1997 175 Bowrider Bogs Down

[Joshw]

New to the forum and new to the motor boating world. I purchased a 1997 175 Bowrider about a month ago with the 3.0L 135hp mercruiser engine and 3 blade 19 pitch prop. The weather finally turned nice this weekend so we took it out on the lake yesterday. Started the boat up and it took a couple of turns of the key to get it to fire up and once it fired up the engine loped a bit so I gave it some throttle and then it smoothed out. At WOT it kind of falls flat as it'll only get up to about 30 mph then drop down to about 25 and hold steady...feels almost like I am dragging something behind the boat. There is also some hesitation when accelerating. I am thinking it has something to do with the fuel so..carb? fuel pump? Any pointers or other things to look at? I appreciate the help.


Thanks, Josh

 

[Scottbenson]

Fuel filter clogged and not allowing full fuel flow?

Prop in good condition without bent blades or major damage?

The trim button on the throttle lever make a huge difference in top speed. Generally I have to give full down trim until I get up to about 30 mph then I can bring the trim about up to the mid way position if the water is fairly smooth. This alons will add about 5 mph +.

Lastly, do you have too much weight in the rear of the boat? People love to ride in the back, but this boat need some weight up front especially if you have more than two people in the boat. I have basically the same boat and I can do about 39 mph with two people with the drive trimmed for max speed. You should be doing approx. 4800 rpm at top speed.

 

[Joshw]

Instead of tearing into something I really know nothing about I decided to take it back to the dealer where I bought it from and low and behold the previous owner had the fuel filter where the fuel line enters the carburator installed backwards. Simple fix and I guess I should of pulled that off to look but I didn't. So they put the fuel filter on properly and that seemed to cure the problem. They were surprised that it ran as good as it did for me when we took it out for the first time. They are currently taking it out for a lake test to see if that solved the problem. Thanks for the suggestions.

Josh