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15 v mate
- Thread starter cak
- Start date
Welcome to the board. Not sure what that boats looks like. Whats it rated for from the factory?
I am one to talk, I have about 220hp on a 16' mate. Rides great no problem with the added weight. Transom is now strong enough to handle a bunch more.
I am one to talk, I have about 220hp on a 16' mate. Rides great no problem with the added weight. Transom is now strong enough to handle a bunch more.
You should be able to put a 150 on that boat. You may not be aboe to get insurance due to the coast gaurd rating so keep that in mind.
I would look for a 150 merc. But thats me. A nice 2.4 or 2.5 with a 20 mid.
supergenius74
Member
Ok I also have an mx-15, does yours pourpus above 35mph? Mine does and pretty bad too, The nose starts bouncing up and down at higher speeds and I'm not sure if its the added weight of the motor or what. I have a jackplate and my propshaft is only about 3" below the bottom of the boat. I just put a 140 on this boat and man does it fly, I'm hoping to GPS it with a 21pitch prop this weekend but with my 135 that ran like crap it did 50 on GPS. I'm sure this boat could handle a 150 if the transom is strong, the hull has about a 5" wide pad on the bottom and seems to like speed but it rides really low in the rear with all that weight, I can only imagine what a 150 V6 would be like, thats about 100 more pounds out back than my V4. I looked at a johnson 150 and decided against it. I'm sure you could do it but I wouldn't recomend it, as soon as I let off the gas water is rushing over the back and flooding the rear of the boat, I have to be really carefull when slowind down. You might be better off with a slightly modified 135/140 V4 if you can find one. Good Luck.
supergenius74
Member
I have thought about adding one of those wings to the lower unit but I don't want to slow things down either, I took her out on saturday and she IS faster than my 135. I ran with a boat that had GPS on it and the other boat topped out at 50 and I kept goin! woohoo this boat is fun. I think I may need some more negative trim, I will try some of those spacers that give you neg. trim and see if things calm down. My goal is to hit 60 with it. its probabaly going about 55 now, and with some more tweaking this summer I think I can do it. I don't think I want to go much faster than 60 in this little boat, it will be dangerous. I'm going up camping/boating for memorial weekend and will be taking some "action shots" and also borrow a GPS to get a max speed. Boy am I getting excited.
Hi:
I had a '76 V-Mate I (successor to MX15) back in the mid-'70's, had a Merc 85 short shaft on it, but not for long - not enough performance (around 55 or so). Put a 1500XS on it - MUCH better, low 70's pretty easily and easy to handle. Had a friend with a '72 MX15 w/ a Merc 140 long shaft, ran ok but a real handful in chop. Another friend raced OPC (FJ class) for the factory in '71-'72 in an MX15 laid up light, those were real screamers and pretty easy to drive. Bottom line, for speed and handling, you gotta get as much lower unit out of the water as you can, just below the bottom splitting the bullet is best (watch your water pressure). Remember too, these were inlines, much lighter than your V6's.
Running a 1500SS on a Hydrostream Viper now, plenty fast for me but a lot of guys have put V6's on them and are pushing into the mid-90's on GPS. Back in the '70's, I had an old Playmate, then an MX18, then the V-Mate - I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for 'Mates.
I had a '76 V-Mate I (successor to MX15) back in the mid-'70's, had a Merc 85 short shaft on it, but not for long - not enough performance (around 55 or so). Put a 1500XS on it - MUCH better, low 70's pretty easily and easy to handle. Had a friend with a '72 MX15 w/ a Merc 140 long shaft, ran ok but a real handful in chop. Another friend raced OPC (FJ class) for the factory in '71-'72 in an MX15 laid up light, those were real screamers and pretty easy to drive. Bottom line, for speed and handling, you gotta get as much lower unit out of the water as you can, just below the bottom splitting the bullet is best (watch your water pressure). Remember too, these were inlines, much lighter than your V6's.
Running a 1500SS on a Hydrostream Viper now, plenty fast for me but a lot of guys have put V6's on them and are pushing into the mid-90's on GPS. Back in the '70's, I had an old Playmate, then an MX18, then the V-Mate - I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for 'Mates.
just put on a merc 150 on a 1978 v-mate 1 which is 15 ft,boat really sits low in the water,we ran the boat on a lake here in pa that usally looks like glass,the thing really goes,hit 61.5 on the gps and still had alittle,i guess i need to chang prop and get a jackplate...the only problems i had incurred on the test run is when stopping the water comes in the back of the boat,the boat pourpus's alittle,and i turned white at that speed,for being only 15 ft. itll scare the hell out of you,i think ill leave the speed for the zt,has a deeper hull and ill feel safer,anyway good luck
jgoshow, I had the same wave come over the back of my boat when stopping. It takes a bit of practice slowing down. When the boat comes off plane and the wave is headed to the stern just blip the throttle. This will speed you up just a bit and the wave will not wash over the back.
As far as the boat. Give it some time. Learn to drive and get comfortable with it. You will love it.
As far as the boat. Give it some time. Learn to drive and get comfortable with it. You will love it.
Thanks, Chris. Yeah, I've had a few. I'm originally from OH, and my buddy's dad was a dealer in the late '60's to mid-'70's. I had a 16SS Baja in there too, and now the 'Stream, but I'll always be fond of Checkmates.
jgoshow, that rig should have a lot more in it. Like I say, get the engine up out of the water, find the right prop (think along the lines of a Chopper), and don't trim it out too much. If you're really serious, you might want to straighten the bottom. That always helped my Checkmates. Even my buddy's MX15 with the long shaft on it, you could keep it from chine-walking very much with just driving technique. It just takes seat time. Best to plant your feet spread-eagle when there's rollers around, or you could find yourself on the other side of the cockpit. Big fun.
Is it true that the factory still has all the old molds, and will make you any model you want (for a price$$$$$$)? That's quite a temptation!
jgoshow, that rig should have a lot more in it. Like I say, get the engine up out of the water, find the right prop (think along the lines of a Chopper), and don't trim it out too much. If you're really serious, you might want to straighten the bottom. That always helped my Checkmates. Even my buddy's MX15 with the long shaft on it, you could keep it from chine-walking very much with just driving technique. It just takes seat time. Best to plant your feet spread-eagle when there's rollers around, or you could find yourself on the other side of the cockpit. Big fun.
Is it true that the factory still has all the old molds, and will make you any model you want (for a price$$$$$$)? That's quite a temptation!
i plan on getting a jackplate to lift the motor,what do you mean by straightening the bottom?and for the prop....chopper?thats a 2 blade correct? wouldnt that cause alot of vibration?i used the stock prop and it scared the hell outta me...with all the mods your talking about it would be a 100 mph boat...a 15 footer no less
supergenius74
Member
Ok after about a month of tweaking, I am topping out at 55 on GPS with a 21p prop and only 2 people in the boat. I added about 75lbs of sand bags to the front of the boat in front of the wall that supports the hull. This helped out so much I wish I had done it last year. The Jack plate helps the the prop cavitate so my take off is much better but it makes the steering harder and didn't do anything for helping keeping the bow steady. It was a ballance problem and now its solved. IF I haul 4 people and a cooler I throw on the 19p prop and she does alot better but tops out at 50. My friend has a 16ft trimate 2 with a merc 110 inline on it, runs good but doesn't even come close to keeping up with me on top speed. Now I want to try and mount my battery up front somehow so I can ditch the sand bags and maybe gain a few mph.
Get a straightedge (metal, like a carpenter's square) at least 30-36" long. Hold the edge up against the flat pad on the bottom, parallel to the centerline of the boat (easiest to have her up on a hoist to do this). If you can see daylight between the straightedge and the bottom, you have a "hook". Even a 1/16" has an effect, and you probaly have more than that. All boat bottoms tend to hook as they cure over the years. If you have a keel roller putting pressure on the area ahead of the transom (you shouldn't), it will press even more hook into it. Check all the flats and strakes going up each side of the bottom (less critical after you get a couple feet away from centerline, as this "shouldn;t" be wetted surface at speed). If you want a straight bottom, you have to make yourself a long sanding block, use 400-600 paper and sand that area flat again. Hook will force your bow down - the faster you go, the more it wants to do it. Get rid of it and you go faster, this is true on any high-performance boat. Yes, you will sand through the gelcoat, so it will need to be repainted (Imron is good). Usually black, 'cause nobody sees it anyway. Then wet sand that smooth. This is the way they did those boats back when they raced 'em, and that's who I learned it from when I was a kid. It's just a matter of whether you want to go through all the effort and sand on your boat. Some folks don't. But there is potential there.
Choppers are Mercury props, they were modeled after a very successful offshore racing design and have been around for about 25 years. First hi-po prop I can remember that was marketed for the masses (bass boats). Stainless 3-blade, no exhaust hub, they're a go-fast prop only. They eventually made 'em for inlines and V6's. Don't know if they still do, but you can pick one up cheeep on eBay, I did. Great prop, well-behaved on holeshot, lots of bow lift.
Choppers are Mercury props, they were modeled after a very successful offshore racing design and have been around for about 25 years. First hi-po prop I can remember that was marketed for the masses (bass boats). Stainless 3-blade, no exhaust hub, they're a go-fast prop only. They eventually made 'em for inlines and V6's. Don't know if they still do, but you can pick one up cheeep on eBay, I did. Great prop, well-behaved on holeshot, lots of bow lift.