Max Speed Issues

bushway9172

bushway9172

New Member
Apr 11, 2009
490
Cape Cod, MA
Boat Info
270 Select EX 2009
Engines
496 Mag DTS
375 Horsepower
Bravo III
Hey everyone.

We just purchased a brand new 2009 270 Select EX with a 496MAG 375HP engine.

We've had it out quite a few times in the month that we've had it so far. The mechanic at Sea Ray that gave us the demo on it when we bought it, said that he got it up to 59mph easily.

I was on flat calm water the other day and it seemed to max out at about 43mph.

I didn't have enough time to fiddle with the controls to see if I could get it going faster, but I don't imagine that the trim tabs lowering the bow a bit could achieve an extra 16mph. The engine was trimmed properly as well.

What could be the problem?
 
I have took a few of these for a ride but only in the low 50's. you have to make sure your trim tabs are all the way up and also that the trim is set right. That motor is probably a DTS motor. So you have to se the trim limit with a computer. The two I ran from the factory were set too low and ran in the high 40's until I reset it.
 
Okay great. Thanks for your help, and it is a DTS system.
You clearly know what I'm talking about.

So can you tell me what you mean though about setting a trim limit, etc.
Thanks.
 
Did he take it out solo (yes) and empty weight? Probably. Did you do the same? That will not make up for the total difference, but it does make a difference.
 
Hampton said:
Did he take it out solo (yes) and empty weight? Probably. Did you do the same? That will not make up for the total difference, but it does make a difference.
Click to expand...
I have tried it with two people, and with four... Not a noticeable difference,
so it must have to do with something else.

Should I have the bow down more with the trim tabs? How high should I raise the stern drive when going that speed?
 
if you know how you set the trim limit on all other motors other then your dts, you can throw that out the window. If you look at where your trim senders come thru the transom assy and into the bilge actually only 1 is being used. they have the trim limit just tied up in the bilge. If you look on the outside of the boat on the port sender you will see that is it a 3 wire sender now. So now with the DTS motor the trim sender runs into the wiring harness of the motor just like the old one but the computer controls when the limit is on and off. You will see on your boat you only have a up and down switch. ( no trailer switch). what happens is when you are on plane putting a load on the motor thats when the limit knows when to stop the motor from going to high but From the factory they are supposed to have the labtop hooked up to the motor and set when the motor is at max trim and lock it into the settings. ( its a pain in the butt). if you are going slow say at about 1200 rpm in gear you can trim the drive all the way up. What you should do is when you take your boat for a ride next time make sure tabs are all the way up and run wot then trim to max trim. If you know boats and you think the drive could come up more to gain more speed and won't cavitate then you need someone to adjust it. One trick you can do is when you are running wot trimmed up, hold trim up and pull back throttlequick for 1-2 seconds and drive will trim up some ( you can see it on the trim gauge with numbers moving up a few) after you do that smack the throttle wot again and see if the trim is to high now, if it is trim down a little till it grabs back in if it is good you will see your speed start creeping up. You can keep doing this until you reach the most speed you get. remember after you pull back and trim some keep it wot for some tme to see if you gained. (like 10-15 sec.) try to use gps speed. ita more accurate
 
flflatrate said:
I have took a few of these for a ride but only in the low 50's. you have to make sure your trim tabs are all the way up and also that the trim is set right. That motor is probably a DTS motor. So you have to se the trim limit with a computer. The two I ran from the factory were set too low and ran in the high 40's until I reset it.
Click to expand...

flflatrate said:
keep trimming up until you see your gps speed start dropping. then trim down a little
Click to expand...

Okay thanks.
So in more basic terms on my trim gauge...
How high is too high for 40+mph driving? About 1/4 up? 1/2 up?
 
keep trimming a little at a time and watch your mph go up. Keep going until you see the speed start dropping some and you know to trim down a little. Some boats you might go past 1/2 if the dts trim is set rite. but you never know who set it up. most people don't know how
 
flflatrate said:
keep trimming a little at a time and watch your mph go up. Keep going until you see the speed start dropping some and you know to trim down a little. Some boats you might go past 1/2 if the dts trim is set rite. but you never know who set it up. most people don't know how
Click to expand...

Okay,
Thanks.

Good to know, because typically, upon getting up on plane,
I trim it VERY slightly. I will be a little more relaxed on that next time. Do you think that will get me up 10+ mph?!

Also, how should the trim tabs be? Should the bow be down or up?
 
before on plane have outdrive all the way down. I usually leave the trim tabs all the way up. then acellerate to on plane to like 30 mph you can trim up now. if you are just cruising around just use a little trim so you don't make the boat porpose ( bow bounce) . If you have some people on the boat and the boat is listing then use the trim tabs to level the boat off. If you want to run full speed, after getting on plane then nail it and trim slowly until you loose speed. remember after you trim a little wait to watch your speed for a few seconds then trim a little again. after a while you will get the feel of it.
Where di you buy the boat? If the mechanic said he got 59, Ask him to take you for a ride and show you. I bet you it doesn't I would say 52-54
 
Also, if the boat begins to porpoise, it is trimmed up too far. This is a Bravo III, right?

Standard procedure:

Start with trim tabs up all of the way (bow up).
Start with outdrive trimmed all of the way down.
Push throttle up a moderate amount to get up on plane - at least 25 mph, but not too fast.
Trim outdrive up and watch nose come up and boat begin to accelerate.
Once on plane, if the port side is riding high, push the port trim tab nose down to level it.
If the stbd side is riding high, push the stbd trim tab nose down to level it.
Now you are ready to push it up. Push the power up and trim the outdrive up and down to get the feel. Down pushes the nose down and plows through the water - boat slows. Up trims the nose up and allows the boat to plane out more. Too much, and the nose will track up beyond its limit, then fall down into the water, then track up too much, then fall (porpoising). Another indication of too much up is the boat slowing down. Another indication is if the props cavitate (right? - it's been a while now). Cavitation is when the props slip in gases under water and the engine revs up - like spinning the wheels.
 
flflatrate said:
Where did you buy the boat? If the mechanic said he got 59, Ask him to take you for a ride and show you. I bet you it doesn't I would say 52-54
Click to expand...

Amen.

The fish are always bigger when they get away, and the speed always faster without a GPS in hand.

I can't believe how much people lie about their speeds - especially salesman.
 
Last edited:
Hampton said:
Also, if the boat begins to porpoise, it is trimmed up too far. This is a Bravo III, right?

Standard procedure:

Start with trim tabs up all of the way (bow up).
Start with outdrive trimmed all of the way down.
Push throttle up a moderate amount to get up on plane - at least 25 mph, but not too fast.
Trim outdrive up and watch nose come up and boat begin to accelerate.
Once on plane, if the port side is riding high, push the port trim tab nose down to level it.
If the stbd side is riding high, push the stbd trim tab nose down to level it.
Now you are ready to push it up. Push the power up and trim the outdrive up and down to get the feel. Down pushes the nose down and plows through the water - boat slows. Up trims the nose up and allows the boat to plane out more. Too much, and the nose will track up beyond its limit, then fall down into the water, then track up too much, then fall (porpoising). Another indication of too much up is the boat slowing down. Another indication is if the props cavitate (right? - it's been a while now). Cavitation is when the props slip in gases under water and the engine revs up - like spinning the wheels.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much.
Helps a ton.
I'll try this out once the weather clears up here...
not a boating day today.
 
Speed?? You shoulda went with the Pachanga......

Also, it does not sound like you are breaking your "new" motor in like you should be.
 
Are you taking the speed from the speedo or GPS?

I have hit 58 on the GPS once. Just me and one passenger, about 10 gallons of fuel and no water. The boat was full of gear (skis, wake boards, saftey equipment, etc.), the weather was perfect with no wind and the lake was glass.

Typical top speed with full fuel and the family on board and typical chop is about 54. I have found trimming past 5 on Smart Craft (half way on the trim gage) is the max before it becomes counter productive. Optimal for speed on our boat is 4. Even at half throttle, your boat should jump onto plane with the drive trimmed all the way down. I have found that I don't need the tabs for weight distribution until there are more than six (normal sized) people on the boat. I really only use the tabs in a cross wind or when pulling a knee or wake boarder.
 
Okay thanks Tim.
I have the 43mph reading from the GPS.
I'm gonna have to try to trim up to the "4" level next time.

R-moss,
We are perfectly happy with the Select EX model. We have been looking at these for the past few years. The Pachanga does not meet our needs.

Thanks again.
 
bushway9172 said:
Okay thanks Tim.
I have the 43mph reading from the GPS.
I'm gonna have to try to trim up to the "4" level next time.

R-moss,
We are perfectly happy with the Select EX model. We have been looking at these for the past few years. The Pachanga does not meet our needs.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Two other thoughts, because I don't think I get an addtional 11 MPH just out of trimming the drive (I'll be on the boat this weekend for the first time in 7 months, so I don't really remember). What RPMs are you getting at WOT? You should get 4,700 - 4,800. Second, are your bottom and running gear free from growth?
 
Just be sure to break your engine in properly. Its fine to check your top speed, but dont run it that high yet, or so I have been told and taught. For the first almost 20 hours, we just varied the throttle between low and mid speeds, with a rare pop into the WOT speed.

Im not sure how important it is to wear the engine in properly, but I did it :huh:
 
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