I wanna go fast!

hey guys! been a member here for awhile and have "mod-ed" several tin boats in the past few years. my current boat is a early 80's 16ft bass tracker III with a 96 Johnson 9.9 upgraded to 15... this is my "bass boat" for local club tournaments that primarily fish hp restricted lakes. most of these guys are running 14ft boats with 15hp motors that have 9.9 stickers and they are killing me in speed. i know my boat is heavy and all the decking i added hasnt helped in that area. but i need some more speed! i am considering buying a stainless prop but i have NO IDEA what prop is on there now and really dont know what size/pitch prop i should look into getting in order to gain more top speed. yesterday with 2 people and fully loaded with gear we maxed out at 12mph at WOT. we did some playing around with the trim location on the motor and right now i am using the pin hole furthest away from the transom. this seems to give me the best speed. while driving around we discovered when my buddy sat in the very back of the boat the front lifted a little higher and the boat actually went 14mph according to gps. so now i am considering what i can do to transfer some weight to the back of the boat. i have two deep cycle batteries up front for the trolling motor and that is pretty much the only weight i can move. any of you guys out there got any tips for speed for me? and yes i know.. smaller/lighter boat would be faster but thats not what i am asking lol...


heres a few pics...









also looking to clean the aluminum a bit! anybody know of a "spray and rinse" cleaner that will do a decent job? not looking for perfection...

A 1648 with a 9.9 is so underpowered that I'm surprised that it will even plane off at all.

What updates were done to the 9.9 to make it a 15? Carb only will not make it a 15......

Need to know your current max RPM, what updates were made to the motor, what prop, motor height, etc.

Get a tach and play with diffrent pitch props. In my experience stainless props dont make much of a diffrence on small motors.

get a 25hp with 9.9 stickers.. lol

Ditto, lose the wood as well. You need to know where your engine tachs out at before playing with the prop.

Mothers mag polish is great at removing the funk on the outside. Just do it on a cool day in the shade.

i did not do the modifications to the engine myself but i was told it has the carb and exhaust from the 15... i do not know the motor height? but the hydrofoil is even with the bottom of the boat. as far as rpm's i will look into getting a "mini-tach" or something like it. I have thought about getting a 25 and putting 9.9 stickers on it but no game warden would ever be fooled by that! haha... as far as getting rid of the wood... I WISH!!! but finances dont allow my to re-do all the decking in aluminum.


i guess i was just hoping someone out there has a 9.9-15 on a 16ft heavy jon boat and has any recommendations on prop sizes/pitch to help gain a few more mph out of it? maybe its just not that simple?

thank you guys for your input!

scored some coil/condenser cleaner today for free and went to work on the boat! turned out pretty good for about 45minutes of work. only hit it one time so its not perfect but my boat isnt perfect so im not too worried about it.

Before/After


also ordered a ''Mini-Tach" on ebay for $25 so that will be here soon and i will be able to get the RPM's at WOT... here is a pic of my current prop size and how low my outboard sits to the bottom of the boat. looks like i am about 2 inches too low? have been doing some research and am considering building a jack-plate? anyone see a benefit or harm in doing that?

Boat looks good! You use goodway cleaner on the aluminum?

nice before and after pics...that stuff worked well.

mount another 9.9 on the back,s.s prop isn't going to help dont even know if they make them.I had a boat with a 9.9 on the back for restricted lakes,they suck.

got the boat out yesterday... before going i removed one of the trolling motor batteries from the front and put it in the back hoping to bring the nose of the boat up out of the water a little bit. I also took a file to my old banged up prop and cleaned it up as best as possible. last weekend i struggled to get 14mph out of the boat with two people and all our fishing gear. today with two people and all our fishing gear we hit 18mph with no problem at all! pretty excited to think that breaking 20mph with two people and gear is actually likely after a few minor upgrades.





here is a video of us running...


(click on picture to play)


also when i got home the mini tach had arrived in the mail! so i will be doing some testing in a few days.

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=361127#p361127 said:

jerseyjimk » Today, 06:19[/url]"]mount another 9.9 on the back,s.s prop isn't going to help dont even know if they make them.I had a boat with a 9.9 on the back for restricted lakes,they suck.

Click to expand...

"mount another 9.9 on the back" lol... your funny! as far as the stainless prop they actually do make them and they are lighter/thinner/more durable than the aluminum prop which means more efficient and longer lasting! im only talking about gaining 1-2mph but on these hp restricted lakes that 1-2mph more makes all the difference

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=361100&sid=295fb0b29ee0036e13e151d60f753fcd#p361100 said:

whitetailhntr » Yesterday, 22:29[/url]"]Boat looks good! You use goodway cleaner on the aluminum?

Click to expand...

this is the stuff i used... the maint guys at my apartment complex gave me a couple cans but i didnt even use all of one

Don't know if you'd be interested but I have a CMC PT-35 tilt/trim unit that would work with your clamp on style outboard for sale. Not only would it set your motor back another 5.5 inches like a jack plate but it would raise it the extra 1.5-2 inches you're looking for plus give you adjustable trim on the run. You can tuck it under to take off and trim up as you start to run as well as trim up when you're pulling out on the trailer. I'm asking $300 plus shipping to the lower 48 states. Or depending on how close you live to where I am you come and pick it up and I'll help you install it. I'll PM you my phone number and e- mail address if you're interested give me a shout.

That post right there is your extra mph. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Multiple benefits, tilt and trim would help tons! The setback and rise wouldn't hurt either.

got to run the boat today with the "mini tach"... fluctuated quite a bit? but the average steady number was between 5600 and 5800 rpms at WOT. that being said i believe it would be safe to go up in pitch?

Looks like a 10" pitch with 9 1/2" diameter. Or 91/2x10 in prop speak. Stainless are heavier but the offer different rake which can get the bow up. If it has mounting holes up on should do it. Really only want the cavation plate out of the water close in To the transom.

Get rid of the hydrofoil! Extra 2-4 mph right there

Jus for reference, my 1436 with a 15hp goes 22mph