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Just picked this up used. Engine is a 1992 Johnson 90HP, 20" shaft.

It is mounted all the way down, and with only the top two bolts(!) used. I suspect this is because the splash well is not deep enough, and lower bolts would be blind holes in this configuration? A quick check shows the AV plate is about 1/2" below the keel line.

Propeller is an aluminum Michigan Wheel that is pretty beat up from a rock strike, with some tip bending and a chunk missing (fortunately no damage to the lower end). There are no numbers on the prop relating to size that I can find.

Given the 16SL's propensity for porpoising, I'm pretty sure I need to move the engine up. One hole? Two? I think this would allow installation of lower bolts?

I have no idea on what to get for a replacement prop. With what's mounted I see about 5200 rpm at WOT, but who knows how accurate that is given the state of the prop. I'll see if my dealer can help pick one, but if not I suppose I can start with an aluminum prop in good shape. Suggestions?

John K.

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John -

For the porposing take a look at this thread. You may want to get fellow 16SL owner JimmyRinaldi's input.

http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/vi...post_40546

Here is a long thread with many interesting tidbits:
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum8/...02120.html

I would suggest raising the motor two holes so the top bolts are in the third hole when counting down from the top.

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Phil -

Yes, I had seen that and have been thinking about the Smart Tabs. the only issue is that I have the swim platform on my boat, and I don't know if the tabs fit under it. I'll have to ask the mfr.

John

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Finally figured out what the pop is by finding the serial number under some over-paint. Looks like it's a 13-1/4 x 17, so that's what I'll start with.

John K.

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I can save you a lot of time...
Moving your engine will not help... the 16SL is a great fun boat but has a very heavy butt...

24 gallon aft tank (as u run out of fuel the bucking will stop...)
a 90hp weighs almost 300lbs
mine had 2 batteries in the back as well for another 50lbs...

all this weight on the back of a deep V hull 16fter with 90hp is too much..

Here is how to get a smooth ride...

Get some type of trim tabs. I have 60lb smarttabs XLs I had to move my swim platform... This is the main move u need to make... a hydrofoil with not help...

If u r good with wiring move your batteries to ur consoles. U will have to pull up the deck board that looks like a mirror image of the state of Oklahoma. All of the wires run right there to the starboard side of the aluminum tank. There is a run from the passenger console that is just big enough for smaller battery cables... I replaced my big marines with lighter weight smaller tractor batteries that fit in the consoles w/o removing them.

I can say now that Mandarina does not porpoise ever... I have had her at a steady 40mph although she cruises more comfortably at 30mph. I am toying with the idea of powering down to a 50hp...

I have just finished a bunch of work and as soon as I clean her up I will be posting new pics. Please feel free to contact me as I have done a lot of work on this model...

Good Luck ! Jimmy

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Jimmy, I almost sent you a PM--you must be psychic!

I'll probably move the engine anyway, just for efficiency's sake.

Fortunately I only have one battery. I was already thinking of putting it in console. I did something similar for my 13 Sport.

I really want the trim tabs, but I don't want to lose the platform as I have kids who do a lot of swimming and skiing on the boat. Is there a ladder you use as a replacement?

Looking forward to seeing the new pictures. Thanks!

John K.

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i moved it up by 3 inches...

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I forgot to add: If you're looking for less weight, look at the E-TEC 60, about 240 lbs. I love my 30 on my 13 Sport.

John K.

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Well, I finally got the time to get my engine raised. (I'll post some pics on my personal page...eventually.) I had to do it myself because my local marine shop was downright dismissive of the idea ("Engines on Whalers belong on the transom because of the hull design."). Quite easy after all, with the right tools and parts.

Since the engine had originally been mounted using the lower blind holes (I see that my first post in this thread was a bit mis-informed!), the most stressful part of remounting was figuring out where to drill the new holes and then drilling them at the correct angle--the usual concerns about the splashwell. But all came together in the end, and the engine now sits two holes up.

I stole some time to get out on the water and test it. Current prop is a standard OMC aluminum that I got to replace the chewed up Michigan Wheel. This brought WOT RPM down to about 47-4800, which I guess shows how much of the old prop was missing/bent! Also, in the meantime between the first post in this thread and remounting the engine I removed Doel Fins from the engine and added Smart Tabs to the hull. This seemed to bring up WOT RPM slightly but I can't swear to it. Anyway, with the new engine height I hit about 5300 RPM, with a seemingly better hole shot and better overall response.

I'd llike to take the next step to an upgraded prop. From what I can deduce through investigation my best options are a 13-7/8 x 17 BRP SST (#176572), or Viper of the same Size (#763930), or a 1-1/4 x 15 Stiletto Advantage. Sound about right?

John K.

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Did the boat still porpoise with the engine raised and before adding the trim tabs?

Where did you drill the lower holes according to this article?
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=82

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The engine came with Doel Fins attached, so the boat didn't porpoise, but I hated the Fins' effect and so put on the tabs. My next test is to temporarily remove the tabs (you can do that without removing the mounts) and see how the boat performs with the new engine height. (And I'll probably find I that with a higher engine an better prop I didn't need the tabs after all!)

That article was very helpful. I drilled the yellow holes, or pretty close to them. It was just far enough up from the bottom of the splashwell so that big washers could be used without modification, but not so far that I can't go down a hole if I need to.

I say "splashwell," but on the 16SL the lower bolts aren't really in the splashwell. They are in a small recess under a removable cover at the bottom of the splashwell. Because of this you have to insert the lower bolts from outside the hull into the recess. I don't know enough to know if these hidden lower bolts are a typical feature of non-classic whalers.

John K.

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I have 4 positions on my yammy. What hole height did you mount on ? How did you seal the old holes ? I would love to see some pics.

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Two 1/2 inch transom holes are a breeze to fix.

See this article:
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=62

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Top hole being 1, bottom hole being 4, I mounted in in hole 3.

I plugged the old holes using wooden plugs and West System 655 G-Flex. I didn't bother to gel coat because the outside is covered by the engine bracket while the inside are covered by the recess cover.

John K.

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Bolt in 3rd hole would be mounted 2 holes up.......
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...cle_id=106

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I would like to hear how she behaves off tabs with the new engine height. I am pretty pleased with my set up right now although I am also topping out at 4900... I would have to get something to lift my engine as well...

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If you use the 13-1/4" x 15" Stiletto Advantage, you can raise the motor as high as it can go ("three holes up") and you will not need the trim tabs or a foil.

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Interesting! I've been looking for this prop on-line, and one seller told me that they aren't available at the moment because the manufacturer had a problem making them. Have you heard that?

John K.

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There's no problem making them, they just cannot meet the demand. The current backorder is several weeks.

It's a very common prop. There are used ones on he market all the time; sometimes they are very good deals.

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I finally picked up a used Stiletto on ebay. $98 delivered, for what looked like a very lightly used prop, just one that sat somewhere damp/salty for long enough to gather a bit of surface rust and tiny pitting in a couple spots. It cleaned up to look almost brand new. 13-1/4 x 15, Stiletto #21315, vented hub. Replaced a stock OMC 17 pitch aluminum.

So, engine raised two holes up, Smart Tabs taken off, Stiletto on, here are the seat-of-the-pants results. Faster hole shot, but noticeably more bow rise. Perhaps a bit more porpoising than with the tabs, but it was a windy and rough day on the lake. Didn't really have time to test performance in turns. RPM topped out at 5300-5400, just about right. I think it's a good place to experiment with the final hole up next year.

John K.

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What do you mean by a bit more porpoising ?
With my engine all the way down and 60lb tabs I have none at all.
I was toying with the idea of going with 40lbs tabs due to my decreased speed but maybe I should raise the engine up first...

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Well I made the switch to the 40lb actuators on my Smart Tabs and I get an even faster leveling out and still no bounce... 60lbs is too much on the 16SL...

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I've moved the pin to the weakest position on my 40 lb. actuators but haven't had a chance to get out on the water yet. I decided to rebuild my carbs this spring and found that both float bowls (plastic) were warped due to the ethanol now being used. Replacement bowls are easy to find, but they need new intermediate jets to fit the new bowls, which seems to take a long time to get from BRP.

John K.

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Finally got the carbs back together and she runs like a dream. I moved the engine all the way up, now I just have to get an afternoon to test it.

John K.

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Update (I see more than a year later!): This Spring I took advantage of Evinrude promotions and got an E-TEC 90 for a very good price. After a bit of testing I've got the engine all the way up, and replaced the Stiletto went with a Rogue 13-1/4 x 15 prop. Both the Stiletto and the Rogue top out at around 5200 rpm, and the Stiletto gives maybe 1-2 mph better top end speed, but with the stern lifting qualities of the Rogue I can remove the Smart Tabs and still get on plane just as fast and eliminate porpoising. Since the boat is used for fishing and tubing/skiing, top end speed isn't a primary goal. As often noted here, get height and prop right before considering other band-aids.

John K.

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For stern lift, I recommend the Stiletto Star over the Advantage. The Star is made in a 15" pitch model.

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Tom, if the Rogue is working fine, what would be the reason to swap for a Star II?

John K.

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thegage,

Thanks for posting the update. I also put a E-TEC 90 on my SL and was planning on raising the engine to the top hole this weekend. I'm running a 4 blade 12.8 x 17 Comp prop and getting 5200 rpm in the bottom hole. Going to raise it and try the 12.7 x 19 Comp prop before buying a stainless. I run the 4 blade props for the stern lifting qualities also. It will be interesting to see Tom's comments.

Jon B.

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I was a bit leery of going all the way up on the transom with the E-TEC, since my old '92 Johnson V-4 definitely didn't like being that high up, even with the Stiletto. But no issues with the E-TEC. Even trimmed out I'm not having any issues in tight turns.

John K.