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expecting to much?

ffighter405

ffighter405

New member
am i expecting to much.. tonight i had 5 people on my entertainer that has the merc 260 in it.. took off in the open water trimmed it up till the roster tail was about boat level and all i can still get out of the boat is about 3600 rpm.. this is a improvement from 3000 from the other day,, the specs say 4400 to 4800 rpm. stock...... i have a mirage 23p 3 blade prop.. should i change that,, i still want to tube and ski behind it,, i see all these people say that they are going 60 plus and i want to also ...:brickwall: LOL teach me!!!!!! thanks......:confused:
 
go to a local marina and try a 19 aluminum. this is just an experiment - the boat should leap out of the water and it should throw you right into the rev range.

however, i'm thinking that you might be running on 7 cylinders, you wouldn't notice it particularly. try the prop first then maybe pull the plugs and see if they are playing nicely with each other.
 
prop

run a compression test
if all is well find a 19 pitch mirage to ski and runaround with

that 23 is to much pitch with a stock motor

i had s starlet with the same motor the mirage was the best prop for this setup

daren
 
prop

I will try the prop first... i dont think its the motor,, (i hope) it is only a year old with hardly any hours.. the person the sold me the boat told me that the 23 p prop was the best prop for this boat. heck i dont want anything speical now, but i have to keep up the checkmate name on the lake.. even now i have people noticeing the boat (and hearing) and after 3 times on the lake i have some coming up to inspect it.. so i just want to be able to you know let them see it run and 60 mph and keep up the checkmate name.. Yes i do like the speed too! thanks for the tips and keep the ideas coming in.. going to the lake tomorrow..... Wonder if the local shop if open sunday? thanks again!!!
 
with a 19 pitch mirage your boat should be able to pull two slalom skiers at the same time

my starlet pulled like a freight train and it was about the same weight

5000 rpm will still be 60 mph with a 19 pitch mirage


daren
 
I was just at Clinton Lake over the fourth. Very nice lake with some good running space. We have some good friends that live outside of Weldon, Il on a farm and we've been going over there for the fourth just about every year since 01. Hope to have my Mate there next year once I get her all finsihed up. What a small world.
 
Will the boat shop was not open, Still went out and had fun today! i did stay a little longer on the lake just to see what she will do in a little choppy water..and with just my wife and 2 kids on it.. made it up to 3800 rpm and if the speedo is right about 38 mph,, just learning to play with the trim helped a bunch, I am going to the boat shop tomorrow to look for the prop that you all sugested.. I did see another Checkmate on the lake today going the other way of course. but had to go and drop some of my passengers off. Buy the time i did that i could not find him, (how a big boat like that dissapears i will never know) he was a lot newer that mine, just wanted to talk just because there was another checkmate!!!! Hope you see you on the lake for the 4th of july 08,, if you get here before that give me a holler. By that time she will be looking and running like a checkmate should!!!!! (i hope) and two skiers would be great! not to much room for more than 4 -6 people in there any way, and i still need some one to drive!!!! Again thanks for all the help and sugestions,, this site is Great, and what makes it that way is the PEOPLE!! :cheers

cant wait till the next time i can go out!!!! :D
 
trim

checkmates like a lot of trim input

you ca feel the boat getting lighter as you trim up

trim all the way down at take off and slow speed then as ou get going start trimming up if it sounds like you stepped on the clutch then trim back down a bit and it will catch again

trim down for sharp turns and it will hold better


the best way to learn is seat time

just get out and have fun with it

daren
 
Ffighter, I have an Entertainer as well with the same engine. I tube/ski/wakeboard with mine, and the best prop I've found for all around performance is a 21p. I still see 60 mph+, but it will pull you arms off yanking a skier out of the water. Something seems off if you are only turning 3800 rpms. Should be seeing mid 4's easily when you trim it up and get on plane. Maybe it's that 23p prop, I don't know, but I do know that engine will turn more rpms than that, and that has to be your speed issue.
 
thanks Darin.. Learned that on the lake sunday,, just like you said,, and the seat time is right on the money,, and i ordered my 19p prop today also!!!!!!!! be here wend. so of course i will have to check it out lets say Friday!! LOL Will let you all know if that might have been my problem...... already my wife thinks (or has confirmed) that i am nuts over this boat.. thank goodness she like it to!!! :)
 
my wife loves our boat too-----but she is getting a little jealous of her as well....i'm completely addicted to getting out on the water in her as much as i can---maybe to drive the wife over the edge i'll set up a sleeping bag in the boat on the trailer in front of the house----then run an extension cord out and put a tv on the bow---:popcorn: ----yeah, thats the ticket.... :surf:
 
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Well i might just have to do the same thing.. Wife ask tonight what we are going to do this weekend.. I told her that i got the new prop wend. and have not been on the water to try it out.. soooo well i am going tomorrow after work and then i told her that she could come to the lake Saturday and then Sunday!!! Well i did not have to duck from anything flying through the air! guess that was a good thing.. :) I will let you all know how the prop works this weekend.. keeping my fingers crossed,, the next thing i need is a good cover for it...
 
I think something must be wrong with your motor. I have the 21 entertainer with a stock 260 and I am pulling a 23 pitch with no problem. Check your carb, maybe its not opening the secondaries. WOT on mine is 4400-4500 rpm. At 3000 rpm i'm doing better than 40. I think the hole shot would be a little better with a 21p but im leaving it as is
Bob
 
I agree something is off, at 3800 rpm you should be goint 50 mph not 38 mph so either your speedo is off or your tach is off, having 5 people in any boat that doesn't have tons of HP will slow you down and 23p seems like alot for a 260 I/O on a heavy checkmate that will most likely always haul more than 1 person. 200 rpm per pitch as a general rule of thumb so if your tach is right then 3800 should become 4600 switching to a 19p under the same load.
 
Ffighter ... engine troubles don't always equate to serious problems. I would start with simply checking your plugs and plug wires. Carb issues can often be addressed easily too. If the boat sat up for a while, you may want to run a little fuel additive through a tank of gas as well to see if you may have some buildup in the fuel lines. If your temp is good, and you have good oil pressure (40 lbs psi) there's a good chance something relatively minor may need to be addressed.
 
Oh, and I have to throw out a big "ditto" on the wife. Mine's a divorce lawyer (and a particularly mean little thing at that). I've received numerous threats since picking up my "other woman."
 
wil i tried the new prop out tonight!! i did not see the speed i was expecting. I was able to get the rpm's to 4800, but the speed was only about 48, that is if the speedo is right.. but as i was in a no wake zone heading to the dock i took it out of gear to coast to the dock, need to put it back in gear and it never went.. foward or reverse!!! will that was the first time i have to put a boat on a trailer with a paddle!!!! anyway i think what ever is wrong with it is on the out unit.. i can see things working on the engine side, but i can turn the prop by hand and i can hear a small clunk in the loewr part of the out drive... so is there a pin or a key that i can look for like the old engines? the drive i have is a 82 alpha drive... going to the boat shop in the morning,, fearing the worse..!!!
 
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