1. Use the full 4 digit year for everything you are asking your question about. Example: 1962, 1988, 2000, 2011
2. Include the correct name of your Whaler model. Example: Montauk 17, Montauk 170, Outrage 26, Outrage 260
3. Include the length when necessary. Example: 16, 17, 18, 20, 22
4. Do not post your email address anywhere on this site as it is already in your user profile.

motor / prop combo
SeaLevel	#1  Posted on 05/27/10 - 7:32 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 193 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/03/09	Hi guys, I have a 1970 16'7" smirkless custom that has a 1994 Merc 90 HP OB. It has a Quicksilver LaserII prop 48 16992 A40 22P. It measures 6-3/4" center of shaft to blade tip. I am guessing that is considered a 14" dia. Does that sound right to you guys? I have never even seen a 22" pitch mentioned on this site. I use this boat to fish the Delaware river in the Florence/Burlington NJ area. The boat feels good to me. It planes fairly quickly. High speed is not an issue although the boat "flies" when you open the throttle. I usually just get on plane and give it a little more to get where I'm going. I have no GPS or speedometer and have no way to tell PRM's. I travel at what feels to me like mid range. I have no intentions of changing anything as I am happy with the way the boat performs and the fuel economy. I was just wondering if a 22" pitch sounds right for this rig. The motor is set in the top hole which seems a little low in the water to me. It measures 15-1/4" from the bottom of the cowl to the bottom of the cavitation plate (with the fin). I don't know if that is a short or long shaft. Am I OK or am I riding around in a total missfit? "It's just a forty eight year old Whaler but it's all mine" Joseph R Palmieri
Tom W Clark	#2  Posted on 05/27/10 - 8:47 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	6-3/4 x 2 = 13-1/2. 22" is too much pitch. That boat/motor combo does best with the 13-1/4" x 20" Laser II. It is important that your WOT RPM be at or near 5500 RPM.
Tom W Clark	#3  Posted on 05/27/10 - 8:48 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	The motor should be raised at least one bolt hole if not two.
SeaLevel	#4  Posted on 05/28/10 - 4:31 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 193 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/03/09	Thanks for the info Tom. Would the increase in performance of a 2" pitch change be worth the expense? "It's just a forty eight year old Whaler but it's all mine" Joseph R Palmieri
awayland	#5  Posted on 05/28/10 - 6:46 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 160 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/30/09	I have a 1999 90hp Merc with the Mercury Lightspeed in the 13-1/4" x 20" on mine and get 5500 rpm & 42mph. My motor is all the way down on the bolt holes.
Tom W Clark	#6  Posted on 05/28/10 - 7:31 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	Yes, of course I think it would be worth the performance gains but more importantly, it will be worth the health of your motor. One of the worst things you can do to a Mercury two stroke is lug it by over-propping it. This is why it is so important to always have a tachometer and to test at WOT even if top speed is irrelevant to you.
Tom W Clark	#7  Posted on 05/28/10 - 7:32 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	awayland -- You should raise your motor.
awayland	#8  Posted on 05/28/10 - 9:41 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 160 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/30/09	Tom, my RPMs are right on, what will that do for me at this point?
Tom W Clark	#9  Posted on 05/28/10 - 10:50 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	It will gain you some speed, reduce your steering effort, minimize the bow rise during acceleration and improve your fuel economy. But other than that, not much.
arthureld	#10  Posted on 05/28/10 - 11:54 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 735 Comments: 7 Joined: 02/15/07	hehe
awayland	#11  Posted on 06/01/10 - 10:34 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 160 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/30/09	Thanks Tom, I needed another project. More speed will be fun for the long run out the river and it will be great to reduce the size of my popeye arms, My son is just starting to build his up. The bow rise doesn't seem to bad now and 33 gallons of fuel seem to last quite a while. The person who installed my motor used 4 lag bolts for the lower holes. And 2 through bolts on the upper. If I move it up I'll have to seal the holes for the lowest set of lag bolts i'm sure it only needs 2 not 4. Would you go up one or two holes?
Tom W Clark	#12  Posted on 06/01/10 - 3:06 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	There was never any reason to use four lags. Two would have sufficed. Move your motor up two bolt holes, The lightspeed will like that. If you do that you can drill through into the splashwell and use bolts with nuts and washers instead of lags.