23/f-300

[Old'sCool]

Very nice!! And yes, we love pictures!

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by SeaSick

Motor rigged and now I am not so patently waiting for some decent weather to seatrial. The mechanic ran it for a short 15 minutes and reported 51 mph at 5400 rpm at wot burning 26 gph. The numbers should be better as he ran with the jack plate all the way down and I had them bolt the motor low enough on the plate so that the ventilation plate was even with the bottom of the boat. With the six inch setback I should be able to run the plate up at least two inches before it even starts to cavitate. Should pick up a couple hundred rpm along with a few mph. He didn't check fuel burn at cruise but 2 mpg at wot is pretty damn good for not even being trimmed out on the plate. Will 3mpg at cruise be possible as I had hoped? This is all with a 19p 3 blade Merc Mirage Plus, two people and half tank of fuel. No ice or beer on boat. I will correct that unloaded condition when I seatrial. He reports prop chatter is quite loud at idle speed in gear so a Yami SDS prop will be forthcoming. Will update with final thoughts and numbers after weather allows me to get it dialed in.
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I run an 11 inch plate and am at least 3" up from level. 5400 max sounds over propped but I wouldn't even consider that a fact until it was at least 1.5" up from level and tested. With that adjustment made I would be hunting a prop that is within less than 200 rpm from hitting max on a light load. When you get it right I'm willing to bet you get 50 knots on a light load and up to 3 mpg at a 30 kt cruise. Great choice..... more pics!

[Fr. Frank]

Originally Posted by kmoose

I run an 11 inch plate and am at least 3" up from level. 5400 max sounds over propped but I wouldn't even consider that a fact until it was at least 1.5" up from level and tested. With that adjustment made I would be hunting a prop that is within less than 200 rpm from hitting max on a light load. When you get it right I'm willing to bet you get 50 knots on a light load and up to 3 mpg at a 30 kt cruise. Great choice..... more pics!

always, Always, ALWAYS prop for Max of Max at Max.
Maximum limit of
Maximum rpm range at
Maximum gross loading.

For example: If your maximum rpm range is 5400-5800 rpms,
and your maximum vessel load (persons, motor, fuel, & gear) is 3180 lbs
(12 persons, 75 gallons, 350 lbs gear, 500 lb motor)
then you should be able to reach 5800 rpms with the full 3180 lbs loaded into your boat, properly trimmed and loaded.

You can add another "performance" propeller, but your primary prop should be able to do this. It's just good sense, people.

If something happens and you end up taking on water, your bilge pump fails, or you just need to really to be able to harness the torque and horsepower of your motor to get you back, you will NOT get back in a timely fashion if you're propped for performance.

Propping for Max of Max at Max can save your boat, it can save your motor, and it can save your life.

[HeadHunter]

Nice package, perfect engine for that 23'. 46K would be a reasonable top end target from a single 300. Should easily do a relaxed 24K cruise at 8-9 GPH.

[SeaSick]

Got to run the boat briefly last weekend. 3 people, about 110 gal of fuel, no ice or tackle. Mirage Plus is not the prop for this setup. Calculated slip at 26% at fast cruise and jack plate at 2" with 50" motor trim. Need more bite. Next up will be a 17p 4 blade Rev 4. Did see 3mpg but it was at 25mph cruise. That is about 10 mph slower than I want to cruise when running the bays or Intracoastal but it is about right for 3 to 4' in the GOM. One interesting note was that it got on plane quicker with the jackplate set at 2" than it did with the plate all the way down.


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WOT with 2" on the plate and 50% motor trim. A little water in the air:


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The stern does sit higher in the water than it did with the twin 150's. 200 lbs less on the transom made a lot of difference even with the 6" setback. Here is a pic of the boat when I purchased it with the old bottom paint on it. Waterline was at the worn off area just below the top of bottom paint.


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How she floats now:


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And another:


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One of the best modifications I made was to move the steering wheel to port side instead of the factory centered position. Now a second person can sit on the leaning post without constantly being in the way.


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Will be awhile before another update. I am in the process of removing the last of the bottom paint and replacing it with a gloss blue silicone impregnated super slick paint. Never did like ablative bottom paint on a trailered boat. Also adding center bunks to the trailer to help protect the new paint.


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[DonV]

Very, very sweet!!! I would love to have almost 3 mpg at cruising!! The 3800 @ 28 mph is very close to what I get, however no where near 2.7 mpg....more like 1.5. Great job!!!

[Old'sCool]

Yea that's really, really nice! You may want to talk to www.propgods.com about getting it right.

[kmoose]

The Rev 4 is a great prop and will give you lots of grip and stern lift. Keep us updated.

[Bigshrimpin]

The rev4 will be great with that setup. That prop likes to ride higher than the mirage plus. With that jack plate You should be able to get it dialed in. Congrats on a sweet ride and new motor.

[Tugboat2]

What is the name of that fancy paint you're putting on the bottom? I just removed all the bottom paint from my Formula 233 and the boat will be trailer kept, I was going to IP 2000 first but still not sure about the top coat. Nice boat BTW