Our family just got a 185 sport. I have a couple questions

The boat is a 2010 185 sport, 190hp 4.3l. The original owner changed the stock 14.25 diam. 21pitch 3 blade prop for a Revolution 4 14-5/8 diam. 19 pitch SS 4 blade prop. I poked around on here a little and it sounds like the this diameter and pitch is a pretty good fit for this boat. Are Revolution 4 props good?

I am researching automatic trim tab controls, I have a question on the Lenco Auto Glide. Does anyone know if it retracts the trim tabs when the engine shut off like the Bennett Auto Trim Pro, and Mente ACS do. I can't find anywhere where it says it does this, only that it retracts them when reversing.

Sorry, I dont have an answer to your question but I did purchase a Bennett trim tab system for my 195BR but could never bring myself to putting holes in the transom, if you are interested let me know.

Mods if this post is inappropriate please let me know and I'll edit or delete it thanks.

The 4 blade prop will give you a better hole shot but most likely will cost a few mph at the top end. Stainless steel is good as long as you have deep water and will rarely hit anything. If you have a prop strike with an aluminum prop, the prop takes more of the beating because it is a softer metal. With Stainless it is more likely to damage the lower unit.

Overall, I think Stainless 4 blade is preferred if you have deep water and want to do an tow sports.

I can't answer the trim tab question, maybe call the manufacturer direct?

Congratulations on a great new boat!

Josh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Revolution is a fine prop, you're good there. What is your WOT RPM with a light load (trimmed as high as you can realistically go)?

How long have you had the boat and how much run time do you have on it? The reason I ask is that the 185, with a V6 (came standard with a 4cyl) is a VERY quick planing boat. It's not like a hull from years past. If you haven't had it long, I would very much suggest you get some hours on it before considering a costly investment.

sibnai1 said:

Sorry, I dont have an answer to your question but I did purchase a Bennett trim tab system for my 195BR but could never bring myself to putting holes in the transom, if you are interested let me know.

Mods if this post is inappropriate please let me know and I'll edit or delete it thanks.

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Where in Jersey are you? I might be interested.

I can't speak to the 4 blade propeller, I run the aluminum 21Px14.25 propeller mostly (47mph, 4800rpm WOT) and have a 23Px14 as a spare (50mph, 4600rpm WOT). As far as tabs, I have never felt the need, like Dennis said, with the 4.3 that boat has plenty of power. I think traditional electric or hydraulic tabs would be overkill and I am not a fan of the smart tabs.

Otherwise, I have found the 185 to be rock solid and really acts like a bigger boat.

I guess I should have worded my original post differently. We just bought the boat, haven't picked it up yet, waiting for the lean release and title to come back. I don't know WOT Rpms yet. I was only asking about the prop because I didn't know if the Revolution 4 was a good brand , since I posted I found out it's one of Mercury Marines own line of props. And from what I've read about them are are a good quality prop. Before we buy trim tabs I will take the boat out and see how much bow rise there is when we take off and if it porposes. I'm just doing homework ahead of time. Gotta have something to do until we get the boat. I know some people don't like automatic tabs but to me it seems like one less thing to pay attention to when I'm on the water, I know the Lenco Auto Glide is a lot more than the Bennett Auto Trim Pro but if it really monitors the boat as well as it claims and keeps it at the right trim all the time it should save fuel and make for a really nice riding boat. if we get them and decide we don't like them we can always sell them. If the Auto glide doesn't raise the tabs when you shut the engine off I will probably go the the Auto Trim Pro. Thanks for the replies

There is VERY little bow rise with that particular 185. Bill's 185 is VERY nice... your hull design is designed even more for watersports and a quick time to plane. The boat requires very little trim up, as well, once you're going. I'm all for mods, but I think you'd be wasting a good chunk of money here and, honestly, it's not going to save you any money in the long run due to fuel savings. The minute fuel savings vs the initial cost doesn't work out favorably. Just food for thought.

I agree with the posters above – I think any type of trim tab would be total overkill on the 185. Mine is a 3.0 (not a 4.3 fan here) and even with five people it's on plane in a matter of seconds, and the horizon never goes invisible over the windshield. By myself it damn near jumps out of the water. I have a 14.25x17 Michigan Apollo XHS stainless prop - I don't have a lot of high-end speed, but It's a monster out of the hole. I've also never had it propose once and I tend to run higher trim levels.

If this helps you decide, take a look at this video of mine below. It's from a seated position and I roll on the throttle rather than giving at WOT and look how flat it comes up. Note that my trim isn't down either. Ignore the tachometer because it was set incorrectly for a six cylinder by the marina so it was reading high – mine will pull to about 4900 completely unloaded and right to 4800 with 4 on board.

https://youtu.be/Upp2AFqVWZk

In the video below I give it hell with the trim all the way down and you'll see what the 3.0 can do in this boat. The 4.3 has more weight in the back but the power makes up for it.

https://youtu.be/0D-DuB_VeYs

seanmclean said:

Where in Jersey are you? I might be interested.

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Flemington, NJ send me a pm if interested

Thanks for the videos, I see what you mean about the bow not rising much at all. Once we get the boat in the water and see how it acts my son in law and I will make a decision on getting tabs or not. i'll show him the videos when i get a chance.

We put the boat in the water at Spring Mountain Ski Ranch, a small manmade ski lake last weekend. The lake is U-shaped 250 feet wide, the legs of the U are 2400 feet long, and there are docks along both sides of the legs and slalom bouys down the middle of each leg. It was a good spot for us to try it out because nobody was around to get annoyed at us taking an hour to get the trailer backed into the water, and no other boaters to worry about. We really did't get a chance to hold the boat wide open because of the narrowness and length,nobody was that confident yet, but I think we will be very happy with the revolution 4 prop when we do get it on a big lake. The boat comes out of the hole and planes off very quickly. Next time out we are going to try OEM prop back to back with the Rev 4, that will give everyone a chance to learn how to change the prop out as well. The boat handles, planes, and rides very well we are going to wait on trim tabs for now. Maybe we will get a chance to ride in a 185 that has tabs before we decide on them. There were a few problems but nothing really major. Once we got the boat in the water the battery was dead and we luckily had 2 sets of jumper cables we hooked together and jumped it off the truck. The boat had been in storage for quite awhile and battery just lost charge, it started every time after that. The gas gauge would not register right away when the engine was started but after driving around awhile it would come up, and the depth gauge didn't work at all. We took the boat to the dealer Monday and they are checking it out, They called yesterday and told us the battery and charging system checked out good once the battery had a full charge. The Tank sending unit needs to be replace $85 installed and the depth gauge needs to be replaced $353 installed The dealer recommended a Hummingbird gauge fits in factory location and includes air and water temp. they are going to check the whole boat over so we know exactly where we are at with it while it's there. should have it back in a couple weeks, they are backed up right now.

Good to see the update and glad the new boat is working out. You need a dept finder and will enjoy one with air and water temp. I put the basic Hummingbird on mine when I bought it 10yrs ago, still works fine, wish I had the air and water temp. Fuel sender was probably gummed up from sitting in storage, probably a good move to just let the dealer replace it so it is right from the start.

Get the boat back today. $764.28 thats for new fuel sending unit, new depth gauge, oil and filter change, complete checkover of the boat, and 10 gallons of gas. The old sending unit when it worked said we had 1/2 tank of gas. Service tech said when he went to check the new sending unit was working the needle didn't even move when he turned the key. He said there wasn't even a gallon of gas in it, so 10 gallons of gas is added to the bill $30.00. All in all, not outrageous. Yes, I could have done it all myself for less than half the price, but if there were any problems I would have to fix it, and it's 110 out so that makes is a big difference. Let someone else play in the heat, and now both us and the dealer have a good reference point for the condition of the boat.

I have a couple questions someone here may be able to answer. I haven't had time to look it over but how do you get access to the back of the helm in case I want of add anything, there must be an access panel somewhere? I would also like to know where I could get a shop manual for the boat and how much it would be if anyone knows.

Access to the back of the helm is primarily through the hole on the bottom. If you need more access, remove the gauge panel.

There is no "shop" manual for the boat. Your owner's manual will have lot's of info in it, along with excellent wiring schematics. You can buy a service manual for the engine and drive, though, through Merc's website - probably ebay and other online places, too.