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How to hit 48mph?

ChuckP

ChuckP

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Belleville, MI
Odd topic I know. We've ordered our boat with a 200hp Optimax already but Im sure we could change if we wanted to, dont assume there is any difference in mounts / hook ups. Anyway Ive been thinking (never a good thing :D ) and it would be pretty cool if our new 2275GCW could be faster than our previous Crownline runabout. That boat only had the 200hp MPI 4.3L and propped for acceleration it would run 47mph on GPS and it would be cool to have a faster pontoon boat. How much power would I need? Any particular prop?
 
My larger 2574GLi ESP is at 49 with a Verado 250 Pro. I can rev to 6500 with a 16" Enertia, so I believe 50 is right around the corner after break-in. I went a bit larger on the engine cause it worked out for me pricewise, and I wanted to be sure I could get my big butt up on slalom. Ends up this package will rip my arms out, so its about half throttle starts. Thats ok, in case I grow more I will be covered. Haha

For the Merc's, I cannot say enough about the Enertia. It plain does not slip on takeoff, and has great holding and top end too. I had to have a 4 blade Bravo 1 to get any bite on my previous 502 powered Baja. Buy as much HP as you can, it will never be cheaper than now.
 
I was told that the 200hp should pretty easily get us to break 40mph. But Im sure those extra 8mph are not quite as easy to reach. Im going to get a price quote tomorrow on the 225 and 250. What is the difference between the optimax and the Optimax Pro XS?
 
Chuck, I'll be frank with you. I've yet to see an owner on this forum that could break 50 with any size motor. 44-45 seems to be the sweet spot from a 150 pro xs to the 250 SHO and Verdados. Based on the postings, I would guess that 300hp+ is what will be needed to hit that magical 50mph.
 
spinzone

Not so fast on the giving up there. I have a friend with another brand of pontoon and a 200 hp motor. I don't recall what type of either at the moment(4 am here and insomnia is in full gear). Next time I see him, I will find out both and his speed(I have heard he is getting 50-53 mph out of this setup. I will also get the prop type and size. It may be a couple of weeks, but I will try to make this happen.

Good luck on the speed guys. The best I have managed so far is around 44 on the boat's speedometer(with the top up). I haven't GPS'd it yet. I plan on doing that the next time I catch smooth water and plenty of room.

andy
 
I would love to see someone on here break that 50mph mark with that boat/ motor combo. I wanted to make it clear that so far, I haven't read where a Benny member verified that their set up can break 50. Just like your setup, most posts (250hp Yamahas or Mercurys), are posting up to 44-45 mph on gps.

Chuck was asking about going up to 225 or 250 hp and I didn't want the poor guy's dealer to promise him 50+mph as so many have done before.
 
The easiest way to hit 48mph is to slow down from 50mph. :D

Joking aside, a 22-25 foot 3-log pontoon boat with a correctly propped 250+ horsepower engine should crack 50.

Having said that, that assumes smooth water, clean logs and low cargo/passenger weight, not to mention reasonably low altitude.

If you want to exceed 50mpg without having to worry about it, you'll want a 300hp outboard. (Not I/O... too much added weight there.)

The rule of thumb in the automotive arena is that a 10% increase in speed requires a 1/3 increase in HP; in order to overcome wind resistance. (That's a general rule, not a hard & fast one)

There's a forum I used to belong to that's an adjunct to Pontoon & Deckboat Magazine where this was an ongoing topic and many people had hit the magic number with a 250.

Having said that, a great many of the people who DO crack the magic 50mph with a 250 horse outboard are using a jackplate. The cheaper solution is a manual plate that has a whole line of mounting holes to set the engine at different heights. The more convenient solution is a hydraulic jack plate that allows you to take your boat up to speed and then raise & lower the engine (this is not the same as trimming) on the fly, in order to find the best speed.

Manual plates can go for a couple of hundred, hydraulic ones approach $1,000. I'm sure there are some that exceed that price as well.
 
Chuck if you have a 22 ft boat, a 250hp motor with a jack plate you will probably do it . 25 ft boat a 350 Yamaha will get you there. IMHO the ESP boats are not speed demons. It seems thay are slower than more traditional designs. But in there defense the handling is amazing. The other day I was out with a friend that has 23 ft Crownline 350 mag Bravo 3, and I literaly ran circles around him. After we were done playing he told me that 2 toons were out of the water during turns :eek: . Of course in a straight line he blows me away :)
 
Optimax pro xs is a ho motor of the 150 optimax like a evinrude ho or yammie sho. They are allowed the 10%hp rule? Which means a 150 can be 165 and still. Be called a 150. They also. Have carbon fiber reeds, low water pickups, hydro lower gear,case and other odds and ends for the extra hp

Todd
 
Well I guess its all a bit of a moot point now. I contacted the dealer today to find out about pricing on the 225 and 250 motors and come to find out that our 200hp Optimax arrived today. So I guess we'll have to "settle" :lol: for a 200hp on our 2275GCW. I guess its not gonna out run our old Crownline, but its will still be a blast with the ESP. The delaer did promise that it would break 40mph which I guess was my original goal, but being a guy with some time to think bigger is always better. Anyway should I expect to see 40+ with our setup? With that said our boat starts getting built next week ont he 15th, so probably 2 weeks and she'll be home!!!
 
Well I guess its all a bit of a moot point now. I contacted the dealer today to find out about pricing on the 225 and 250 motors and come to find out that our 200hp Optimax arrived today. So I guess we'll have to "settle" :lol: for a 200hp on our 2275GCW w/ESP. I guess its not gonna out run our old Crownline, but its will still be a blast. The dealer did promise that it would break 40mph which I guess was my original goal, but being a guy with some time to think, bigger is always better. Anyway should I expect to see 40+ with our setup? With that said our boat starts getting built next week ont he 15th, so probably 2 weeks and she'll be home!!!
 
I love the "come down from 50" comment. That's one of those things that's not only funny, but makes you think. I plan to use that with my staff at work the next time someone thinks something isn't possible. It not only conveys your faith they can do the impossible, it also conveys your expectation that they do so. There's just all kinds of ways to use that. I've never heard anyone say anything like that before...

Anyway, back to the question at hand on hitting 48 MPH - Have you tried putting your trailer under it? ;)

Okay, bad joke.
 
Sorry, I don't have any good jokes to pass along to lighten the question. I haven't come across anyone with that exact set up to compare to, but I can give you my personal expectations for your new boat. Being that you chose the lighter 2stroke, I would thoroughly expect you to just reach that 40-42 mph wot mark. I would guess that with top down, minimal fuel, and 1-2 people onboard, you might reach the 44 figure.

On another note, I grew up hearing about maximum hull speeds regardless of engine size. I'm starting to wonder about the ESP set up and why almost every owner (2stroke or 4, 200hp or 250, Mercury or Yamaha) all post speeds practically dead on each other in the 44-45mph range.

Forgive me if I am wrong here. Don't know the science behind this thought process but growing up in Miami during the go fast boat boom, boat people always reminded me that more engines didn't translate to faster.
 
spinzone said:
Chuck, I'll be frank with you. I've yet to see an owner on this forum that could break 50 with any size motor. 44-45 seems to be the sweet spot from a 150 pro xs to the 250 SHO and Verdados. Based on the postings, I would guess that 300hp+ is what will be needed to hit that magical 50mph.
Click to expand...
I am gonna work to change that! 49 and counting.(and that was in 96F heat)
 
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kaydano said:
Anyway, back to the question at hand on hitting 48 MPH - Have you tried putting your trailer under it? ;)

Okay, bad joke.
Click to expand...
Hey, that's just thinkin' outside the box. B)
 
ericscher said:
Hey, that's just thinkin' outside the box. B)
Click to expand...
Well bummer, I don't have a trailer since we live on a lake. So my dreams are shattered, LOL!!!
 
ChuckP said:
Odd topic I know. We've ordered our boat with a 200hp Optimax already but Im sure we could change if we wanted to, dont assume there is any difference in mounts / hook ups. Anyway Ive been thinking (never a good thing :D ) and it would be pretty cool if our new 2275GCW could be faster than our previous Crownline runabout. That boat only had the 200hp MPI 4.3L and propped for acceleration it would run 47mph on GPS and it would be cool to have a faster pontoon boat. How much power would I need? Any particular prop?
Click to expand...
There is a performance bulletin on the Bennington website that claims a speed of 54mph with a 250 Evinrude. It's on a 2009 GLI with ESP so maybe this is the setup to run.
 
Ok guys, a few posts up I said I knew someone who knew someone . . . yada yada yada. Well, today I got a chance to visit with him. He has a Voyager tri-toon, with a 200 Mercury 2-stroke. He don't remember what prop he is running. Anyway, he says with smooth water, the top down, and no more than two on board, he can get 55 mph(gps). Therefore, I say it is obtainable.

I visited with him and another gentleman today and they said I could probably get it(the magical 50) if I repropped with a 21 or maybe even a 19. I am currently running an Enertia 17.

I stated in my earlier post I would find out what I could. So, there it is.

Good luck.

andy
 
Hey Andy, I would think with your set up ( 22ft boat and a 250 ) you might be able to get there with the right prop or a jack plate. But then that Verado is pretty heavy.
 
I am happy where I am at. I usually putt around at about 20-25. The speed is nice, but our lake isn't really big enough(in my opinion) to be running 50+ all over it. Especially now with it being so low. There is only so much center room left and it is getting smaller by the day. We need rain desperately.

I was just putting this information out there for the others.

Good luck.

andy
 
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