Last year I bought a 1999 Triton TR 20 with a newer 225 Optimax. At the time the guy had a four blade 24 pitch prop on it and it ran in the lower to mid 70s. I ended up putting talons on the back as well as a fourth battery. I've tried three different props and cannot get that thing over mid 60s and am having a hard time getting it on plane. I don't know if it's the extra weight or if the talons are dragging but I would love some advice. I have tried a 24 pitch 4 blade, a 25 pitch 3 blade and a 26 pitch 3 blade, all Tempest props. The water pressure is good and I'm getting 5600-5800 RPM's depending on the prop. The jack plate seems to be in the right position. This has all been around 1000 ft of elevation so that doesn't seem to be the issue

That's pretty wild. I have a 2005 21X with a 2011 225 ProXS (25P Fury), two talons, 4 batteries and I can hit 70 by myself or upper 60s with someone in the boat. The talons definitely drag a little. Do you have them raised as high as they will go on the brackets?

The Talons are set high. I don't think they're dragging at top end but are for sure for the crummy hole shot.

Alex makes a good point. Have someone lie on the back deck on the stomach while your are running about 40 mph and look over the transom to see if the Talons are in the water at all while running. If they are touching it will knock off a bunch of speed. The extra battery will hurt you a little but still a 24 pitch prop should pop you up out of the hole. You should be able to turn a 25 or 26 Fury on that rig. The TR 20 with a 225 Merc should run 70+ pretty easily as long as the motor is healthy.

The Fury is a new version of the Tempest. It's a little thinner blade design so it is slightly faster on most rigs.

Water temp on the lake is higher and air temps are higher with lots of humidity. The boat is gonna be a little slower this time of year.

Why did you go up in pitch sounds like you need to go down does it have a slow holeshot.

You added alot of weight that's like 2 grown men riding on your motor.

Get in touch with Josh or Steve. They can guide you in the right direction. There are a lot of factors to consider for one the condition of the prop such as proper cupping etc. What is your jack-plate height (center of bullet to pad). RPM's sound right close. They even do a performance set up.

http://www.stevescustomprops.com/

Check out bbcboards.net and the Triton page and maybe they can give you some suggestions.

Just went through this same challenge. Common sense try's to tell you that with no hole shot you're obviously not low enough and need more bite. Wrong!
Josh moved my jack plate up almost 2 inches. Problem solved... Go see him.

Thanks guys. I live waaaaay up here in WA State so I can't really see one of your local guys. This is just the best site in the country so I really like hearing what you guys have to say. Thanks a lot for your help.

Motor 2.5 - 3.0 below trim pad if you have a manual jackplate the 24P 4 blade should be adequate for all around and 70+ mph.

Had the same issue with my Puma. I went from a 4 blade 26 Tempest to a 3 blade 24 Fury (all 3 plugs removed). MERCY what a difference. Quick plane, higher top end, no wobble like some told me would occur, and much better loading ability.

I did this exact prop switch to my '05 TR21x with '05 225 Optimax. Huge improvement all around. At the time, I was experiencing something similar to the original post. Couldn't get the boat above 55-60. No apparent problems. At the same time, they replaced all my fuel lines. They were completely destroyed on the inside from ethanol. The mechanic brought me a tray full of sand-like material that came out of the lines. This boat is underpowered with a 225 but I can still squeeze out 70-72 by myself.

This is a very common misconception. Most boats will come out of the hole better with the motor higher on the transom because it encourages propeller slippage.

Two stroke outboards, even the Mighty Merc 300XS have very little low end torque unless the RPM's get up above 3,500 or so. The prop needs to be able to ventilate (slip) in order to let the motor spin up into its sweet spot for making power. This is a case where prop slippage is welcomed. That's why the Merc props all have vent holes drilled in them. It allows the exhaust gases to escape across the barrel of the prop so it will slip to allow the RPM's to come up to help with holeshot.

There used to be a prop company called Predator. They made a prop that had a slightly smaller barrel than the diameter of the lower unit. This allowed about 15% of the exhaust gases to come across the prop barrel as you hit the gas to get out of the hole. That was the most awesome prop for holeshot ever made IMO. It ran pretty good on topend as well. I think they are out of business now.