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Running Out of Prop?

A

arpulse186

New member
I have a '91 Pulse 186 with a 200 merc. It has 6" of set back and I'm running on a Tempest Plus 25p prop. The problem is when i get to about 5300 rpm I top out. Which leaves me with about 700rpm's left that I'm not getting any more speed out of. The few people i have talked to say I'm running out of prop and should try a 27p prop. But b-4 i go spend another 500$ I thought i might check and see if there is anyone else out there who has experienced a similar problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
If you are looking to get more rpm out of your motor you need to go down an inch in prop to a 25. This will also improve holeshot.
 
Can you get 6000 rpms out of the motor ? Where's the rev limit at ? If you want another 700 you better drop down to a 21 or have a 23 lab finished. There's a lot of 225's that can not turn a 25 up to 6000 rpms. Any local prop shops let you try before you buy ?
 
fiftyp has same combo ,but 10" jack plate . he's runnin a 25p 4 blade from boatman check around for his thread in setups !
 
Something sounds amiss if a 200 on a 186 will only turn a 25" Tempest to 5300. Unless of course the engine is "buried" on the jackplate. The tach could be off 200 or so too which is more common than most guys think. I'm wondering what kind of speed it's running. That may be a little better indicator of what the R's actually are.
But like everyone mentioned above, go down in pitch to gain RPM's. Speed probably won't fall off, and may likely get better when you get the engine up in the RPM range where it really makes it's power.
Hang around here and maybe check a few other threads where guys talk about how their rigs are set up. Every boat/engine combo is different, but some are bound to be close at least.
 
Where is prop shaft in relation to pad ? If it's too low you'll definitely be sacrificing speed and rpms. Try some simple things with jackplate heights and trim angles. Then try a smaller pitch prop. Seems other Pulse owners with 200's are able to turn 25's. Maybe you have some engine issues ? I would try to prop your boat so it runs at or near rpm limit at wide open throttle. Don't go huge on a prop have a dog out of the hole and never reach your rpm range. Likewise don't go too small of a prop pop on plane and bang the rev limiter while falling well short of top speed.

Good luck with your testing !
 
It's not that my engine will only get to 5300 rpm's. I can turn @ 6100 rpm's, but I max out on speed at about 5300rpm's. So at about 3/4 throttle (or about 5300rpm's I'm running about 65-68mph. Then when I go wide open the rpm's will increase to 6000-6200rpm's but I'm still going 65-68mph.
 
You might try dropping the engine a little, sounds like it starts slipping after 5300. I would also try to find some other props to try, they all react a little diffrent and some hook up better than others.
 
arpulse186 said:
It's not that my engine will only get to 5300 rpm's. I can turn @ 6100 rpm's, but I max out on speed at about 5300rpm's. So at about 3/4 throttle (or about 5300rpm's I'm running about 65-68mph. Then when I go wide open the rpm's will increase to 6000-6200rpm's but I'm still going 65-68mph.
Click to expand...

Where are you at with your trim and jackplate ? Do you have any pics of your setup ? You're definitely loosing prop bite. The slip you're experiencing is probably from jacking too high or trimming too high. What happens when it starts to spool up and you trim or jack down ? If your trim is fairly neutral(around 1/2 + or - on the gauge) I would think it was a jack height. This is where extra setback would help. It will allow you to run at higher dimensions in cleaner water. Look at getting a prop with more surface area(4 blades) Whether it be a Turning Point or a Trophy. These props will allow you to run at higher settings while still giving you adequate bite.

Now you've got some testing to do. Where are you located ? Maybe some one here is close by ?!

Keep us posted !
 
his speedo could be off. my older one would only go to 40 since it was full of water when i was doing 53 gps.
 
A friend of mine has a 5 blade I'm going to try out and I am also going to look into to getting another 4" of set back. As far as the speedo being off I got all of my mph reading's from gps. I'm gonna try to get picks posted this weakend (weather providing). I appreciate all the help.
 
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