FREE For Boat Shoppers: www.BoatersSecretWeapon.com/Toolkit FREE Boat Buyer's Toolkit for new or used boat shoppers will give you 28-pages of checklists, questions to ask and how to demo the boat the right way so you don't miss a thing. Plus, get the cost of ownership calculator so you know precisely what your cost of ownership will be. FREE For Boat Owners: boaterssecretweapon.com/pages/boater-bootcamp FREE Boater Bootcamp for newer boat owners gives you insights on boat ownership basics, navigation and practical rules of the water and how to avoid, be prepared and handle emergency situations. No more not knowing what you don't know in the boating lifestyle.
My neighbor just got a Barletta with a merc 350 verado, now they’re all over the bay around us. He traded his cobalt in on it. I have a cobalt so I asked how he liked it. He tossed me the keys and told me to take it out with my family for a lap around the lake! All I can say is that the V10 verado straight up rips! It’s got very similar top end to my cobalt, but it has better hole shot. My friend has a Bennington with twin 150 Yamahas. When he bought it he thought it was silly having the twins over a single 300, then we docked it, and the low speed handling and hole shot is great! It seems like fiberglass becomes less and less common at the lake and now I know why!
Data point: 200hp Merc 2 people and 47 gallons of fuel. Bimini down, fairly calm lake/wind. 5440 rpm and 41 mph consistent. Motor rated for 5800rpm. Saw a 42mph once or twice. 2020 Harris Solstice 230 Tritooon. Conversely 4 adults and 4 kids, Bimini up and over 50 gallons of fuel got to 38mph.
I have a merc 115 command thrust on my 2 toon 23 foot Sweetwater. I feel like I am pushing it to hit 24 tops. lots of vibration as well. That is with just me and a half tank. Wondering if that is normal for this unit. Was thinking of adding either a hydrofoil or middle toon to help with lift. thoughts?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon its the whole boat like I am cavitating. But I am not. It is at the top of the rpm. The blades are perfect. smooth water and tubes are new
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon thanks.. checkit.. tight as can be. wont go any further. vibration doesnt seem as bad this year compared to last built speed is still 23 limit.
24 isnt bad for a two log especially 23 foot. As far a vibration it could be many things, is the prop in good shape? I have a old 22 foot sweet water with a 2 stroke suzi 140 2 stoke (yes over powered) and it hits about 25 on a 15p prop, it does flex alot though.
I get 28mph on my 23ft bennington with a 115hp merc outboard. I was getting 25mph until I brought it back to the dealer and had them raise the engine one hole now I'm 28mph gps with 2 people and half tank of gas.
I've got a 1990 Spectrum 2407 which is a 24' deck boat that I completely restored, its like a flat bottom with the center cut out, its pushed by a 1998 Suzuki DT115S and according to the phone app it hits 24 mph with 4 adults and a ice chest. It planes out quick and runs on top of the water great, love it.
I have to say your estimated top speed on my boat is spot on. 20ft Ranger 200f with 90ct 16x11 prop. Lightly loaded and trimmed perfectly will hit 24.3 mph. My issues come when I add people and gear. I’m having issues I don’t understand. When the boat is loaded I get my top speed trimmed all the way down. If I trim up any at all I slow down. I’ve ran boats for many years but this is my first pontoon. Is this normal or am I just doing something wrong? my current working theory is that when I change angles the waves are hitting my cross beams creating more drag. Could that be possible? If so would skinning the underside help any or do I just need to look into adding a third toon? Speed with 4 adults and 2 kids I struggle to hit 18mph.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Thank you for the reply. I have been trying to keep the boat fairly balanced. Most of the time the adults ride on the bench next to the helm and the kids sit in the bow seats. I also have anchor box, trolling motor and tackle storage up there. Guessing 90 lb total plus the weight of the kids. I have never had my prop slip or break water. If anything it may be to deep in the water. My cavitation plate is at least 4 inches below water while underway with two people. I will try to move more weight to the rear and report back with results. Again thank you
Hey Captain Matt...great video. I'm running a 22' Manitou Osprey Pro SHP Tritoon. Just moved up from a 1990 Optimax 135 to a 1990 Optimax 225 - and I am just not seeing the performance improvement that I was expecting. FOT around 5100 RPM only hitting about 23MPH. Only a couple MPH faster than the 135 - definitely a little better holeshot but still not what I would expect. Any thoughts/advice? Usually running this at 5k elevation and have tried 2 different aluminum 4 blade props. 4.75 x 15 and 14.5 x 18...neither of them are getting me to peak RPM consistently...and for adding 90HP (supposedly) going from the optimax 135 to the optimax 225, my top speed has only increased 2-3 MPH to max out around 23 MPH (GPS), holeshot is only marginally better, handling in the turns is still dogging. I should be seeing massively improved performance by all accounts and research I've done with 90 more HP. Light load, half tank fuel... I was expecting to see at least 30MPH. Help?
You likely need to go down in pitch to get the right WOT RPM range. I'd also look at these factors: Is the engine running properly? Are the toons clean? Is it mounted at the proper height based on shaft length and extra weight on back of boat? I'm not sure about the elevation factor but I'd agree unless that engine is way heavier or not set at the right height on the transom, you should be getting more.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Thanks for the reply. boat is seldom in the water - toons are clean (paint is a little old, but clean). Cavitation plate is in line with the middle toon keel engine is only about 65 pounds heavier Engine appears to be running properly...performance issues aside. I could go down to a 14 pitch...afraid of just smoking the prop though.
Fantastic video as always Captain Matt (a.k.a. Obi-Wan Kenobi of boating). Question, re: twin engines. In addition to looking bad-ass :), would it make sense to go with twins, so that one does not have to worry about engine failure (i.e. if one engine fails, there is a second one to take you home)? Or are today's outboards reliable enough to get by with a single engine? I'm think of a tri-toon with 150HP on a medium/large lake and/or river (i.e. no ocean, not Great Lakes etc). A single 150hp or twin 75s?
FREE For Boat Shoppers: www.BoatersSecretWeapon.com/Toolkit FREE Boat Buyer's Toolkit for new or used boat shoppers will give you 28-pages of checklists, questions to ask and how to demo the boat the right way so you don't miss a thing. Plus, get the cost of ownership calculator so you know precisely what your cost of ownership will be.
FREE For Boat Owners: boaterssecretweapon.com/pages/boater-bootcamp FREE Boater Bootcamp for newer boat owners gives you insights on boat ownership basics, navigation and practical rules of the water and how to avoid, be prepared and handle emergency situations. No more not knowing what you don't know in the boating lifestyle.
My neighbor just got a Barletta with a merc 350 verado, now they’re all over the bay around us. He traded his cobalt in on it. I have a cobalt so I asked how he liked it. He tossed me the keys and told me to take it out with my family for a lap around the lake! All I can say is that the V10 verado straight up rips! It’s got very similar top end to my cobalt, but it has better hole shot. My friend has a Bennington with twin 150 Yamahas. When he bought it he thought it was silly having the twins over a single 300, then we docked it, and the low speed handling and hole shot is great! It seems like fiberglass becomes less and less common at the lake and now I know why!
Data point: 200hp Merc 2 people and 47 gallons of fuel. Bimini down, fairly calm lake/wind. 5440 rpm and 41 mph consistent. Motor rated for 5800rpm. Saw a 42mph once or twice. 2020 Harris Solstice 230 Tritooon. Conversely 4 adults and 4 kids, Bimini up and over 50 gallons of fuel got to 38mph.
It’s a sportmaster lower unit, have one on my Mercury Sports XS 225 Hp 84mph on my Bullet bass boat
What about 200hp? Is it good value over 150 and 225-250?
I have a merc 115 command thrust on my 2 toon 23 foot Sweetwater. I feel like I am pushing it to hit 24 tops. lots of vibration as well. That is with just me and a half tank. Wondering if that is normal for this unit. Was thinking of adding either a hydrofoil or middle toon to help with lift. thoughts?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon its the whole boat like I am cavitating. But I am not. It is at the top of the rpm. The blades are perfect. smooth water and tubes are new
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon thanks.. checkit.. tight as can be. wont go any further. vibration doesnt seem as bad this year compared to last built speed is still 23 limit.
24 isnt bad for a two log especially 23 foot. As far a vibration it could be many things, is the prop in good shape? I have a old 22 foot sweet water with a 2 stroke suzi 140 2 stoke (yes over powered) and it hits about 25 on a 15p prop, it does flex alot though.
I get 28mph on my 23ft bennington with a 115hp merc outboard. I was getting 25mph until I brought it back to the dealer and had them raise the engine one hole now I'm 28mph gps with 2 people and half tank of gas.
I've got a 1990 Spectrum 2407 which is a 24' deck boat that I completely restored, its like a flat bottom with the center cut out, its pushed by a 1998 Suzuki DT115S and according to the phone app it hits 24 mph with 4 adults and a ice chest. It planes out quick and runs on top of the water great, love it.
I have to say your estimated top speed on my boat is spot on. 20ft Ranger 200f with 90ct 16x11 prop. Lightly loaded and trimmed perfectly will hit 24.3 mph. My issues come when I add people and gear. I’m having issues I don’t understand. When the boat is loaded I get my top speed trimmed all the way down. If I trim up any at all I slow down. I’ve ran boats for many years but this is my first pontoon. Is this normal or am I just doing something wrong? my current working theory is that when I change angles the waves are hitting my cross beams creating more drag. Could that be possible? If so would skinning the underside help any or do I just need to look into adding a third toon? Speed with 4 adults and 2 kids I struggle to hit 18mph.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Thank you for the reply. I have been trying to keep the boat fairly balanced. Most of the time the adults ride on the bench next to the helm and the kids sit in the bow seats. I also have anchor box, trolling motor and tackle storage up there. Guessing 90 lb total plus the weight of the kids. I have never had my prop slip or break water. If anything it may be to deep in the water. My cavitation plate is at least 4 inches below water while underway with two people. I will try to move more weight to the rear and report back with results. Again thank you
Hey Captain Matt...great video. I'm running a 22' Manitou Osprey Pro SHP Tritoon. Just moved up from a 1990 Optimax 135 to a 1990 Optimax 225 - and I am just not seeing the performance improvement that I was expecting. FOT around 5100 RPM only hitting about 23MPH. Only a couple MPH faster than the 135 - definitely a little better holeshot but still not what I would expect. Any thoughts/advice? Usually running this at 5k elevation and have tried 2 different aluminum 4 blade props. 4.75 x 15 and 14.5 x 18...neither of them are getting me to peak RPM consistently...and for adding 90HP (supposedly) going from the optimax 135 to the optimax 225, my top speed has only increased 2-3 MPH to max out around 23 MPH (GPS), holeshot is only marginally better, handling in the turns is still dogging. I should be seeing massively improved performance by all accounts and research I've done with 90 more HP. Light load, half tank fuel... I was expecting to see at least 30MPH. Help?
You likely need to go down in pitch to get the right WOT RPM range. I'd also look at these factors:
Is the engine running properly?
Are the toons clean?
Is it mounted at the proper height based on shaft length and extra weight on back of boat?
I'm not sure about the elevation factor but I'd agree unless that engine is way heavier or not set at the right height on the transom, you should be getting more.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Thanks for the reply.
boat is seldom in the water - toons are clean (paint is a little old, but clean).
Cavitation plate is in line with the middle toon keel
engine is only about 65 pounds heavier
Engine appears to be running properly...performance issues aside.
I could go down to a 14 pitch...afraid of just smoking the prop though.
Fantastic video as always Captain Matt (a.k.a. Obi-Wan Kenobi of boating). Question, re: twin engines. In addition to looking bad-ass :), would it make sense to go with twins, so that one does not have to worry about engine failure (i.e. if one engine fails, there is a second one to take you home)? Or are today's outboards reliable enough to get by with a single engine? I'm think of a tri-toon with 150HP on a medium/large lake and/or river (i.e. no ocean, not Great Lakes etc). A single 150hp or twin 75s?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Makes sense. Thank you very much!
I bought a party barge to go slow ...Some people would put jet engines on a blimp...
Uhm, I would likely be one of those people. thanks for the idea, lol