Please help with prop height

I have a 2005 Triton TR20X with a 225 Yamaha VMAX HPDI, Tempest Plus 26p prop and an 8" manual jack plate. Was having issues with starting out of the hole and found some maintenance items that somewhat took care of the sluggish start. I also adjusted my prop height down from 1 1/4" to 3" below the bottom pad. I was just curious as to what prop height similar boats have their prop height set to for their particular performance. As for now I'm about 5 to 6 seconds till I am on pad with just me in the boat and nothing in the live wells. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Do you have any of the pvs plugs left in the prop ? From my experience that Tempest likes to run 2 to 2 1/2 inches below pad, also that tempest prop can be greatly improved by having it balanced and blue printed, I think i have a 26 and 27 worked Tempest prop.

In my opinion you took it way to far. Adjusting a jack plate takes many very small 1/4 inch adjustments until you get it right. Always do this before you change any props.. Where it was set at the factory is where it needs to be. Sometimes it takes a little prop work to turn it some or put extra cup. Consult the experts at a good prop. shop.

I have 2 plugs in the prop. You all bring up good points, I am new to having a boat and there is always good information shared on this forum, so it thought I would ask. Thank you

Also take a look at bassboatcentral under triton boats. I am sure you will.see similar questions.

If you want set it up right and be done with it, take it to Steve's Custom Props. 903-763-0200

First off, how many rpm’s are you turning on home shot, before you break over? You should be at 3800-4000 for the optimal hole shot. That can usually be done by adjusting your PVS plugs as stated earlier. Second, any even pitch Tempest Plus prop is said to be in need of work, even brand new and also as stated above take/send it to Josh at Steves custom props, just have some data about hole shot and WOT numbers available so he can work it to its best for your particular boat. Summertime heat can often kill the hole shot and top end on a outboard. I believe it can decrease a motors horsepower by 15%, which is why some people run a lower pitch prop in the summer than in the winter.

Donald, "what's set at the factory" with respect to jackplate height could have been for an entirely different prop - and probably was, since I bet a Yamaha comes from the factory with a yamaha prop (as an example), so where a jackplate was previously set could readily be of no significance whatsoever. It's a little early to throw in "a little prop work" when he doesn't even have the boat/engine set up correctly for the prop he has. As for jumping a large change in height, if I have a prop I learn runs best around 3" (example), and my jackplate is set at 1.5", do I really have to get there in six laborious 1/4 inch increments when I could just jump to 3" then try up/down a quarter inch to see what happens? Think about it.

Every boat is a little different. A 26 pitch may be a little steep for a 225 in the heat of the summer, it may work great in December. Heat & humidity plays a huge role in two stroke outboard performance. I always dropped down 1" of pitch in the summer vs winter on my boats. Also every boat I've been in comes out of the hole faster with the motor up higher. Two strokes need the prop to ventilate so the RPM's can build. They don't make much power until they get into the 3500-4000 rpm range.

The problem is that once the boat is up & running if the motor is too high now it won't lift the hull free of the water with a heavy load and you run down the lake throwing a big roostertail without lifting the hull to obtain optimum topend. The bottom line is that every boat runs faster on topend with 5 gals of gas and no water in the wells vs 40 gals of gas and 40 gals of water in the wells.

How the boat is loaded also has an effect on performance. Is all your heavy tackle in the front or rear storage? If its all in the rear it will hurt your holeshot some but help your overall topend. Same goes for the opposite.

If your holeshot feels sluggish to you with no water in wells, it will feel much slower with 35 gallons (291#) of water in them. Fill the gas tank and add another 100+ pounds. Then put your 240# partner in the boat with you and you'll be much slower to plane.

Also when you say "you're about 5 to 6 seconds till your on the pad," does that mean 5-6 seconds until the boat is on plane or running 40 mph on the pad??

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I am fairly new to the bass boat world so when I say on pad I guess when the boat breaks over from stepping on the gas. I did find some interesting set ups from bass boat central as far as set ups go. And Ken you are 100%right about every boat being different. I saw many of the same boats as mine with different heights and different top end speeds. It looks like I will have to find a good starting point on my height and then pay more attention to my RPM's. After that I think I can get my prop worked on if need be. Thank you all for you help.

where are you located?

I don't claim to be an expert but I owned 8 Tritons, they all had one thing in common, the prop was between 2 and 3 inches below pad, 2 1/2 being the most common, they all had Mercury 250 or 300 xs engines, they were all 21's except for one 2008 20 XHP ( may have been the best boat Triton ever built ) , 4 of those boats would run 81 plus, the 26 Tempest was the best prop but it had to be balanced and blue printed.

Its all good buddy. Welcome to Bassboat Ownership! Prepare to be broke the rest of your life!

The rig you have is a good one and should be capable of top speed in the 70 mph range once you get her set up properly. The trick is to get your setup so there is a good compromise of a good holeshot when loaded and good top speed to go along with it.

Those PVS holes in the Merc props are there for a reason. Some motors need more ventilation when you hit the gas to allow the motor to spin up RPMs into the powerband where they are making some torque. Most 2 stroke outboards don't have much low end torque until they get up around 3500 RPMs. The holes in the prop to allow some of the exhaust gas to "vent" out over the hub of the prop when you punch it. This creates prop slippage which allows the motor to spin up enough RPMs to make some torque. If the prop slips too much the PVS plugs can be installed with smaller holes in them to minimize the slippage. There is a happy medium. This takes some trial & error.

You may find the 26 pitch prop is a little too tall for your rig in the summer. Try as many props as you can. They are all different. Even two that are supposed to be identical can perform completely differently on your boat. Then just about the time you find the right prop, you hit a stump and ding it up. There are some good prop guys in TX. Josh Edwards, Steve Glenn are two very good ones. If you are in the DFW Metromess B&B Propeller is very good.

you can go here www.stevescustomprops.com and see how to figure prop to pad correctly.

on pad is when you only have about the last 2' or less of hull in the water at wot.

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