underpowered and frustrated

I can be an a-hole at times. I admit it... I had a "dog whisperer" come talk to my Golden Retriever last month because it won't stop digging up the shrubs and she said the dog is doing it because I'm an a-hole sometimes. She dug up a shrub yesterday. Sorta a barometer if you will.

I think some others here said it well. Putting props on boats is always an engineering compromise and stating your boat and you are "underpowered and frustrated" after some other dork complained he could never get into a 40 foot Sundancer because he's not used to going less than 40 mph made me wonder about what the heck people expect. I grew up boating on northern Lake Huron and I can't imagine a boat like these could get anywhere near 36 mph let alone 25 mph on a typical day (because of the seas).

Gas engines get their HP and torque at high RPMs and if you want a prop that loads up the engine properly through the RPM range, you are not going to get a lot of thrust at idle... I had a 380 DA and had to always "gas it" to spin it around... wasn't a bad thing... it's just what it was...

You don't want to overload your engines with "more bite" and bigger props if it prevents you from getting to WOT spec.. plus your performance will go down and your engines will not be happy. As trit21 says, throw some of your fat Canadian girlfriends in bikinis and some beer on the boat and see what it does (I paraphrased his remarks). Based on the published spec printed on Sea Ray's website, you should still be able to get to 5200. Sea Ray spends a lot of time making sure the props are right on the boats... I would have to be hard pressed to understand why an Internet forum "expert" would have more knowledge than Sea Ray or Mercruiser and tell you to get bigger props... Seriously... Call Sea Ray customer service and talk to them... they don't bite (similar to your props)... they are pretty friendly and will send you all kinds of performance data for your boat design.

Now comes the good part... if you want good performance at idle with props that "bite" and you don't want to "gas it," GET DIESELS!!!!
 
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I'm confused. Did someone recommend he put more bite in without consideration of all of the Sea Ray specs?
 
I feel that all boats initially handle like crap around the docks,but they all come around after about a year of docking them .My searay is the slowest to come around but i have yet to slam into anything ,just had to back out and take a different angle on the wind .My bayliner is an alpha 1 gen 2 so it is different altogeather,backup,go forward,backup,go forwards,you get the drift.My silverton 40 c would turn in circles in the fairway on command unless it was a 30mph wind .So i think practice would be the least expensive fix for the problem.I know if i dont stop full before turning im cooked and i do have to gas her a bit to beat the gusts.Although i do belive i am overproped by the po and am going to remedy that this winter .
 
Just a thought from out in left field: what is your idle rpm, in gear when warm? Would it be possible for your dealer to try bumping it up 100-200 rpm and see if the boat shifts harshly and/or reacts better when docking?
 
QUOTE:
When you split the shifter sticks is there a long lag before you pivot?

YES ON MY BOAT...I NEED A LITTLE
THROTTLE...
 
I owned a 320 and you are not going to get what you desire. The only way to make a 320 (or most gas engines in this size boat) is to use a little bit of throttle when trying to spin the boat. By just placing one in forward the other reverse, it moves but it takes time. In the wind or current, forget it, you need throttle.


BIG DITTO:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
The idle RPM of EFI engines is not adjustable unless you want to rewrite the maps and microcode on the ECU. V-drive Sundancers have prop pockets. It's well-known that prop pocket boats have reduced reverse effectiveness. When you combine the small props, modest engine torque of a gasoline engine, and prop pockets, you will generally end up with a boat this not very responsive at idle speed. Oh well! Thus, the captain either has to plan ahead or use throttles when the conditions warrant.

Generally I like the plan ahead and leave the engines at idle when I'm around the dock, but sometimes a little throttle is a good thing.

Best regards,
Frank
 
I'm hesitant to chime in....but what the he!!:grin: If you want the maximum perofrmance from your engines and props, but also want superior handleing, you are going to have to install CPP's. (Controlled Pitch Propllers) These truly are the only way to go. The systems will cost more than your boat is worth, but hey...I garantee you won't be b!tching when all is said and done! :thumbsup:
 
Now comes the good part... if you want good performance at idle with props that "bite" and you don't want to "gas it," GET DIESELS!!!!


This is what I did when I got tired of monkey f'ing with the gassers in my old boat. I spent more time in my old boat trying to "rev" the engines at just the right time in the wind....what a pita. Went for a ride on a diesel 380 DA in about 20 knots and no thrusters, all I kept thinking was WOW, this is boating. Got back to the dock and looked at the boat I own now. There is just no substitute for what diesels bring when docking IMO.

And I'm guessing we can all be a holes from time to time, at least that is what my wife tells me.
 
drawing a blank right now but forward idle is probably about 650 so there would be a little room......as I'm sure you know we need to stay below 1000 with this theory

Scott,

Mutual Fun wins the prize for the most posts for his first thread... I think this has gotten the most responses of any first time posters... I thought comment of shift the transmission at 1200 RPM was interesting... I only do that when I make a mistake... Not something I plan on trying but it was interesting... I liked Gary's last response, he is a real softy deep down inside, and he does have a lot of good info and humor...
 
QUOTE:::

I thought comment of shift the transmission at 1200 RPM was interesting... I only do that when I make a mistake.

That clunking noise is a real shaker upper...:smt021
 
I don't understand all the "I can't manage 4 levers while docking" talk... Can you all drive a manual transmission car? Heck... that requires 3 peddles operated with 2 feet, a steering wheel with your left hand and a stick shifter with your right hand.... all working harmoniously together....

4 levers on a boat, which don't require the use of your feet, seems a lot easier to me.

Don't try flying.... or running a backhoe...
 
I don't understand all the "I can't manage 4 levers while docking" talk... Can you all drive a manual transmission car? Heck... that requires 3 peddles operated with 2 feet, a steering wheel with your left hand and a stick shifter with your right hand.... all working harmoniously together....

4 levers on a boat seems a lot easier to me.

Don't try flying.


You always make me smile:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I don't understand all the "I can't manage 4 levers while docking" talk... Can you all drive a manual transmission car? Heck... that requires 3 peddles operated with 2 feet, a steering wheel with your left hand and a stick shifter with your right hand.... all working harmoniously together....

4 levers on a boat, which don't require the use of your feet, seems a lot easier to me.

Don't try flying.... or running a backhoe...

And do all that while texting !
 
Mutual,
If you take Gary's advice and contact Sea Ray Customer Service, ask them why the WOT spec dropped 200 rpm between between 2003 and 2004 for an identical prop spec for you engine boat combination. I asked a similar question of them about why they changed the prop spec on my boat between 2005 and 2006 and could not get a satisfactory answer. Also in 2006 they stopped publishing the WOT spec on the prop chart for my boat. They were responsive and polite but not helpful in my case which is why I ended up talking to the prop shop where I did get help. Hopefully you will have better luck than I did. My final suggestion is check the markings on your props when it is pulled for the winter to see if they are the same as the spec on the Sea Ray prop charts. Also, as I mentioned earlier, check the WOT spec that is on your engines to see if it agrees with the spec. In my case I had no engine spec other than the Mercruiser owner's manual and it did not agree with either the engine markings or what the prop shop had in their books.
 
I don't understand all the "I can't manage 4 levers while docking" talk... Can you all drive a manual transmission car? Heck... that requires 3 peddles operated with 2 feet, a steering wheel with your left hand and a stick shifter with your right hand.... all working harmoniously together....

4 levers on a boat, which don't require the use of your feet, seems a lot easier to me.

Don't try flying.... or running a backhoe...


Now wait a minute! I take my shoes off, sit in the helm chair and use my hands and feet on the peeerty levers!!!!:grin:
 

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