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New guy with a couple questions

Congrats on the boat!

I was thinking the same thing about the stairs on the trailer.......

Going with 33.........
 
You mentioned this being your first pontoon...  Not sure if it's your first boat, but be sure to read the break-in procedures for your motor.  My Mercury, if I recall correctly, called for periods of WOT every so often after the first 2 hours.  I think the consensus is break in should be aggressive (drive it like you stole it) BUT while staying within the timeframe and RPM limits stated in your manual.   You may get to see your top speed after a couple hours (so your first time out) depending what your manual says... 

READ YOUR MANUAL FOR BREAK-IN INSTRUCTIONS!  This is very important.  The life of your motor depends on it.
 
Took it out today and Damn, it's a nice ride. I tried to get out of the Boca Grande pass and ended up taking a wave over the bow haha. I was still in the break in period so I didn't get to proper wide open hours until the ride back into the wind. It definitely hits 36 into the wind. I will get an exact number hopefully within the next week.

Not new to boating by any means and this isn't our first boat but is it better to power thru waves or slow and ride them out on a pontoon. Reason I ask is because I took two good size splashes over the bow. One from a passing boat the other heading into a good size chop in the pass.

I'm happy you guys have given me a warm welcome and the whopping 5 hours I've put on the boat have been fantastic.
 
I have found that if you throttleback just as you hit the wave is when the wave swamps you.  There was discussion on this before and I think many said take the wave at a 45 degree angle
 
Our inland lake is wide and deep, and our waves are substantial.  I've never taken any wave in the nose, however.

What I'd really like to see is a comparison between the new model Yamaha F115 and the new model Mercury 115 FourStroke engines--apples vs, apples.
 
Trim up too.
 
Took it out again to day, top speed 37.40 and it rode like a champ in moderate chop. Very impressed with this boat.
 
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Wow, you broke 37.  That's impressive with a 115.  I don't recall a 115 posting that kind of speed on this forum before.

Maybe I missed it, but what prop size are you running?
 
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I wonder what you'd get with a 150...
 
Nice boat. I'm not convinced the person that set up your trailer knows what they are doing. Check your tongue weight and be sure it is correct. That's a lot of tongue out in front of the boat and I'm not sure why. I'm not convinced the axles are placed properly, either.

Might be a good idea to get a second opinion. Is the factory nearby? I'd be tempted to send some photos and get their input.
 
kaydano said:
I wonder what you'd get with a 150...
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My dealer has a leftover '15 with this hull and a Merc 150. I've tried to stay away from it because I don't want to be tempted by an S-series boat since I have an R-series. Nothing against the S boats.....
 
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kaydano said:
Wow, you broke 37.  That's impressive with a 115.  I don't recall a 115 posting that kind of speed on this forum before.

Maybe I missed it, but what prop size are you running?
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I am not sure exactly what the specs are for the prop, I will check and let you know.

goldnrod24 said:
Nice boat. I'm not convinced the person that set up your trailer knows what they are doing. Check your tongue weight and be sure it is correct. That's a lot of tongue out in front of the boat and I'm not sure why. I'm not convinced the axles are placed properly, either.

Might be a good idea to get a second opinion. Is the factory nearby? I'd be tempted to send some photos and get their input.
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The trailer is made by continental and according to their site is good for 21-24ft pontoon boats. It loads and pulls good, but then again my f250 doesn't really ever know anything is back behind it. I will look into getting a tongue weight. I assumed when they ordered the trailer it would have the little short and fat wheels with 10 inch rim on it, but it came with 13's and a regular trailer tire. To me it looks like a regular boat trailer with some cross beams bolted to it to accommodate the pontoons. I know I need to get a different hitch I think my drop hitch is a bit too low.
 
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Just wanted to update you guys. So far we have about 15 hours on it, and every one of them has been great. I also learned real quick about pontoons and following seas.....My face when that wave came crashing over top of us must have been priceless....lesson learned lol

I tried to do some digging and figure out the prop specs and from what I've gathered its just the Yamaha stainless 13 pitch. Not sure how to verify that, but my readings mirror their performance bulletins for my boat/setup http://yamahaoutboards.com/sites/default/files/bulletins/BNT_22SSX_F115LB_2014-10-28_PNT.pdf

As far as the trailer, I haven't figured out where to get a tongue weight but I do think the boat could use to go back a couple inches. Next time its in the water I plan on loosening the 6 bolts and sliding that bumper back a little bit until it looks right.

I did add some interior lighting which really sets it off, and I will be adding the blue lights under the deck probably in the next week or two.



 
Had the boat now for a few months....still love it, hopefully we can get out more now that summer time is here. I did have a mishap on Thursday just before the holiday weekend. Took the family on the water just cruising around and all the sudden felt like the prop fell off. Killed the motor raised it up and everything looked good. Started it back up, put it in gear and started moving. Throttled it up and the prop began slipping, ended up with a spun hub.


Took it into the dealer this morning and they are unsure if spun hubs are covered under warranty, they told me they'd have to call Yamaha to find out. There is absolutely zero damage to the motor or prop, the boat has 39 hours on it and apparently they have never run into this issue before on a new boat. Has this happened to anyone else or is it because my wife brought a banana with her? Once I get and answer I will update you guys incase this hasn't happened to anyone else.
 
Sorry to hear that happened but it's better to be a hub, not a propshaft or worse. They're cheap to replace (<$50). I doubt it would be covered by warranty as it's not defective, designed to break if it hits something. It doesn't matter whether new or old, it's more about the circumstances.
 
Definitely didn't hit anything and I know its a wear and tear item, just stinks that it happened on such a new boat. I baby this thing, it gets used in saltwater so it gets washed and flushed inside and out after every trip. I'm lucky we were only about 20 minutes into the ride before it crapped out. We ended up making a nice day out of it since I could still move at idle speed, then again its a pontoon going its designed speed lol. I guess I will find out in a couple days what is going to happen. Til then I have a lovely lawn ornament to look at for a week or so.  
 
If its the hub ,it can replaced in a matter of minutes 
 
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