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Help setting up 2018 23SSBXP

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Maholli

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Hope this is in right place this is my first post and im excited to be part of the bennington club :). My question is: friday i pick up my new boat and im doubting the settup the dealer has.. i have the SPS+ with the verado pro 250(25inch shaft) and i have been in boating most my life so im somewhat familar with rigging but not an expert by any means. The dealer has motor in lowest postion with a 14 pitch enertia, which seems crazy.. i have requested hole #2 and 16 or 17 pitch but he tried telling me 14 is what bennington recommends. On my 20ft tri toon 150hp i run a 15 pitch enertia so i figured 16-17 was where i should b and on 2nd hole. Dealer also said 1st(lowest hole) is what bennington recommends too.
 
Bottom hole is fine to start, I’m up to the third hole on mine, I would say 16/17 pitch easily, not sure what you’re going to do with a 14??
 
They had it in top hole but i told them i would not take boat unless 2nd hole which i beleive is 1 hole up from bottom? Also since i have 15pitch enertia already i said 17 pitch or no deal.. lol. I just had hard time believing 14 pitch is what bennington recommends and lowest hole.. im hoping 45mph but dealer acted like that was a stretch bc he said sps + is heavy..
 
Not to get off topic about your setup, but ......We ordered our boat the middle of March a 2018 23' SSLX
With a SPS+ 250 Mercury Verado. The dealer received the boat May 22nd and as we were told- the motor is on backorder due to manufacturing issues till October/November-- per Mercury. Are you getting the inline 6 Verado or the new V8??
 
Mine is the inline 6 since dealer already had in inventory i went with that one.
 
Pitch by itself isn't really enough info. Diameter and number of blades make a big difference too... Gear ratio matters also...

That said, 14 seems way too small. Sounds like you are on the right track...
 
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Im thinking since its Enertia it is 15.3x14 pitch, i was hoping other people with similar setup could help.. my dealer is a bass boat guy..
 
You'll spin that 14 right to the rev limiter, Keep on them for a 16 or 17
 
I have a 2017 24’ SSBXP SPS 200 hp Mercury Verado.

I can tell you right now that they started me with the 14p enertia on my last year. It was too small a pitch, slightly high on rpm’s at WOT, and way slower than I knew the boat capable of going based on others on this forum. They tried to give me the same story your dealer is now, but I insisted they let me try some higher pitch enertia props.

They had both 15p and 16p in stock, but not a 17p. 15p enertia still wasn’t enough for my 200hp. The 16p has me about 100 rpm under rpm limit at WOT, and with a very light load 42-44 mph. Decent load, 38-41mph. It’s a pretty good spot for my boat. Maybe not dialed in 100%, but as close as I am willing to mess with.

Based on my experience and set up, I wouldn’t accept anything lower than the 16p enertia, but really think the 17p might be the best fit for your 250hp Mercury.

I also believe your performance expectation is reasonable. SPS+ is heavier, but I don’t think its enough to offset the additional 50hp. At worst, I think you should get what I am getting.

As for engine mount, I’d inspect where the cavitation plate lines up in conjunction with the center toon. That will be a good starting indicator for engine hole mount.

What’s the basic rule of thumb, cavitation plate lined up with top of center toon on a tritoon for broadest type of use? Something like that, and searchable online.
 
thanks a lot for the help guys, Viking i did search forum and saw ur journey to 42-44.. if i recall you are still in top hole which is lowest? and is yours the 25 inch shaft? thanks again.. really surprised bc my buddy regency with 250 is 48mph and weighs same or more the my benny. also i saw on the design center sps and sps+ have same 3064weight for mine..
 
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Maholli said:
thanks a lot for the help guys, Viking i did search forum and saw ur journey to 42-44.. if i recall you are still in top hole which is lowest? and is yours the 25 inch shaft? thanks again.. really surprised bc my buddy regency with 250 is 48mph and weighs same or more the my benny. also i saw on the design center sps and sps+ have same 3064weight for mine..
Click to expand...

I am pretty certain from those old posts last summer you are correct on my engine mount. If I remember correctly, I could raise that motor mount a bit more for straight line WOT speed, but my sacrific cavitation in tighter turns. Since we do water sports with our boat, and lots of turning when tubing, I decided to let it sit a bit lower so it doesn’t blow out in turns.

Engine: v6 200 hp Mercury Verado Pro. 25” shaft. I thought the SPS+ was heavier than the normal SPS. If weight is the same as you say, then perhaps you’d get closer to your friends performance 46-48mph. No matter what, you should be at my level performance minimally, with the capability to be above it.
 
Maholli said:
thanks a lot for the help guys, Viking i did search forum and saw ur journey to 42-44.. if i recall you are still in top hole which is lowest? and is yours the 25 inch shaft? thanks again.. really surprised bc my buddy regency with 250 is 48mph and weighs same or more the my benny. also i saw on the design center sps and sps+ have same 3064weight for mine..
Click to expand...

Borrow your buddy's prop...
 
My 22' R ESP with Verado 250 Pro was probably a heavier boat than yours, ran the 18p Enertia lightly loaded @6350 rpm, 3rd hole up, just a bit over 50 mph.
 
how many mounting holes does the verado have? I would b giddy to get 50mph :). Again thanks.. Friday is taking soooo long.. im very excited
 
For comparison purposes, my 2574 with a 250 Verado Pro spinning a 15.6X13 Enertia and mounted in the top hole/lowest position will hit about 40 mph @ 6400 rpm moderately loaded. Obviously, I could probably do a bit better by going to a 14 or 15p but I'm pleased with my overall performance.
 
I would tend to agree that sounds like not enough pitch for a 250 but while we're on the subject, isn't a 250 too much for that hull? I thought you couldn't go over 150 (or lately 200) with the SPS or do they put ESP on S class now?
 
You can put a 250 on an S with the sps.
 
You can get a 250hp tag if you give up a passenger on SPS plus. I’d of done it but it wasn’t available in 2014.
A 250 on a 23’ SPS should haul some hiney!! I’d assume 47-49mph, heck a 200 on the blue boat almost hits 45mph! ;)
 
It looks like only difference is .100 aluminum all over now for sps +
 

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