spots on "my" lake for a tournament his club was having.  He had a 20' Bullet with a modified 225HO and said he could run 91 with two people and gear.  Yet, when we made a seven mile run, we started out almost side by side, mine came out of the hole much faster so I was a few boat lengths in front, my gps was showing 82.1 mph, when we got to the spot, I was at least a 100ft ahead of him.  He said I had to have been running at least 93.  I thought "Yea right"!! a Javelin Renegade 20 is going to run 90 mph.  It takes over 300 hp to get the 82 out of it.

[Nitrofreak]

Nitro, my last fiberglass bass boat was a Javelin 379T with an 150 OMC Faststrike. I had the motor raised the highest it would go without a jackplate. My top end was 68.4 mph with a Raker 24 pitch.

With a tournament load and partner I got 64.6 mph.

Wayne I have no doubt his boat will do what he says we were doing.

My question is I really am having a hard time believing that mine was going almost as fast.

The max I have ever had my boat with a gps is 57.2 and that was on glass like water and pushing it hard with only myself in it.

This particular time I had my wife with me and got more speed?

That just does not add up and I think he was pulling my leg unless the boat set level, or something changed I am just having a hard time believing mine was doing somewhere around 60 to 61 mph.

[Nitrofreak]

Is this GPS speeds or from a speedometer? Speedo's are very unreliable.

They usually are not even close.

These are all gps speeds, when he told me how fast we were going, I had to go get gps for myself.

My speedo does not work yet.

[Nitrofreak]

Setup play a huge role in how fast a boat is. When it comes to setup, most people don't have a clue how to, and are not willing to spend the time or money required to get one dialed in. Some hulls respond very well to being optimized, some you can bust your butt and no matter what you do, you will see hardley any difference.

It's also not uncommon at all for some boaters to inflate the speeds they claim they run. I've run with several boats that claimed speeds as much a 10 mph more than mine. A couple of years ago I was showing a friend some hot spots on "my" lake for a tournament his club was having. He had a 20' Bullet with a modified 225HO and said he could run 91 with two people and gear. Yet, when we made a seven mile run, we started out almost side by side, mine came out of the hole much faster so I was a few boat lengths in front, my gps was showing 82.1 mph, when we got to the spot, I was at least a 100ft ahead of him. He said I had to have been running at least 93. I thought "Yea right"!! a Javelin Renegade 20 is going to run 90 mph. It takes over 300 hp to get the 82 out of it.

WOW, I will normally not run mine hard and generally 40 to 50 is all the faster I go, unless a storm rolls in from out of nowhere and I need to get back in a hurry.

I have driven one at 72 and that was enough for me, I would most likly POOP at 80. LOL!!

[GLADES]

As mentioned, a 100 on a 17ft boat is not a lot. Then it depends on what year and how fresh the motor is whether you're getting the full 100.

Other than a little you might get adjusting the engine height, most a set too low, you can expect to spend a couple hundred bucks (or more) for each mph you gain. Make sure you have a good, working water pressure guage before you start messing with height.

The first step in optimizing a boats setup is installing a jack plate with enough setback to get the motor back the proper distance from the pad. That's usaually means getting the leading of the lower unit about 1 1/4" from the edge of the pad, for each foot of boat lenght. This sometimes means having to change steering cables and possilbly control cables

The next step is finding the right, high performance, stainless steel prop. Usually the first one is not the perfect match.

So, just how fast do you want to go? The answer is just how much do you want to spend.

X2

I had a 1984 17 procraft fish and ski with 1984 johnson 115 (actually 90 horse) motor. It ran nice and reliable, but it would not run over 37-38 MPH. You will never see 50 MPH unless you upgrade to at least 150 HP if your hull is rated for it. Just my .02

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

I am just wondering. I have a 17 ft Stratos with a 100 HP motor. I can't get it over about 40 MPH. Does this sound right? Anyone out there got any suggestions or experience in this?

Are you trimming it right?

[Josh256v]

I have a 1996 Stratos 258V 15' 5" with 70 hp Johnson & it'll run 42 mph

I've got a 1988 Stratos 256v with a 70, and it will run 42 with a chewed up prop.  Motor height is your friend...Try a jackplate, and a SS prop...Google Mark's Propellers...he can hook you up!

[Carrington]

you will probably top out at around 35mph, i have a 17ft procraft with 115hp and i top out at around 40-45 mph depending on the prop and whos in the boat.

[Carrington]

also if you are looking to get a new prop just remeber if you change the pitch of the blades to go faster your fuel economy will tank which in the long run is that worth 3-7mph?

[Nice_Bass]

just pull the trolling moter up....happens to me all the time.

[GLADES]

Make sure you are not carrying around a lot of unnecessary weight. Extra anchors, tackle and junk will slow your boat down. How is the hull? Is the boat stored uncovered outside? If so, your hull could be water logged...extra weight...slower speed.