Posted on Monday Jun 30, 2014 at 8:01 AM
My brother went to west Texas and bought an old center console Ranger. I think it's an 81 or 82 model. There's a 150 Evinrude on it, it has been sittin' out in the desert for years, so the seats are history, Dan has put in new gauges, put a tilt switch on the motor, installed a radio and some speakers, new pumps, rolled on a rubberized decking on the inside of the hull, refinished the wood trim on the console and the seat back, has new upholstery comin', replaced plumbing and wiring as needed, fixed the tach, and ordered a bimini...it's gonna be a pretty nice ride when he gets finished.
Here's the rub...damn boat won't plane out. The prop that came on it ain't right, the spare prop that was tossed in the deal ain't right. Prop shop seems to think a three blade 24 pitch was the ticked on that particular rig...He put a jack plate on it, and tried the original props again...I think they are pitched in the low 20's...has messed with the motor position on the jack plate....we put my four blade 25 pitch in it, and it did better, but didn't quite tach out.
It wants to porpoise...the three blade low 20's pitched props will not pick the boat up, it plows and porpoises. The four blade 25 pitch will get the bow up out of the water, the porpoise deal slows down, but it's 2-4 hundred rpm off max...A bud has a three blade 26 pitch. He says so anyway, but as how he's always been Merc man, I don't know what he's doing with an OMC prop...we'll see. If so, that's next.
Now, that boat/motor has been around since the early 80's. I just can't believe that it has never been properly propped in all that time.
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