Merc 115 hp 4 stroke help

[SCHOOCH]

2012 mounted on a Lowe FS175, problem is that my top speed is only 32 mph at 6500 rpm. The throttle at 3/4 to full gives me exactly the same speed just gets louder. I have the boat trimmed properly but i still seem to be pushing lots of water. I compared it to my friends boat and his engine seems to sit lower in the water. My engine unfortunately cannot be adusted any lower. Alright thats about all the info my uneducated butt can muster up at this point. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated......oh ya the prop has a 17 pitch.

SCHOOCH:)

[JohnnyD]

Hey man I cannot offer to much advice as to why you only getting 32 mph. But I just wanted to ad some numbers from a comparable unit. My buddy has an 18 ft Smokercraft with a 115 optimax and he tops out around 40-44mph. Just so you have some target numbers to aim for.

Just one quick thing comes to mind, are all your spark plug wires on? One year I fired up my families honda 15 and it was going very slow at wide open throttle, turned out one of the spark plug wires wasn't pressed onto the spark plug all the way. After I discovered that she ran like normal.

[SCHOOCH]

Ya my buddy gets 44 mph out of his all day long, i really think its my motor sitting to high up.....there is about a 4 inch difference between the height of my friends and mine.

[Gust]

Find out what your max rpm/red-line is,, I think your pitch is too great but I'm working from two other boats I ran that were customised for other purposes (heavy hauling). 4800 rpm is usually the most rpm you should be running at. Are you cavitating? (i.e., the feeling that you are pushing less water?)

[Gust]

do you adjust trim as you bring up the throttle?

When you say pushing water, do you mean at the bow or from the prop.

[SCHOOCH]

do you adjust trim as you bring up the throttle?

When you say pushing water, do you mean at the bow or from the prop.

Its pushing heavy from the bow from the window back, its trimmed properly but it seems the prop is catching air also on easy turns which brings me back to the engine isn't sitting far enough in the water, the prop when i just checked doesn't clear the bottom of the boat like my buddies does.

[Gust]

Its pushing heavy from the bow from the window back, its trimmed properly but it seems the prop is catching air also on easy turns which brings me back to the engine isn't sitting far enough in the water, the prop when i just checked doesn't clear the bottom of the boat like my buddies does.

So you are cavitating,, just for a note and how someone described it best, it's like having to little water in a blender and every so often the water catches the blades then kicks out again.

So your prop doesn't clear the bottom of the boat when all the way down?

You know, even big ticket items aren't always put together right.

[Northern Bob]

Schooch, you should get it checked out by a professional before you damage the engine. If your engine is mounted too high you won't have the water pressure to cool your engine. The Merc 115 four stroke maximum rpm range is 5800-6400. Here is a link to a boat test of a Mercury 115 four stroke on a Lowe FM175S. They got 44.8mph at 6150 rpm using a Mercury Black Max 13 1/4"X16" prop.

http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/engine-tests/third-party/?ID=81&

Is there any chance you got an engine with a 20" shaft and a boat with a 25" transom? If your prop isn't clearing the bottom of the boat with it mounted in the lowest hole that is about the only thing that can cause it. I can't imagine a professional making that mistake but if someone had a 25" transom boat and found a 20" shaft engine cheap they might have tried them together. Anyhow, if your engine is mounted too high you won't have the water pressure to cool the engine. Could burn out the powerhead.

[Tungsten]

Are you getting speed from a GPS unit on both boats?

I've got a 2008 version of the same engine on a crestliner 1650 sport angler. I'm just shy of 40mph @ 6200 by myself with a 15" prop.

[buddybuckhunter]

I am running a 07 115 merc w a 17 prop and getting 40-45 mph on a lund 1700 pro sport at about 5600 rpm, swithched from a 19 prop to get a little more rpm and boat performs much better, just for comparison.I agree get a professional opinion.

[EZM]

Assuming your motor is set up correctly, which it should be ....your 115 is rated at a prop pitch from 17 to 27.

I am also assuming you understand how to trim your motor to achieve efficient operation. (tilted up slightly at to achieve top speed)

You are running a 17 pitch which is as low as you can go ............ that is your issue in my opinion.

The lower the pitch the less top end you will accomplish. You will, of course, trade off hole shot, torque and bow lift as you pitch "up".

A typical example - I had a similar boat previously.

My fishing and trolling prop pitch 17 = 33 mph
The factory prop pitch was 25 = 42 mph

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I got that same motor on my boat last year I had it to 95 km/h ( using my gps ) with 3 people in it no issues at full throttle . Apparently could of gotten more out of it with a different prop and if I had trimmed it up further .

[SCHOOCH]

Ya the engine has a 25 long shaft the reason im thinking its a factory setup issue is that when you mildly turn the boat it sounds like its not catching enough water and its sucking air. Its going back to hopefully figure this out i do have a photo my friend took to show me how much water im pushing at my full speed and its as if the boat hasn't even took off out of the hole yet.

[billie]

Start here:

http://www.outboardcovers.com.au/leg.htm

If your leg is higher than this (from your comment in post 6), you have identified your problem.

The term is actually "ventilation" not cavitation. Cavitation is the boiling of water from low pressure as opposed to sucking air into the drive stream.

[Commander B]

Sounds like you may have it sorted out. It is worthy of note that motors previous to serial #1B739661 have a different gear ratio. The new ratio is higher.

B.

[SCHOOCH]

Ok thanks for all your help guys but i just realized that i'm a dork......went and did a complete once over on my motor and discovered that they put the wrong one on the boat. In my defense......I'M DUMB!!! Just figured that the proper motor would have been installed in the 1st place......i will keep you updated in the battle to get the new one though LOL!!!!!!!:fighting0074:

[Nova]

Wrong motor? What the heck did they put on there?

[Walleyedude]

Wow. Keep us posted.

[Ebrand]

Please post (or pm me) the name of the place you got your boat.

[SCHOOCH]

Distributor was Go Rv in Red Deer who setup the boat, i bought it through Homestead Marine who are sick to their stomachs that this actually happened and are doing everything to make it right. They put a Mercury ELPT instead of a EXLPT. The distributor put a motor on that isn't even a option thru Lowe Boats for my boat!!!!!!!!!! I will be putting a call into the President of Lowe (got his number) and ask him why he would let such a crappy hole (Go RV) be their main carrier for their units. :fighting0030: I really am not the type of guy to slam anyones business (mistakes happen) but when they get informed and their response is thats the 1 you bought (unit already setup) they are not worth their weight in dog poop!!!!

[Ebrand]

Sounds like a Brand Spanking New everything is in order.

Thanks for posting the outfit.

DO NOT settle for anything less than a complete replacement.

[Winch101]

I had my warrior serviced at Homestead ,was very happy with the work
And everything .Did not know that they weren't putting their own
Packages or doing their own prep ...I have yelling this for a few years
Alberta is short of good marine techs ,there really is no place to get
Good rigging ,that's why I went to sask ....
I like that Lowe 175 .....I am going to sell the warrior and go back to tin .
So that's not the biggest gong show I have heard of in Ab....
Has Ezm gotten his Lund from the new dealer yet ...I wll be curious
To see how that goes.....from what you described motor mounted wrong
Was going to be my next suggestion .....not wrong motor mounted ...
I am sure Scott will make it right

[AntlerAssassin]

I got that same motor on my boat last year I had it to 95 km/h ( using my gps ) with 3 people in it no issues at full throttle . Apparently could of gotten more out of it with a different prop and if I had trimmed it up further .

Pfffffffft. I think its time to get a new GPS man! I seen some pics a while back looking at old posts. And I am guessing your plowing water.

[WayneChristie]

Distributor was Go Rv in Red Deer who setup the boat, i bought it through Homestead Marine who are sick to their stomachs that this actually happened and are doing everything to make it right. They put a Mercury ELPT instead of a EXLPT. The distributor put a motor on that isn't even a option thru Lowe Boats for my boat!!!!!!!!!! I will be putting a call into the President of Lowe (got his number) and ask him why he would let such a crappy hole (Go RV) be their main carrier for their units. :fighting0030: I really am not the type of guy to slam anyones business (mistakes happen) but when they get informed and their response is thats the 1 you bought (unit already setup) they are not worth their weight in dog poop!!!!

Man the excuses you come up with to not get your tail whupped fishing with me! :sHa_sarcasticlol: Hope they get it sorted out before next ice season.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Pfffffffft. I think its time to get a new GPS man! I seen some pics a while back looking at old posts. And I am guessing your plowing water.

Playing water lmao your right pal . And actually no my garmin GPS is bang on , not sure how can a GPS be wrong . Have a nice day .

[JohninAB]

Playing water lmao your right pal . And actually no my garmin GPS is bang on , not sure how can a GPS be wrong . Have a nice day .

Your boat does 60 mph with 3 people on board? Me thinks you best recheck that.

[AntlerAssassin]

Playing water lmao your right pal . And actually no my garmin GPS is bang on , not sure how can a GPS be wrong . Have a nice day .

95km/h? With a stiff breeze in the sails? Me thinks Captain Morgan set up the GPS.

[bobalong]

your boat does 60 mph with 3 people on board? Me thinks you best recheck that.

lol

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Your boat does 60 mph with 3 people on board? Me thinks you best recheck that.

Well will do , same 3 people in my boat this weekend will be sure to check . But then again I'm just some yuppie . I guess my word means f all . Actually it doesn't even bother me . Not even sure why I post anymore everything's an arguement . Ah well .

[AntlerAssassin]

http://www.boattest.com/Partners/Partner-Main.aspx?lp_id=3211169&t=BOAT-TEST&Videoid=2659&p=0&s=


Similar if not the same boat in the test. I cant see your logic with 3 passengers like you normally roll with.

[bobalong]

http://www.boattest.com/partners/partner-main.aspx?lp_id=3211169&t=boat-test&videoid=2659&p=0&s=


similar if not the same boat in the test. I cant see your logic with 3 passengers like you normally roll with.

lol

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

http://www.boattest.com/Partners/Partner-Main.aspx?lp_id=3211169&t=BOAT-TEST&Videoid=2659&p=0&s=


Similar if not the same boat in the test. I cant see your logic with 3 passengers like you normally roll with.

That's not my boat and different motor

I have the v175 pro guide
Merc 115 4 stroke not the 2 stroke .

[Geezle]

Wow...

[camshaft]

I got that same motor on my boat last year I had it to 95 km/h ( using my gps ) with 3 people in it no issues at full throttle . Apparently could of gotten more out of it with a different prop and if I had trimmed it up further .

Id love to see a pic of that GPS cuz there is no way ur close to that speed. I would be surprised if it was anything over 45mph. Sorry man, not possible with that weight and motor.

[Northern Bob]

So it was a 20" short shaft on a 25" transom? I still have a hard time believing a professional could install a short shaft motor on a boat requiring a long shaft and not notice it, or at least have someone else in the shop notice it.

[Winch101]

All Brunswick boats come as packages (Lowe , Lund , Crestliner )
So by rights the factory would have put the short shaft on....
Or Go Rv.....pulled the old switcheroo for some stupid reason.

Here I thought Alberta Marine had the patent on that kind of move ...:thinking-006:

[SCHOOCH]

I feel like a moron myself for not noticing the short shaft, iam pretty sure that Go RV is going to be out of the business of selling boats if they do this to all their customers. Sad that not everyone will even notice that there is a problem if its their 1st boat or have never driven 1 before.

[Swath]

So it was a 20" short shaft on a 25" transom? I still have a hard time believing a professional could install a short shaft motor on a boat requiring a long shaft and not notice it, or at least have someone else in the shop notice it.

Bob, I think you hit the nail on the head BUT assuming that most boat shops have "professionals" on staff is a little bit far fetched. I was recently at a shop here in Edmonton, y'know, the one on 50th street and saw a young lad taking decals off of a Four Winns with a chisel......not kidding.

[javlin101]

That's not my boat and different motor

I have the v175 pro guide
Merc 115 4 stroke not the 2 stroke .

Sounds pretty fast, my 16ft crestliner with a 140 Nissan 2 stroke injected with me along 5700rpm @ 45-52mph by GPS.

Not saying it's not truth but that is fast for your setup wow.

[Kokanee9]

Running a 17.5'/135 opti and the best I have achieved is 80k with only me and gas tank that was almost empty. Gear, trolling battery and minkota motor were still on the boat.

Schooch - Quite honestly, that would be one of the last things that I would check when picking up a boat. Somehow you just don't think that mistake would be made by a boat shop.

[pelada trochu]

That's not my boat and different motor

I have the v175 pro guide
Merc 115 4 stroke not the 2 stroke .



60mph??! Were you heading down hill at the time.

Sorry BBJ. But i had to chime in on this one. Not trying to be rude, but its not possible for a 175 pro guide with 115 four stroke to break 40mph with 3 people in it. They are a deep V 20 degree deadrise boat and they push alot of water. That boat would struggle to hit 60mph with a 150. Especially with 3 people in it. Remember we are also at altitude here in alberta. They ride nice though.

[Nova]

It's amazing the things a guy can double check when they shouldn't have to. When I got my boat home I went as far as making sure my bill of sale matched my vin numbers, and then made sure my trailer registration and boat/motor insurance matched as well. Ended up that they mistook a B for an 8 when entering the motor serial number on the insurance policy. I've known people who have had some insurance nightmares due to clerical errors so double checking can't hurt.

[Purple_Tea]

I got that same motor on my boat last year I had it to 95 km/h ( using my gps ) with 3 people in it no issues at full throttle . Apparently could of gotten more out of it with a different prop and if I had trimmed it up further .

Yikes---- Turbocharged engine??. :snapoutofit: That's insane, I bet you get awesome as mileage too! :thinking-006:

[THERICARDO]

I also bought my Lowe's boat through Go Rv in Red Deer since I work for Go Auto it made sense to get the best deal as an employee... I know as a company we recently aquired this dealership and staffing changes are currently going on so not sure if the issue was related to that( dont give a **** attitude) or just incompetance...

All i can say is I am an employee of another GoAuto store and was ****ed at how my delivery went.... My first Boat purchase and had no idea what to ask or look for.... Was texting AppleJax at the time and he let me know to make sure they showed me everything on boat, I was so excited I would have left without asking a thing to be honest. IN the end it all worked out great and not sure if the chill attitude on me picking up boat had anythinng to do with simple fact I was a staff purchase or not...


Either way SCHOOCH i could see how this could have happened and you not notice... I mean if i was as excited as I was for my 14 ft aluminum I cant imagine how excited you were... Glad its getting taken care of...

[thorne]

Well will do , same 3 people in my boat this weekend will be sure to check . But then again I'm just some yuppie . I guess my word means f all . Actually it doesn't even bother me . Not even sure why I post anymore everything's an arguement . Ah well .

no one is calling you a B***S*****, but it is weird how 2 other people i know with the same set up, and 2 guys can get 44mphish max. Guess you just got lucky and got a SWEET, SWEET machine! I have a 17'8" fiberglass which weights just 1800lbs, my motor is a 115 E-TEC which weighs 390lbs, I weigh 200lbs, and with normal fishing gear and a dog, 75lbs, I maxed out at 46MPH last night as shown on my Lowrance HDS8. So you can see how people my be very curious as to how you can get 60MPH in your rig....please share your secrets so we can understand.

[Couleestalker]

I got that same motor on my boat last year I had it to 95 km/h ( using my gps ) with 3 people in it no issues at full throttle . Apparently could of gotten more out of it with a different prop and if I had trimmed it up further .

My best guess is that BBJ had his GPS set on metric but he though it was set to imperial and he just read the number.

If he saw the numer 60 on his GPS, he assumed is was 60mph which would convert to approx 95-96 km/h.

when in fac the GPS read 60km/h which would convert to 37mph. 37mph is more believable for that setup.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

My best guess is that BBJ had his GPS set on metric but he though it was set to imperial and he just read the number.

If he saw the numer 60 on his GPS, he assumed is was 60mph which would convert to approx 95-96 km/h.

when in fac the GPS read 60km/h which would convert to 37mph. 37mph is more believable for that setup.

That's exactly what happened , and the same folks in m,y boat this weekend . It was an honest mistake and I will buck up and admit it , sorry for getting so defensive and peesy about it . However I will be taking sometime away from here . Good luck , good summer folks . I will respond to pm's only on occasion .

[pickrel pat]

Oh oh.....

[SCHOOCH]

Well after a solid week of being a complete pest and making phone calls to absolutely everyone to get this fixed.......I'm getting a New Motor!!!!! :sHa_shakeshout:

[Outcast]

Glad to here!

[Pixel Shooter]

whohoo, persistence paid off, glad to hear!!!!!!!!

[SCHOOCH]

I tell ya it was great having the actual dealer stand up for the consumer, he called me daily with updates and kept the heat on until we got the answer that worked for both of us!!!!!

[EZM]

I had my warrior serviced at Homestead ,was very happy with the work
And everything .Did not know that they weren't putting their own
Packages or doing their own prep ...I have yelling this for a few years
Alberta is short of good marine techs ,there really is no place to get
Good rigging ,that's why I went to sask ....
I like that Lowe 175 .....I am going to sell the warrior and go back to tin .
So that's not the biggest gong show I have heard of in Ab....
Has Ezm gotten his Lund from the new dealer yet ...I wll be curious
To see how that goes.....from what you described motor mounted wrong
Was going to be my next suggestion .....not wrong motor mounted ...
I am sure Scott will make it right

Yeah I got my boat - it has been wet about 10 days by now - love it.

The 150 Honda is super quiet, good on fuel, and jumps to plane in less than 3 seconds. The dealer set it up perfect, let me choose the prop and I went with the lowest pitch prop available (a 17") which still lets me troll just under 3 mph - she still does a little over 40 mph.

I see by the charts that I can pitch up to 27" and gain another 15 mph but there is simply no need to trade off low trolling speed, hole shot and fuel economy.

Dealer was awesome (Riverside).

Lunds typically come with Merc packages. Buying a boat without the "package" can be successful as long as the dealer knows what they are doing. These techs were very good.

I am glad I got the Honda.

[SCHOOCH]

Should have mentioned a Thank-You to "THERICARDO" for going out of his way for me and making phone calls on my behalf to help me out. I have never met him or talked to him before this and for a AO member to step-up and help me out just shows me that people on this site actually give a $#@^ about the other members......YOUR THE MAN RICARDO!!!!!!!!