Confused owner 1995 SeaRay 195 BR 5 series

sibnai1

Member
Jul 18, 2014
287
NJ, USA
Boat Info
195 Bow Rider 5 Series
Engines
4.3litre V6 I/O Alpha I Gen II
ok, I'm confused, when I first start out and give the boat throttle the bow comes up really high and the boat does not appear to go really fast, when I trim the motor the bow drops and the speed picks up without any additional throttle input. I thought the bow up attitude of the boat was desirable for faster speed??

Here goes the loaded question, I need a new prop, the aluminum one that I have is pretty beat up (it has clearly lost many rock battles with the, ahem, prior owner at the helm, I've only taken it out twice).

The literature I was able to download shows:

1) o.e.m. prop is aluminum 13.75 X 21`
2) Alpha 1 outdrive 1.84 : 1 ratio,
3) Mercruiser 4.3litre V6 I'm guessing 160hp version (there was a 180hp version)
4) 4400 - 4800 rpm WOT, she can reach WOT RPM range according to the Faria Tach
5) speed according to Faria Speedo (Garmin verified) was only approx. 36mph.
6) boat length 20' 2"
7) Beam 7' 7"
8) Dry weight 2350 lbs
9) fuel capacity 27gallons ( it was full)
10) deadrise 15`
11) 1 full size male 1 full size female

I am looking for overall performance

Mercruiser website says 14 X 23`Vengence but that website only list boats from 2000 and newer, so it may be "off"

Any input would be appreciated!!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (for novices lke me)

What I learned: even if the dock is lined with tires, one should still use bumpers, I almost lost my SeaRay emblem and I also have to spend time buffing black tire scuff marks off of her argh!!!!!
 
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Well, a stainless steel prop will get you better overall performance. I would get a 14x19 pitch. You should be turning 4800rpm WOT, and maybe get 42-45 mph, if the motor is tuned properly, and you are not water logged.
 
Agree on going with SS prop. Just keep in mind they are less forgiving on impact with something and transfer more of the impact to the lower unit. Know the depths of the water you are in.

Regarding bow up high going slow. When first getting going that is normal until the boat gets "On Plane" that is when the bow drops and it really picks up speed. Then from there you can trim the bow up slowly by trimming up to increase speed and fuel efficiency.
I typically start out trimmed full down till on plane then trim up slowly. When I hear change in engine pitch I know have trimmed too far up and I back it down slightly.

Hope this helps,
 
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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (for novices lke me)

What I learned: even if the dock is lined with tires, one should still use bumpers...

They are fenders, not bumpers. They are only called "bumpers" if the are dangling on the side of your boat as you power up the lake.

Good luck with your issues, hopefully this bump will help.

MM
 
thanks for the tip on the bumpers







luF
 
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Well, a stainless steel prop will get you better overall performance. I would get a 14x19 pitch. You should be turning 4800rpm WOT, and maybe get 42-45 mph, if the motor is tuned properly, and you are not water logged.

thanks for the advice
 
Agree on going with SS prop. Just keep in mind they are less forgiving on impact with something and transfer more of the impact to the lower unit. Know the depths of the water you are in.

Regarding bow up high going slow. When first getting going that is normal until the boat gets "On Plane" that is when the bow drops and it really picks up speed. Then from there you can trim the bow up slowly by trimming up to increase speed and fuel efficiency.
I typically start out trimmed full down till on plane then trim up slowly. When I hear change in engine pitch I know have trimmed too far up and I back it down slightly.

Hope this helps,

thanks for the advice
 
When the bow is pointing way up and you haven't trimmed your motor, the forces at work are such that you are trying to launch the boat into the air, which is not within the design spec, and thus it is slow. Don't gun the throttle like a drag-car (it's not an on/off switch), give it a steady increase over time, adjusting trim as your speed increases. Practice to find the right balance and you will end up with a nice transition between plowing water and planing on top of it, without trying to launch the boat into space.
 
oops, that sounds like exactly what I was doing, thank you kind sir, most humbly your young paduwan learner
 
thanks for the advice

please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've read (bad habit of mine) dropping to a 19` prop will make the 4.3Litre turn 200 - 300 RPM higher and since I can currently get the RPMs up to 4800 with my current set up that would be a bad thing, right??
 
If your prop is all bent like you discribe it wont spin to full rpm. you should be feeling vibrations in the boat like how it is when the timing is off on a car
 
That is correct is you are comparing 2 perfectly new props. You said you prop is beat up. So yiou can be turning 4800 rpm but not getting the real effect of 4800 rpm. I have had that boat, and I was using a 19p ss. Best to buy local with a exchange policy.
 
If your prop is all bent like you discribe it wont spin to full rpm. you should be feeling vibrations in the boat like how it is when the timing is off on a car


I'm not experiencing any major vibes but it could be that the broad smile on my face is masking the vibes (unlikely but one never knows)
 
That is correct is you are comparing 2 perfectly new props. You said you prop is beat up. So yiou can be turning 4800 rpm but not getting the real effect of 4800 rpm. I have had that boat, and I was using a 19p ss. Best to buy local with a exchange policy.


great advice thanks!
 
so, I went out on Lake Hopatcong yesterday and it was absolutely beautiful, the boat performed well and the weather was cool but that meant the lake traffic was pretty much none existent.

1) On the way back to the loading dock my trim started acting up but I was able to trailer trim her all the way up while waiting to load up before putting her on the trailer, so I have to look at that, I'm hoping it has something to do with all the grass that I picked up, but probably wishful thinking.

2) The speedo also stopped working but I saw the youtube on how to clean out the orifice so I will do that today, hopefully a victim of grass

3) Today, I was able to score a 14 X 19P used aluminum prop (the original is 13.75 X 21P) so I'm gonna swap out my beat up prop and see how she goes.
 
Sounds like you need to be in deeper water with the shape your prop is in and the grass comments. if i were you i would stay away from stainless as with your previous damage you would be fixing the lower unit. good luck.
 
Sounds like you need to be in deeper water with the shape your prop is in and the grass comments. if i were you i would stay away from stainless as with your previous damage you would be fixing the lower unit. good luck.

agreed, I'm gonna stay far away from the SS props for now
 
We followed a 30 foot powerboat out of the no wake zone yesterday and as soon as the boat cleared the first mate put the hammer down hard. The bow came straight up and the engine went WOT. The bow dropped with the engine still WOT but no speed. The captain yanked the boy out of the seat and throttled back but it was to late. The captain idled back to the dock with a spun prop. He must have done this before because he had a spare, Boat are not like cars. A car will loose its torque through tire spin. Props won't loose torque, they just grab more water which can spin props or kill outdrives.
 
1) On the way back to the loading dock my trim started acting up but I was able to trailer trim her all the way up while waiting to load up before putting her on the trailer, so I have to look at that, I'm hoping it has something to do with all the grass that I picked up, but probably wishful thinking.

What do you mean by "trim started acting up"? Was the trim gauge bouncing around, or was the trim not responding when you tried to make adjustments?
 
What do you mean by "trim started acting up"? Was the trim gauge bouncing around, or was the trim not responding when you tried to make adjustments?

the gauge wasn't bouncing around it (the gauge and the boat itself) was just not responding to any input from the trim button (the trim pump was working as I could hear it when I pressed the trim button), however, we went out on the lake yesterday and after cleaning out the grass, she performed flawlessly, speedo and trim button (the trim gauge kinda stays in the middle no matter what position the "leg" is in), my brother even tried his hand at skiing and I was able to pull him up without any problems and he is approx. 200lbs and I had 4 other people in the boat with me, I luv my SeaRay

PS I did not put on my new used prop as yet but I will need to before my next outing, please don't ask
 
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