Typical bass boat speed (skeeter)

I recently purchased my first bass boat, skeeter fx21 le in black/lime, but have been fishing as a co for the past few years so I have been able to ride in plenty of brands and lengths. However I don't tend to pay attention to speed. I have read as much as I can, but nothing online really gives top end speed numbers, just more or less what props are supposed to do what.

So I wanted to see if I could get some help/advice from you guys that have more experience than I do here. I have broke in the motor, I have about 22 hours on it. I haven't changed a thing, it still has the 3 blade 25 pitch T1 prop that came with the Yamaha 250 sho. I maybe babied it longer than most but until the past 3 weekends I have not really put the pedal to the floor and ran it at wot.

It has been just me, both tanks full, 1 lifejacket, 1 rainsuit, 6 rods, and a tackle bag about the size of a back pack. So to my knowledge, that is a very light load. Once on plane, I begin trimming up until I get somewhere between 95%-100% trim based on what my gauge says.

I have been on lake Conroe each time, (early in the mornings when you can actually run wot and not get beat to death later in the day with the waves from the party boats), and it has either been slick or a very slight ripple on the water. Using my lowrance unit for gps, I have never gone faster than 68.2mph.

Is that normal, or right? I have spoken with several other boat owners on the lake and at the launch, and while I understand sometimes people exaggerate, each one has stated I should be at minimum 70mph and likely more with my boat as they can do that or close to it in theirs depending on the load they are carrying.

That should be a 70+mph boat. Play with the trim some more, you may have it over trimmed a bit, i would trim down from where you are at little by little and see the results.

What RPMs are you turning?


edit: I have an 05zx225, but have been in the newer ones as well.

Assuming you have an Atlas hydraulic jack plate on that boat? What is it set at?

That's slow for that light of tackle. I would think 73-74 should be reasonable unless your 600lbs. Adjust your motor height until you find the sweet spot.

Should Of Bought a Ranger.......

He said he wanted to go faster, not slower

Lol!!

That about right

It has been a while but my Dynatrac would do 75 on flat water. I had a little cheat though.

Where are you wanting to go in such a hurry. Are you really that concerned about another couple of mph? At your present speed you could run the entire length of Toledo Bend in 70 minutes are less. If you wanted speed you should have bought an Allison XB-2002 bass boat, clocked at over 116 mph. I would be spending time learning all I could about the electronics and locating structure and cover. You bought it to catch fish didn't you?

I get 70-71 mph in a 20-I, same prop and manual plate with a little more load than what you are describing around 5600 RPMS

It's a new boat man, his first bass boat. Let him obsess a little. After the first scratch, it's a boat.

I would make sure Hydraulic jackplate is a correct height and trim at correct position when maxing speed. That's a 70+mph boat.

www.Lithiumpros.com if money is no object let's get some weight out of that boat

And be careful with the skeeter, they crack you know.

I have an FX21, same motor, same prop. I've owned three FX20's before this boat.

My FX21 will run 73+ in the winter with a pretty full load, 70+ right now. My FX20s would run 76.

On all four of these boats, jackplate height was different for the "sweet spot" where speed, trim and engine height all align perfectly. One FX20 it was 9, on this 21 it's 13. This is the height indicator that's inset in the glass down by the throttle. Every boat is different but you have the right prop and motor, now you just need to play with the jackplate a little. My RPMs are between 5,900 and 6,000 at W.O.T.

You may also want to have a little extra cup added to the blades of your prop. This will provide a bit more lift. Call www.stevescustomprops.com

Well your truck will probably run over 100 but doubtful that you drive it that fast, irregardless of how fast he should drive I think he would want the boat set up for optimum performance. There is quite a bit of info on Bassboatcentral , they have an owners forum and they also have a set up forum, you should be able to find the best combination of prop and engine heighth there, congrats on that fist boat, sounds like you went top shelf.

This^^^^^ most are topping out at 73- 74 mph when I blow by them in the Gambler

Yeah, but you look like carp doing it. Gambler. Ugliest bass boat on the market

I can get over 70 in my 15' zx250 with more weight than that, and the zx is not as fast as the fx

your jackplate is the problem, not the prop

Ask this question on bass boat central in the skeeter owners forum

those guys are nuts about getting that last MPH out of the boat

If you are going to tournament fish, I would tune your boat to the weight you are going to have in it when fishing a tournament as this is the only time you will care about getting somewhere quick

Full livewell, 20 gallons of fuel, and 30 rods with 100lbs of tungsten

keep in mind waters weighs 8.34lbs per gallon and fuel weighs 6.3 per gallon

40 gal livewell and 40 gallon fuel tank can weigh almost 600lbs, plus 4 battery's, plus cooler full of water, plus your gear, plus plus plus it all adds up

This time of year 70 is about all you will see. It will gain a few mph in the winter. So you are really only about 2 mph short of what it should be running. Run those gas tanks down and you may be there.

Man ain't that the truth

I have tried trimming down a little at a time and around 94% or so I start to slow down. At wot I am running around 5,850rpm so I think that is normal/average.

No, it is a manual that came on the boat and set from the factory.

Agreed and seen this before, victim with impaired vision of a recent rooster tail eye splash from a Gambler blow by, proud to be ugly and when I retire I will most likely slow down and acquire a pretty Skeeter

Wasn't complaining about current speed, but I do want to make sure everything runs and operates as it is supposed to. It is my first boat, I not only want to take care of it by making sure I don't do something wrong, I also want to make sure that everything is running at optimum levels and efficiency so over time something doesn't happen I could have avoided or fixed earlier.

My 21i ran 75mph on GPS last Thursday at 10:30am, 90 degree surface temp. Both tanks full of gas

Sent you a PM, thanks for the info.

I thought you were Pro Staffing BassCats

looking through Skeeter goggles at a Gambler

Behind a truck?

Let's get back on the subject, you pervs.....my 20i has GPS'd at 74.6mph in summer. She may do 76.5 in winter, never tested it. You will not get fastest speed in summer due to water density. Also, slick water will slow you. Find a 10mph chop for optimum speed and go with the wind. Your max speed for that boat should be 71-73. That's a lot of boat. Check mfg settings for jackplate, may need to raise it a tad. It's hard to feel the bite anything over 70, though.....

Yeah right on toledo bend. Maybe if you could run it in a perfectly straight line in perfect weather conditions.

Boy I see it is getting time to put my boots on with this thread

71-73mph is what I was thinking I should be running, or at least very close to that. Not that 68 isn't good enough, just wanting to make sure something isn't wrong or if I need to adjust something to be at a more optimal point. I will look into the jack plate and also call fun n sun where I purchased it, they know much more than I do obviously.

nope, but that 300 will fly

Video on Facebook.

Yeah, me too. I'm gonna find a thread where guys are catching fish. The only time when I was really impressed with speed was when I see a car chase on TV and the cops win. I'm sure I've seen a couple of these 75 mph bass boats at Fork, only thing I thought of was what a waste of gas. Pretty sure one of them killed his buddy 'bout 3 weeks ago near the 515 bridge.

My ZX 21 would do 74 mph with a full load. My new FX 21 is doing right at 70 mph right now. But I just got it. I haven't had the time to play with it and tweak it out where I like it. Also, your speed has a lot to do with he water temps right now. I was reading 88 and 90 deg. water the other day at Fork. Boats will run slower in that hot of water.

Exactly this.

Full fuel and hot water.

I have been playing with boats for a long time and the first thing I do when I get a boat out on the water I will trim the motor all the way down and mash the gas. The moment the boat breaks over and am on the trim button. In order for a boat to be set up properly you should be able to stand on the trim button and the prop wash should never be any higher than the motor cowling. When you are at full trim you should be running around 6000 rpm's. If you cannot give it full trim because the rooster tail is too high then start moving the jack plate down a little at a time (1/4 inch increments is a bunch). Once you get it set up for 1 person and a light load then you can let the jack plate down a little more for a heavier load and you will be fine. Find a boat ramp that is not too active and once you put your boat in the water leave your trailer in the water. All it should take is one trip down the lake to determine if the jack plate is too high or too low. If you can run the trim all the way and no rooster tail then you want to raise the jack plate until it starts to throw water in the air. At that point you know you are too high and can drop it down a little. I prefer a set up for a heavy load. If I want to play around then a set up for a light load is easy. You can do this for any boat and motor combination. If you ever change prop's then the set up will have to be done again in order to achieve your goal.

Boy you aren't kidding! We fished out of my buddies a couple of months back and he had me at the TM. Any wind at all and the think blows around like one of those plastic sacks in the wind. I couldn't let off of the TM for three seconds without blowing off of our spot. I've never seen anything like it. Blow was a great choice of wording.

My biggest issue was where do you put all of your stuff? Maybe I just have too much fishing gear to buy a go fast boat but if they ever start doing shotgun starts again you'll be there quickly (right behind the Allisons).

I have a 2015 FX21 with basically the same setup. I'm running 72.1 @ 5950 RPM in the heat. This boat is very particular about motor height. It's easy to get the motor too high and lose bow lift.

To answer the OP, I agree with everyone who's mentioning your jackplate needs to be higher. That boat should be hitting 71-73 MPH. You said you have a manual jackplate, is it by chance a Slidemaster? If it is a Slidemaster, I think you can even adjust while you're on the water. I have a Slidemaster, but the boat was setup perfectly from when I got it from the previous owner. So I've never had to adjust it. I think I read on Slidemaster's website where it's the only manual jackplate you can adjust on the water. I will say this: during this hot weather, 69-71 MPH is probably the norm for that boat. That's a lot of boat. However, I think you can squeeze out a tad more than 68 MPH.

nothing wrong with people wanting to go 70+, and nothing wrong with those who dont want to or feel the need to go that fast. It can help in tournaments on certain lakes and situations, but some people just think its fun to push the limits of their boat and get the most out of it performance wise.

I got my Jon Boat up to 7.4 MPH with my trolling motor the other day.

yeah but was that 7.4 on the GPS???? hehehehe

I honestly don't know what brand/style it is. I will have to check when I get home today. Based on quite a few responses, I guess it is possible that raising the jack plate a tiny bit might not hurt. I just need to make sure I know how to do it or if I can't let someone work on it that does know what they are doing. I did have to tighten the nuts on the power poles once shortly after running the boat some, so there is a chance maybe the jack plate is a little lower than it needs to be also and I can raise it slightly and tighten the bolts back down.

Either way, there are too many telling what I already thought was normal, that this boat should run around 70+ if set up properly.

Oh of course.. Would you ever take me as some kinda of amateur?!?!

I hope you don't wear a toupee

You probably need to raise it a bit to get maximum performance. Was the battery full and how much chop on the water ? One thing you might try is putting your TM on a Dynamometer and see if it's at optimum performance. With that size Jon boat you should easily reach 8.2 MPH with only one person in the boat. Good luck and stay safe. If I can be of farther help don't hesitate to ask.

I'll add this....remove the weedless wedge 2 and try the weedless wedge. It should give you a better holeshot and at LEAST a 2.1mph increase. Might even bump up the 6 ga wire to 2/0....

Surprised no one mentioned a bass cat yet

the fx20 I drove was easy to drive but never got over 74mph With me. Trim all way up and pack air them bump back down. Definetly not like any of my cats.

Rule of thumb for original poster: Deduct 5-6 mph off of what everybody on here says their boat runs. That will be pretty close to what it ACTUALLY runs.

RIGHT ON BRO.

Good idea Steez, I forgot about the prop and wire upgrade. I'm a little concerned though if the transom will hold up under that much stress. Might want to let a professional drive the boat first.

Full tanks ? why you fishing Venice.. I, on almost any lake other than The Bend or Rayburn run 1/2 tanks, for one you don't need that much fuel all the time. It weighs you down in floatable depth(draft), speed, maneuverability, and handling in rough water.. For me weight is everything(I've said this before) I don't keep BPS in my boat either, I pack in what I need for that particular time of year, and swap it out as the climate and bass change position.. I have an older zx225 w/ a HPDI 225 proped out by the man *Steve* and she'll run right with all you new SHO 250's if not pass yo azz in the boat lane--I love that.. Setup is critical, you don't have to be the fastest, but get all you can from her, you'll short sell the boat if you don't..Justsay'n

The Fouz is a great source of info...imho.

My 96 jaguar decided to get off a little the other day and it ran 72. 2001 225 efi

Ive never been in a boat doing over 70 but with my boat getting maybe 50 (Honda 150)... its a bear to steer with my mechanical steering. Im assuming at those speeds a hydro assist steering system is a must??

No doubt you are a Tool/Aggie. He didn't ask for your opinion on fishing vs running fast. He wants his boat to run like they told him it would.

No nothing about a Tool/Aggie. I take it you were trying to either offend me or you're so far out in the woods you never heard of Texas A&M Aggies. Neches go back and read all his post and see where he said "they" told him how it would run or anything else about the boat. He didn't even know what kind of jack plate he had or how to adjust it so apparently he just hooked the boat up and pulled it home. He ask everyone on TFF their opinion and that includes me OK ? Pay attention to what all the posters are saying including the OP instead of just climbing on like a [censored].

Here is the truth. Tournament day. If you touch 70. You're passing a bunch of boats. If your running 75plus you're flying. Not many boat will run high seventies loaded with a 250. Birds and cats come to mind. Then your go fast rigs will haul ace.

You definitely want hydraulic steering at 65mph and above. A torque master lower unit will help, too. A whole lot can happen at 75+ between the time it happens and the time you react. Then, it's too late.

I broke 80 this month in an eyra. And that seems like a whole new world than the 76-78mph range I'm use to.

I would think that this boat being new, where ever you bought it from could help you with setup to get peak Performance out of the boat. my2cents

Years ago, I had a jet boat that would run around 68-70....flat out . Man, I thought that was the fastest boat in the world. 80 in a bass boat would be more fun than a gift card to bass pro.

it is hard to run 70 with full tanks of gas power poles and tournament gear in the summer with summer blend gas , hot water an high temps the place.

My tournament partner looks terrified when I'm running at my max speed of 48mph. I can't imagine running over 70.

My Cougar FTD with 250 Pro XS is running 79 on GPS right now. never caught a fish that fast though!

Very true. There are few exceptions unless you're okay with a narrow deck, no hole shot, reduced storage or engine mods.

It was HOT last weekend and we had quite a bit of fuel, both coolers full of drinks and ice, and extra battery just because, my on board tackle store and my partner had his own, then comes two livewells topped off, an oxygen tank, another cooler full of frozen bottles and beer. I'm not sure my old girl could have hit 70 even if I had the room. There were jet fleas and wake board boats making me too nervous to get much above 50.

Right on. It would be a good idea to check your jack plate anyways. You just bought the boat and you wanna make sure everything is tight and working correctly; nothing wrong with double checking things every now and then. I've tightened my Power Poles this year as well, but I only have to do it maybe 3-4 times a year. They're pretty sturdy.

Wouldn't spend any money on it until the air cools this fall. It'll get there.

Were you out on Conroe also? That lake is crazy for a bass boat starting at about 10am. I have talked to several other people that mentioned the water temp as well, that very well could be the issue also. But it is only me in the boat and nothing close to tournament gear.

WOW, now here's a guy I would feel safe riding and fishing with, and he speaks the truth. Probably catches a lot of fish too.

Say Whaa??? Wait before you answer, let me put my boots on

I've heard stories about how crazy Conroe gets. Imagine smaller and almost as many people - Cypress Springs in east Texas - quite possibly the wake boat capital of the world.


Jason C..... Do you have that SWEET rig in the Bass Champs picture?

Ranger, on page 3 of all this mess a guy posted a picture of his graph w-GPS showing he was going 75. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, you took a picture going 75mph ? In a bass boat ? That's like what I saw driving to the golf course the other day. A kid, looked to be 17-18 was eating a hamburger with his left hand, had a cell phone in his right hand and was steering with his knee.
I think this lust for speed in a bass boat has got out of hand. I've owned 5 different name brand bass boats but I can honestly say never bought one for speed. My main concern was safety, a dry ride, a stable platform, good storage and last but not least, good aerated live wells.

I often look terrified when riding shotgun in my wife's Lexus at 30mph. It's all relative, I guess. That...and lack of control from the passengers seat.

I understand completely

No I do not encourage this. But here is a picture from a 2017 cougar ftd. Twin 10' blades and a Yamaha 250sho. Two adults and fishing tackle.

Never mind I can't get the photo to upload. I'll email it if someone is on a computer andrewrossmotorsports@live.com

I know right.......I need more speed!!! J/K I very rarely drive like that, but it was really perfect conditions last Saturday, so I let the girl stretch her legs!

Dude you must have the baddest Cougar I ever heard of being able to get that puppy to hit 83-85+. I know some boys that have spent some serious coins on getting their rigs to fly. even shaving the hulls and not be able to ramp them up to mid 80's. I'm jealous

I fixed it for ya

Gman

The last boat I got into that could run that fast was a 1996 TR22 with a 300 on it. It would run 80 and was as smooth as a babies butt. I am going to say BS on any boat now day's running that fast. Back then some of the boats were a hand full with the chine walking but if you knew how to drive one you could see amazing speed's. Today's boat manufacturer's are making the boats easier to drive for the normal people. Easier to drive means slower top-end speed. You want a quick boat in my opinion you are going to have to go back a few year's. In 1994 I had a ZX175 with a Mariner 175EFI and I would put that boat up against anybody anytime. It was sweet. The first year that Triton came out was a good year. That model TR21 with a new 250 would blow them away.

not really. that is still one hand on the wheel with a stable platform.

I am just impressed that someone is hitting those numbers in 102 degree weather and 90+ water temps. Those are very strong and impressing numbers.

I have the exact same boat and my last was a 2011 FX21 with a hydraulic jack plate and it would run 73 74 full load and this 2016 run 70 71 with a full load but has a manual jack plate. I had to set the manual jack plate to 8 1/2 dots high...you will see them if you look on either side of plate. Also I figured out that just over 3/4 trim was best and not to go over that. It still isn't as fast as my 2011 but the jack plates are the difference. Good luck!

Ill see if I can get you a picture on a GOPro or something so I don't have to take my hands off the wheel. Just for argument, There are plenty of Basscats that will run 80+ My 2013 with a 27 Fury and a medium load ran 79.7 with a light tail wind and 2, 240# men. It was the fastest Cat I have owned. as far as 102 degrees goes, it was only 83 on Saturday morning, but the water is around 87 that time of morning.

They are making them everyday. You just have to buy the right boat and motor. Some current boats are just as fast as boats ever were.

My Triton TR-17 with a 115 Evinrude will hit 52 on a good cold morning with just a hair of chop. So I think you should be getting at least 80 out of your Skeeter.

Only kidding (about the Skeeter). I agree with others that you'll need to play around with the jackplate to get the best results. And I don't blame you a bit for trying to make sure you're getting the most out of your new rig. I would do the same thing.

I have a brand new Triton 21 TRX setting in the shop being rigged right now, it has a 300 XS Racing engine on the back, I doubt that boat will run 81 plus, those Bass Cats must be some light sum bitch's.

Them 2013 motors were some mean engines. Y'all gentlemen should ask Rick about his eyra/300 play toy. I have trouble turning that big of wheel with my load. 26 non vented is about max. I would like to try a 27p tempest plus without the vent plugs on my sho.

The new tritons are not near as fast as the old ones. Also the new 250pro xs has been detuned tremendously. The only pro xs 250 was closer to 270-275hp while the 300xs was around 290-300 stock. That's coming from higher intelligence. I know several of my friends are now having to run 25p furys when they use to turn 27p furys. I believe a few have tried 26p fury with extra exhaust holes.

I need to go for a ride in that. My dads ZX250 with a 300 HPDI will only run about 76. But it rides pretty sweet out there on Texoma.

Somebody, don't know who, bought a new Bass Cat from Rockwall Marine with a 400hp Mercury on the back. I had to physically touch it to make sure I wasn't dreaming. $92,000 bass boat. So if you happen to see a bright yellow Bass Cat running loose at Fork I wouldn't challenge him. If you Kitty owners are doing 80 with a 300 no telling what that baby will do with a 400.
I had a Bass Cat Pantera 11 with a 200 but I couldn't tell you how fast it would go. Never went wide open one time. Only took me 5 minutes to get to my hole so 40-50mph was plenty.

Here's my 26 year old 1990 Ranger 482V and I've definitely cheated! Probably one of the fastest old Ranger battleship style hull around!
79.4 on GPS driven by Ronnie Fretwell of Xtreme Marine at Joe Pool. (He also did all the motor work too)

My favorite thing to do on the water is just cruise around 45mph with a good sized rooster tail waiting for some one to run me down.
I have been beaten a few times but it's rare.

This is my personal best I'm still learning the chine walking. But like said previously a little chop on the water and the chine walk gets reduced significantly. But since the 75.9mph I've added a 12 paralift jackplate, nosecone, blinker trim controls and a bracket that lets me pull the heavy a$$ trolling motor off the front so I can fly it easier. I have aspirations of breaking 80.
https://youtu.be/LZiYDBnn0ag

And to really screw with people I repainted it and added 150hp decals.



All piston ports have been opened exhaust has been opened too. Also the entire rotating assembly was balanced, blueprinted and the flywheel was run on a lathe and removed 3 lbs.


Even polished the starter and all the head bolts


The block is painted a fluorescent orange then clear coated. It also has 240 carbs, intake and velocity stacks.
Ronnie ran this block on a drag boat and hit 119mph at 9100RPS in 660' https://youtu.be/oVRRaIcGY1E

Ive also decked it out with LEDs

But if im not fast enough I can get backup!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a178/tcfarmer/Boat%20Stuff/Ranger/20130805_150707_zpsd62cfac2.jpg
Ignore the nitrous bottle is only 2 stages of 200hp
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a178/tcfarmer/Boat%20Stuff/FtWorthRaces/boat.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a178/tcfarmer/Boat%20Stuff/FtWorthRaces/Boatsm.jpg
Checking the nitrous solonids before the races.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a178/tcfarmer/Boat%20Stuff/FtWorthRaces/DSCF1005.jpg

Here are some videos because I know an old ranger getting close to 80 on gps sounds like some BS.
This was out at joe pool with my old 2.4 liter that was about 220hp I could do low 70 all day with it.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a178/tcfarmer/Boat%20Stuff/FtWorthRaces/DSCF1005.jpg
And this is the dyno run with the new 2.5 hits 245hp +/-5hp If you notice the movement its because the motor is generating so much pressure its attempting to straighten the hoses.
https://youtu.be/AyjMXBPJAx0
Here's another I was around 74-75 on GPS
https://youtu.be/LZiYDBnn0ag

Sorry for the extra long post. I'm just trying to show i'm not lying or exaggerating what my old Ranger can do.

That custom motor work is BEASTMODE!!! ^^^^^^

That boat with the 400R ran 84 at the BassCat dealer show a few months ago.

This is from last years dealer show. I had it to 81, but I'm not the driver that a lot of them are. Hearsay this year is Rick tuned and played with one until it reached high 80s. However, I have not seen a gps or spoke to the man himself.

Well this boat should be on Texoma a lot, we just built a new home there, as far as airing one out on Texoma, wow, talk about risky, I about flipped one on a set of rollers from one of those huge boats, no more 75 plus for me unless it is during the week in the off season, lol.

Hey Jackson, not sure what rig you are referring to in Bass Champs as there are several photos shown, but here is a photo of my boat.

That's it..... WHAT A BEAUTY!

Team Brown Stripe.... Sweet engine mods! That's a lot of tender love and care that went into that project. I like what you've done.


For any of you speed freaks that are going to be in the Marble Falls area this weekend, come out and watch the big boys play on Lake Marble Falls.

First thing I thought of Roger, Never again will I run hauling azz on that lake again.

If you have a hydraulic jack plate lower it all the way down for the hole shot. Once on plane use your trim to reach maximum speed. Then using the hydraulic jack plate start raising your engine in short distances and watch speed. When you see speed start to drop lower one number. This is your sweet spot.

If you have a manual adjustable jack plate, use a sharpie and put a small line (as a reference point) on the inside of your jack plate slide. Then raise the engine no more than 1/4 of an inch. Put it on the water and run it. If performance improves raise it another 1/4", Keep doing this until performance (hole shot or top end) starts to drop off. When this happens lower the engine 1/8in. Put a second mark on slide plate. This is the sweet spot for your "Current Load".

Agreed!

I had a hydraulic jackplate on my last Triton. The thing you will discover is that the more weight you have in the boat, the deeper you have to run your gearcase to achieve optimum speed. With a lighter load you can raise the motor higher and achieve a higher top speed.

Here's the rub: The deeper you run the lower unit the more leverage your prop has BUT you are adding drag from the lower unit. You need more leverage when loaded heavy, like three guys in the boat, full gas tanks, full livewells, etc.

When you lighten the load you can run the motor higher thereby reducing drag from the gearcase, while the prop still maintains enough "bite" to propel the boat. You also can typically use less positive trim to achieve top speed since you are not having to lift such a heavy load.

Weight distribution in a bass boat is critical too. With all the wonderful giant storage boxes up front on most bass rigs, you are tempted to load them down with stuff. I go to Academy & Bass Pro during the week and buy junk. I get to my boat on the weekend and throw the stuff into the boxes.

Throughout the year you have added 50# to the nose of your boat and you don't even realize it. Then you go out there and wonder why your boat has lost 2 mph from back in the spring. Water, humidity and air temp also plays a big factor as many have mentioned on this thread.

Most bass rigs will run 4-5 mph faster on a 40 degree day then they will on a 100 degree day with the same load. You can normally run a one or 2" taller pitch prop on your boat in the cooler months opposed to the warmer months.

My Legend will easily turn a 26 Fury in November but on a day like today it ain't got the ponies to pull it. On a 105 degree day with 90 degree water temps my boat would struggle to get out of the hole with the 26. Heat & humidity can rob as much as 15% of your horsepower.

So I drop back to a 25 Fury for summer. Actually I have kind of gotten lazy about changing props so I run the 25 year round. Yeah it would run a little faster in the winter if I put the 26 on but I don't mind giving up 2 mph cause the holeshot is so much better with the 25.

On my Triton I raised the engine as high as it would go to build up rpm's, it came out of the hole better than lowering it all the way down.

Probably still breaking it in.

No ones mentioned them because with decks that small theyre not consider bass boats;) but when you have half the deck of any other boat you sure do go fast! Those things fly.

I have them same rig. Top end for me is 72-73 with everything in my favor.

My boats so slow....it just caught up to this 6 month old, beat to death thread.

I have no idea how fast my Skeeter will run, don't know how fast my truck will run either, don't care.

'bout 80....

Boy, this will certainly get those with small equipment fired up.

See sig

Yall just made me love my old Skeeter even more.
96 zx200, replaced 200 with mercury xr6 150! U derpowered.
With tackle and fuel still gets 61-63 on gps. I feel goooooood.
Lol

I guess this is a good time to update the thread. So I have had my boat a little while now and made some changes. I found the sweet spot on the jack plate, it is 1-3/4" on the nose between the bottom of the hull and the prop shaft. When I did this I went from around 68mph to somewhere between 69.5 and 70 depending on wind and chop.

However, what made the biggest difference overall, was getting my prop adjusted. I took my brand new 3 blade 25 pitch T1 that came with the motor and sent it to my sponsor Mike Hood's Marine Propeller (sorry for the plug).

They are located here in Houston near Hobby airport. Even though the prop was new, he was able to balance each blade and also rework the cup a little and I went from what I just mentioned, to now being able to run around 74 to 75mph. My hole shot is better as well.

I couldn't believe it, I know it may sound like an exaggeration but it feels like a different boat. I recently fished bass champs as well as the cowboy bfl and several times I had another boat that was running with me tell me at some point during the day that my boat was fast.

I am well aware there are plenty of other fast boats on the water and that not everyone really cares about speed. However, if you're interested I would suggest from personal experience getting your prop worked on.

Like I said, my prop was brand new and after being worked on it made a huge difference, at least for me. Here is there website and if you want to get your prop worked on let me know and I will talk to Mike Hood, the owner, and get you a little discount since he is my sponsor.

http://www.mikehoodprops.com/

Bout Okie ? LOL

Oh lord ! Who bumped this back up??!! Y'all gonna have GigEm crying like a millennial again cause someone drove 75 with one hand

Nope, not me anymore SR. I don't care as long as I ain't in the boat. Seen worse today. Kid driving next to me had a cheeseburger in his left hand, texting with his right hand and steering with his knee. I stayed behind him until he turned, no way I want him behind me. Nope, wanna go 75 in YOUR boat with one hand go right ahead.

Why does everyone have to put someone's boats down. It's all about being out doing what you love to do. I have had several boats and the best riding boat in my opinion was the bumble bee. I now own a Bass Cat Puma and it took some getting use to. But I would put it up against any of the newer boats. It might not ride as well as a Legend or a Skeeter in rough water but it is still a good ride and you stay dry. Plus small deck or not it's one hell of a bass boat and catches fish.

I matter who does your prop work has anyone else experienced a significant increase as I did from prop work?

My little boat did 74 on its best day with a 150 Optimax. I got offended and it never left me when Ken A called it a trolling motor so I went up a little.
It went 88 on its first run with a Jay Smith 225 ProMax. Wrong prop and the jackplate wasn't just right. It did alright but I didn't. That was too fast for me so I'm back to a little 200XS and mid 80's is all she'll do.

My daughter taps me on the shoulder whenever the boat passes 70 anyway.



Prop work can do wonders if you don't have the right setup. I think most of the time 2-3 mph is more normal for speed increase with a balance and work.

I've got a 2006 Skeeter 200XS with a 200HPDI. In the summer 65.5 and winter 67. Doesn't matter if it's full of gear or empty.

A worked prop can be a night and day difference. Go see Josh at Steve's Custom props in Quitman. He'll get you set up right.

Go to the link provided and fill in the information up to SLIP%. This is NOT an exact science because of all the variables involved BUT it will tell you if something isn't right. Keep in mind the heavier a boat is rigged the higher you can expect the slip % to be. Same goes for rigging incorrectly or if a prop is good/bad for the boat. This number will also give you a starting point. Many people overlook prop slip when trying to diagnose issues or rigging a boat for best WOT speeds. The lower you can get your slip numbers the more efficient your setup is. Also keep in mind that a boats' speed/prop slip are NOT infinite, meaning, as speed increases prop slip % decreases but it will get to a point that slip and speed are constant (That's all she has) If you run into negative number, recheck your input because a negative number means the setup/speed is impossible! A prop cannot make a boat go faster than 0% slip

http://www.mercuryracing.com/prop-slip-calculator/

if you want to go fast you should have bought a Cat.