I am new to this group and to mudboats. Just purchased a 17x60 CC with extended front deck and rear deck, hydro turf, full power reverse and hydraulic trim. I love the layout of the boat and it works great with my kids. I have ran the boat three times and made many adjustments and cannot get over 22 mph. I have ran the boat by myself (320 lb) and just can not get any more speed. Worried about speed after loading down with hunting gear, additional people, etc...

Any thoughts or ideas on how to get more speed or what I may be doing wrong would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks

Are you hitting the rev limiter in neutral when you have it held wide open?

I would think that you could hit 25, maybe 26 mph with just you in the boat. That is a big boat with alot of stuff in it, the CC, the boxes, the catwalks, the rear deck, extended front deck etc...and your not exactly a lightweight yourself lol.

Also when your running do you have the prop running half in and half out of the water and what are your rpms when running alone?

Yes I am. I agree, it is a fair amount of weight and is a big boat. Just was thinking I would get mid 20s alone, low 20s with gear.

RPMS???? neutral and running with you alone

Can get around 4200 in neutral and it hits the rev limiter. Running alone can get to around 4000 before I start losing speed.

Thats a big heavy boat you have there. Lots of extras. I think you are lucky to be running 22 mph.

Brad is a pretty big boy and runs a similar sized rig. Pretty sure he runs mid-high 20's. I doubt an extra 200 lbs at most would cause him to lose that much speed. I doubt the two boxes and console weigh anywhere near that much either.

I'm sure its something simple, but I'm stumped on where to start. Have you let anyone else try to run it, just to see what she'll do with a lil less of a load in it? I'm guessing you know how to get the trim set? What kinda shape is the prop in, how many hours on motor?

No one else has run it yet. Will try to get someone this week to test and see how it performs.

I have adjusted the trim in every position. Entire setup is 3 weeks old. Have 4 hours on the engine. Prop appears to be fine.

At 4 hours, prop should be fine unless you are running a chit load of sand, but then it would have run better for the first little while.

Where are you located and did you purchase from a dealer?

How are you adjusting the trim? It takes very small increments. I'm guessing you know this, but just making sure.

Houma, LA. Bought from Metro in New Orleans. Will try to get it back over there and see what is going on. Sales guy weighs more and has an 18X60 said he ran in mid to upper 20s depending on load. Figured I could get at least 25.

No sand, in 4 foot water trying to figure out how to run.

Yes, but have never ran one before. Start with cavitation plate slightly under water to right at waters edge. Then small adjustments up and down while testing. Can get consistently 20 mph at around 4000 rpms by trimming up. Any more and I start losing speed.

Sounds like you are doing everything right. I agree you should be running 25+ easy. Hopefully the dealer can get you sorted out. I would try to get him to the water with you if possible. I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure it out, thats what warranties are for.

Good luck man. I'm sure you will enjoy it once you get the kinks worked out.

If thats the case, that sux...

I boat a 1854 pd with 21" sides, 21" transom, and extended deck, when I took her out the first few times, she only got around 18 mph. Back then I read about the 36 vanguards with very low hours were very sesitive to having too much oil in them. I dont know why but having the oil topped off made the engine sluggish.

I went ahead and drained the oil down until it was just enough to be considered full. the next trip out, she ran like a whole new engine.

Its been a few years since then, but you may want to try that out. Also, when you are running WOT, try to trim her up and down to get the best speeds- I wasnt used to having the prop out of the water so much! Good luck!

Thanks for all of the opinions and tips. The boat really is great.

Should I expect the performance to drop significantly once adding another 200-300 lbs or will it only drop a MPH or so?

Just getting used to running boats with surface drives. Only ran outboards and inboards in the past.

Looks like at some point I will have some modifications to do to my motor!

A stage 1 should drastically help out with that kind of load and the stage 1 engines seem to be pretty reliable.

I hate to say it, but if thats all she'll do with just you in it, she's gonna be a dog when you start adding more... Depending on how extreme you are planning on going on the mods, looking into duals may be the way to go. The duals will push that boat around 30 easy and you should be able to load it down. I know they'll fit on the 60 wide boat, but not sure if the ass would sag on a 17ft boat. Def something worth lookin into...

Spoke to Peck today at Pro Drive. Can not put two on a 17, too much on the rear. Will try to make a few adjustments to it over the weekend. If no improvements, he has offered to run it and make sure nothing is wrong. Will look into the mods if all is okay. Thanks for all the input and suggestions.

I have the 1860 SC from metro. One man, 12 gallons of gas, gun box, 3 batteries, and get 25 in deep water and 27 in the shallows. With 3 guys, 6 doz decs and gear all I get is 19 in deep water and 21 in shallow. What prop do you have? My boat came with the 3 blade prop and wouldn't even plane off with 3 guys. I just put on a Hopkins cleaver prop, it's supposed to carry a better load than the stock tulip prop. I also ordered the Hopkins exhaust, haven't received it yet so can't give a report yet. My next step is either new carbs or a dual rig.