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First time boater & new Benny owner with questions

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jawshy

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Fort Worth, TX
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I am a novice boater and need some advice. First the specs:

2012 2274 GL, 2 logs w/o strakes

Yamaha F115 w/13x15 aluminum 3 blade

33gal tank, 3/4 full

35 lbs of gear stowed mostly bow to midship

2 adults, 1 toddler

1.) When my novice eyes look at the boat sitting in the water, it looks odd with the stern sitting so low. Is this the normal way the boat should sit?

2.) Our first long cruise was yesterday with very light winds & both biminis up. I hit 18mph (GPS) around 3600-3700rpm and it stayed at this speed no matter how much more throttle I gave it. I went up to 5400rpm and was still at 18mph going either into or against the wind. To me this is really odd. I know I don't have a speed demon, but hitting top speed at 3600rpm and no change with additional throttle seems really slow with a light load. I cringe at what I will hit with our normal party of 4 adults, 3 kids, and all our gear.

We keep it in the water at the marina and after 3 weeks there is a little algae growth on the tubes. I wouldn't think that would put a lot of drag at this point, but what do I know.

All opinions on 1 & 2 are appreciated!
 
What are you using to measure speed? Boat speedos are known to be incorrect. You need to measure with gps and if you have a portable one from a car it will work. Build-up on the logs will slow you down also.A 2 log toon will sit lower in the stern than a 3 log.
 
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That is some pretty murky water your in. I bet the buildup is moreso than you realize. Clean tube will bump the speed a fair amount. If you can go swimming take a couple of "magic erasers" with you in the water and clean the tubes up with those. make sure you get the ones without soap imbedded in them. I go over mine one a month and I'm in very clean water.
 
Without strakes, you might not be getting up on plane. If not, a displacement hull will not go much faster no matter how much horsepower you throw at it. It will only make a bigger wake. On our 22 ft 2 toon boat, a motor swap from a 40hp to a 90 hp only increased MPH from 14 to 18.
 
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2013 20 SL said:
Ok really dumb question what are Strakes ?

And what do they do ?
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They are small widths of full length aluminum welded to the pontoons to provide lift to help the boat get on plane. Like flaps for an airplane wing. Some models have them on the inside and outside of the toons. On an esp model they are only on the inside of the toons. At high speed they can negatively effect turning. For lower horsepower boats, they help the boat up on plane. When you look at pics of the boats, what looks like a rail on the toon at the waterline is the strake.
 
Many people keep Scotch Brite pads with them, and scrub a little every time they go swimming. Better yet, put all the passengers into cleaning service. It really just takes a few minutes to keep the toons clean. If you wait until the toons get too grungy, it gets to be work.

After the hull's clean, check your speed with the tops dropped. They can be like kites--restricting speed.

Strakes on a pontoon look like pieces of angle iron--welded to the toons lengthwise. Their purpose is to make the nose cone rise so the boat doesn't plow through the water. Cruising is more efficient, and speeds are maybe 5 mph higher, too. It takes about 115 hp or more to take advantage of strakes, and they're a small price to pay for such improved performance.
 
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Jawshy, we have the same boat perhaps mine weighs just a ltlle more, I have a 2012RL with a YamahaF115, two tubes no strakes 13.5 x 15 aluminum prop. I see a difference in speed when i am running at 4000 rpm I do about 18-20 mph and when I reach 5800 rpm it runs about 26mph
 
Thanks all. Going to do a scrub down this weekend and see if that helps.
 
Magic Eraser is the brand name for a Mr. Clean product found in most stores in the cleaning section. It is a white dense sponge, and I have no idea what is inside that material but I can tell you it removes dirt, stains and all kinds of things with a simple wipe that other cleaners have no effect on.

Chateau Vinne said:
What are "magic erasers"?
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Bennie's sit low in the water at the stern. Your does appear to be sitting a tad lower then mine. Mine is is 2010 2250 RCW with a 115 HP Merc. Max RPM (I do not have the manual handy) but I believe was 5800 or 5900 on that motor. WOT I run mine at between 5600 and 5800, getting mid to low 20s. Certainly you should see a speed increase from 3500 rpm up to the max rpm. Is that prop stock ? I am running the stock Merc prop on mine. My trim as I recall I run around 1/3 trim down from full up, I adjust to get the most speed at the lowest rmp. My boat will run at 6200 rpm with the throttle pushed hard full and the trim set incorrectly, I adjust both not to exceed 5800 rpm.
 
I have the express package (short center tube, positioned at the front of the boat) on an S model and it sits bow high like that, but I don't think quite as much as your photo... It's pretty close to the same though. But with your twin tubes, mine should sit a worse than yours, and I don't think it does. Again, mine's an S, not an R, but I'm thinking that doesn't matter much if the weight is evenly distributed on both models.

Be glad you took that photo so you have a reference point. You might want to keep taking photos every few days to compare if it gets worse or stays the same. Someone else here had a tube leak a while back, and the rear dropped quite a bit (as I remember the photos, it was quite a bit worse than what yours looks like). Not trying to scare you, and don't worry, it won't sink due to all the sealed tube sections, but it is something for you to watch. It would also likely list to one side if you had a tube leak, so you might check that out (look at the front or back and see if it tilts to one side).

Odds are you would NOT have a tube leak on BOTH tubes (which would tend to even out the list). Unless maybe if you're Derrick, then that might happen to you... I believe in the long run everything evens out at the end of the day. Which means Derrick is due to win the lottery!
 
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kaydano said:
I have the express package (short center tube, positioned at the front of the boat) on an S model and it sits bow high like that, but I don't think quite as much as your photo... It's pretty close to the same though. But with your twin tubes, mine should sit a worse than yours, and I don't think it does. Again, mine's an S, not an R, but I'm thinking that doesn't matter much if the weight is evenly distributed on both models.

Be glad you took that photo so you have a reference point. You might want to keep taking photos every few days to compare if it gets worse or stays the same. Someone else here had a tube leak a while back, and the rear dropped quite a bit (as I remember the photos, it was quite a bit worse than what yours looks like). Not trying to scare you, and don't worry, it won't sink due to all the sealed tube sections, but it is something for you to watch. It would also likely list to one side if you had a tube leak, so you might check that out (look at the front or back and see if it tilts to one side).

Odds are you would NOT have a tube leak on BOTH tubes (which would tend to even out the list). Unless maybe if you're Derrick, then that might happen to you... I believe in the long run everything evens out at the end of the day. Which means Derrick is due to win the lottery!
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Well played my friend, well played. Poke fun at my mishaps, then give me hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I think if I won the lottery I'd buy ANOTHER Bennington, just in case I needed a spare! Ahhhh, that'd be the life hey? Hmmm now that you mention it, I DID think the nose if my boat was a bit high..........GOTTA GO!!!! HAHA

Derrick
 
Hey Derrick - Half the time I come here just to see your posts. Half the time they make me laugh. The other half are fun just to see what you're getting yourself into next! I'm just giving you a hard time. I know you know that. But if you win the big jackpot, how about a round of spares for all of us???

So... Anyone out there got 2 Bennys?
 
kaydano said:
Hey Derrick - Half the time I come here just to see your posts. Half the time they make me laugh. The other half are fun just to see what you're getting yourself into next! I'm just giving you a hard time. I know you know that. But if you win the big jackpot, how about a round of spares for all of us???

So... Anyone out there got 2 Bennys?
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Thanks, I always enjoy reading everyone's posts too, some baffle me with technological mumbo jumbo (yes I mean you cCando! :D )that I wish I understood, but usually just makes me get paper cuts while trying to flip through the dictionary. Some astonish me with amazing pics of a far off land (everything is 'far off' when your from Canada) that look like they were taken from a strategically positioned crane or bucket truck (Geewest) Some posts show me pics of homes and parties I could only wish I owned, or at least made an extravagant entrance at, only to miss the first step and tumble down numerous more with an extra cart wheel on each tier of the well manicured lawn (my good buddy Gerry!) and then there is Kaydano's posts, well hey, every major paper has a cartoon/funnies section!! I'm happy that I get to read and 'share' in each of your experiences, which reminds me, did I ever tell you guys about the time I was racing camels in the desert? No? well, I've gone on long enough, I'll save that for another day!

Derrick
 
kaydano said:
So... Anyone out there got 2 Bennys?
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Not two Bennys but we do have a spare pontoon for our Benny. Nice thing about toons, if you maintain them they last. We have a 2002 22' toon that we bought new and kept at Lake Cumberland. When we got our Benny, we brought the 22' home and use it on a local lake and take to Canada for our family fishing trip. Big difference in the two boats but it is sweet to have something at home when we or the kids want to get on the water.

Best part is we finally have time this weekend to get to Cumberland. It has been two months with no weekend time. Putting a power tech 4 bladed steel prop on ( will post results ) and replace radio ( Factory unit died ) Won't be as nice as the system PDX Hosedragger just installed but it will play some tunes and does have the weatherband on it.
 
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