midwesternboater
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2021
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 1
Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster here on RDP. Living in Kansas, always been a fan of the Havasu boats and atmosphere from afar.
First time boater as well (although I grew up at the lake), I have a 1996 Cheetah 21' with a 200 Mercury I bought last summer. No jack plate or tabs, but I do have a 15" setback bracket the outboard is mounted to. Last year was all about having a good time on the water, this year I have been playing around with some props and now mounting height, trying to maximize performance and learn the ins and outs of operating a boat. Started with a 21" Mercury High Five, and have also tried a 22" Bravo 1 and now currently running a 21" 3 Blade Michigan Rapture prop from a local prop shop in Kansas City.
I'm running at ~ 5200-5300 rpm at WOT and getting 53 mph on GPS with a typical load (maybe 350-400 pounds total onboard including persons, gear and fuel). From what I understand, this motor is rated for up to 5800 rpm. I'd also like to get a few more mph if possible. Mounting position is in the middle slot on the setback bracket, which I raised up one slot this past week. I cannot ventilate the prop while trimmed all the way out. I plan on raising the outboard another slot or two which should be about .75" each.
My questions are, if I cannot achieve max height with the current bracket, would a jack plate be at all a consideration? Or am I underestimating the effects of raising the motor 1.5"? Thanks all!
First time boater as well (although I grew up at the lake), I have a 1996 Cheetah 21' with a 200 Mercury I bought last summer. No jack plate or tabs, but I do have a 15" setback bracket the outboard is mounted to. Last year was all about having a good time on the water, this year I have been playing around with some props and now mounting height, trying to maximize performance and learn the ins and outs of operating a boat. Started with a 21" Mercury High Five, and have also tried a 22" Bravo 1 and now currently running a 21" 3 Blade Michigan Rapture prop from a local prop shop in Kansas City.
I'm running at ~ 5200-5300 rpm at WOT and getting 53 mph on GPS with a typical load (maybe 350-400 pounds total onboard including persons, gear and fuel). From what I understand, this motor is rated for up to 5800 rpm. I'd also like to get a few more mph if possible. Mounting position is in the middle slot on the setback bracket, which I raised up one slot this past week. I cannot ventilate the prop while trimmed all the way out. I plan on raising the outboard another slot or two which should be about .75" each.
My questions are, if I cannot achieve max height with the current bracket, would a jack plate be at all a consideration? Or am I underestimating the effects of raising the motor 1.5"? Thanks all!