I am having a number of problems with my 285 pro. I am new to bass boats so some of my questions may seem a little silly but here goes. Background of the boat. 1989 Stratos 285 pro with an 89 Evinrude 175xp with a 13.5x25 Shooter prop. With myself and my buddy in the boat I am able to achieve 5,000 rpms. I have never been able to do better then the 5,000. I am not worried about speed but I believe that the boat should perform better then that. The hole shot is terrible. The motor has been to a shop and had the compression checked and the motor is healthy.

1. Shouldn't this motor turn about 5500 rpms?
2. The hole shot is terrible.
3. When running WOT the boat is very difficult to handle in turns. This may be my inexperience with a bass boat but it seems to want to slide through turns. I did have a scare with the boat one time where it actually turned extremely sharp and I almost was not able to straighten it out again.

After reading so much about the motors sitting too low in the water I raised the motor on the boat one hole so that it is now in the second to hole from the bottom. The pin that stops the motor from trimming down all of the way is in the very bottom hole so that the motor sits at a negative angle with regards to the transom of the boat. Raising the motor did seem to help with the hole shot. I did notice that with the motor raised one bolt hole I am now getting a small rooster tail that I did not get before. Another thing I have noticed it that I can trim my motor very high and it does not cavitate. Any help that you guys can give me will be greatly appreciated. I am just not sure where to start i.e. jackplate, prop???

If you want to keep things simple and affordable, take your prop to a prop shop and have the pitch reduced from 25" to 23" for better hole shot and higher rpms. Another option would be to go to a 3 blade prop(23"-24").There are several options available involving jackplates, prop shaft relation to boat pad, etc. The prop shop should be able to help with your setup. But you can spend a lot of money if not careful. That's why I said simple and affordable.

Would increasing the diameter of the prop help as well? The prop I have is a 13.5" diameter, it seems like many people are running 14" or larger???

The bigger and higher the pitch the more it will reduce your RPM's and slow your hole shot. If you have the availablity to TRY some different props that would be the most economical. You might even have to try and use a 19" prop. Different styles of props have different diameters, but for the most part the 4 blades have a slightly smaller diameter because they have 4 blades. The 3 bladed props have a slightly larger diameter but "tend" to be slower on the hole shot with the same pitch prop. Quick and easy answer would be to get a 19 or 21 pitch 3 blade prop and maybe swap your 4 blade for it. The reason I say a different prop is because your (Wide open throttle) WOT RPM's are only at 5000. Did you notice an RPM difference when you raised your motor? Even if you have your 4 blade reworked it might not make that drastic of a difference that you are looking for. You want to also be cautious about raising your motor too high. Keep an eye on the water pressure (if you have a gauge) and don't go below 15psi (general rule of thumb minimum.) Silly question: You are trimming up your motor after you get up on plane right???? You can continue to raise your motor if you like but personally I believe the prop will make more difference than raising your motor. (Just my opinion.) Also, you can post your info on www.bbcboards.net for the Stratos model and they might be able to help you more specifically.

To me a 19 or 21 seems like a huge step from a 25. The thing that I do not understand is that I have friends that are running 125hp motors turning 24p props. I am just having a hard time understanding how my motor is having difficulty turning this prop. I am hoping that some other 175xp owners can chime in with what they are using as well to help with the decision.

Gear ratio plays a big part here.......

25 seems a little big for a 175. Ya need ta talk ta Steve.........

Ah.....very good point.

Also, if ya go ta his web site he has all tha info on motor height. How to and etc.........

Steve??? Can you provide me with some contact information.

Steves custom props 903 765 9000

http://www.stevescustomprops.com/

Brad, didja get tha "rice" runner straightened out?

I own a Merc 175 with some mods and run a 23 Tempest. I am thinking on that blue motor a 23 Raker would be the way to go. I think you are correct on 5500 as a target. Rudes run a little lower than Mercs. Pull that pin out too and see if a lttlie more tuck helps.

Make sure your motor is healthy. Do a compression test.

The motor has been checked and rechecked. I have been told that there is nothing wrong with the motor. I believe that I am over propped. I have been told by numerous people that I should be running either a 22p Raker or 23p renegade. Most people seem to recommend the Raker.

motor should go 5800 too much prop check the torque tab it may be gone or need adjustment if you run the renegade you may or may not need to use a blow out ring depends on the slip out of the hole