Tri-v pad hull

Welcome.

Trim it down, rev it up, trim it up.....
See if there is cavitation while trimming up.
My 200 merc was bad about it when my trim tab broke off. Replaced trim tab and issue went away.

After marking the prop on my last outing I’ve found that it’s definitely spun. A new prop is sitting in my garage waiting to be installed.

Welcome to the forum

Took her out on Sunday - first time with the new prop. Definitely made a world of difference - hole shot is noticeably better and no odd engine behavior.

Few things I’m still working through:

The boat originally came with one 6gal gas tank and one starting battery. I added a second 6gal tank an 80AH battery for the electronics. First time out after adding them it had trouble getting on plane and would porpoise a fair amount, even trimmed all the way in. Figuring the additional weight in the rear was a main contributing factor to the porpoising I removed the 80AH battery in the stern and installed three 35AH batteries in the bow in parallel (limited height wouldn’t allow a larger single battery). Porpoising was significantly reduced but still present and no more issue getting on plane (new prop helped with this I’m sure).

Can’t remove any more weight from the rear without reducing my fuel capacity by 50% so I’m focused on motor setup/positioning. I can move the trim pin in one hole which may help. It does have a Doel-Fin installed which had been modified by a previous owner so that the trailing edges are bent downward to add lift - I’m not sure if this is helping by actually adding lift or hurting by altering the hydrodynamics of the stabilizer. Motor is installed in hole #2 of 4 (from the top) of the bracket - need to see where the cavitation plate is in relation to the bottom of the transom.

Next issue is a non-functioning tachometer. The original tach wasn’t in useable condition so I replaced it but not seeing any movement on the needles. Have a new rectifier on order - hopefully that the only issue (haven’t tested the one installed due to the lovely weather we’ve been having).

Still working on removing all the old carpet glue in preparation for KiwiGrip on every standing surface. I’d also like to do an acid wash to remove the many stains and try buffing/polishing the chalky gel coat. If I decide the keep the boat longer than this coming spring I’ll fill any fiberglass gouges in the hull and errant holes in the top cap with PB and paint using a hardened enamel (as found on iBoats). Gel coat on the top cap has multiple surface cracks which I may have to sand out.

All in all the old Ray Craft is almost back to her former glory and runs phenomenally. Did have some trouble getting it started last Sunday (was pretty cold and I think I accidentally flooded it) but once started it will start again within half a second every single time.

Does anyone know what the average top speed of this style hull with an 85HP motor should be around? I know there any many factors that will affect the actual number (passenger/gear weight, prop pitch, etc.)? I’ve been able to cruise comfortably at 35MPH (via GPS) with more left.

Nice job on the boat!

Looks like you did well for yourself. Great looking boat!
Shorter boats are harder to get up on plane. Weight distribution to the front helps a lot.

Thanks. I really do feel that I got quite lucky - I had no idea what to look for when I purchased this boat. Most importantly all floors are solid and all wood I've drilled into has been dry. She ain't pretty but she run like a new boat.

I'll have to agree with your last statement - I've noticed with a few passengers getting and staying on plane easily can be the difference of one passenger moving forward a foot. Weight balance is critical on such a short hull.

I had a 16ft Tracker Grizzly side console powered by a 60hp 4cycle Mercury Jet drive that had similar issues.
Guys that had the same motor on 18 ft models got up on plane a lot easier and could run just as fast.
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Just a quick note that the motor is currently mounted such that the anti-ventilation plate is 0.75”-1” above the bottom of the transom with the motor trimmed all the way in.