Getting her figured out.

zippyduck · August 26, 2020, 11:09:07 AM

Finally the Stratos 201 pro elite is running well. Having vacation to work on fine tuning my driving.
Had her at 63 mph at 5200 rpm. She wants to get squirelly after that. That is fine as I don't need to go any faster.

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big g · August 26, 2020, 02:44:46 PM

Congrats Zippy, it's nice when all the pieces come together!

apenland01 · August 26, 2020, 03:48:59 PM

I'm in the same boat, so to speak. I can get my Ranger up to 64 at 5600, but I've only done it once and I get chicken if the water isn't perfect with no other wakes, etc. I can do high 50's without getting concerned, but my boat just wants to act weird at higher speeds and it takes more skill than I have to keep it in control. I prefer to enjoy my time in my boat...

FD · August 27, 2020, 03:10:28 AM

Quote from: zippyduck on August 26, 2020, 11:09:07 AM
Finally the Stratos 201 pro elite is running well. Having vacation to work on fine tuning my driving.
Had her at 63 mph at 5200 rpm. She wants to get squirelly after that. That is fine as I don't need to go any faster.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Mine never got squirrely and would run up to 68 max. Could be your motor height/ prop combo is just a tad off.

But like you, I rarely ran it over 50 where she was rock solid and fun to drive. I've never been in a safer feeling bass boat in rough water.

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Princeton_Man · August 27, 2020, 04:00:21 AM

Glad you two are finally getting along. She should touch 70 and I suspect FD is right about playing with motor height. That girl should drive like a dream around 70.

zippyduck · August 27, 2020, 11:11:59 AM

Well it was blowing 15 to 25 knots today. So I fished where it was possible. Then I tested her rough water ability.
She ran on plane well through the one footers and handle the twos rather well with the nose lifted some.

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Donald Garner · September 13, 2020, 03:34:00 PM

Quote from: Princeton_Man on August 27, 2020, 04:00:21 AM
Glad you two are finally getting along. She should touch 70 and I suspect FD is right about playing with motor height. That girl should drive like a dream around 70.

Zippy glad to hear you're finally getting out and having a good time driving and fishing out of your Stratos.

I concur with Princeton_Man and FD on the motor height. I'm running 63.5mph (WOT) with my Yamaha 150 VMax on my Stratos 285 and there's no issues in the handling. Most of my running is around the 50mph mark.

You should be around that 70mph. Have fun and enjoy that Stratos.

Bud Kennedy · September 13, 2020, 04:04:47 PM

Zippy, now you got me curious. Just exactly what is your set up with regards to prop to pad, and what prop are your running. Inquiring minds want to know.

zippyduck · September 13, 2020, 08:15:55 PM

Bud,

I have no idea about the pad to prop distance.

The prop is a Raker2 26p.

I will measure the distance tomorrow. I have never had to move a motor before but it sounds like I should move this one.
What is a typical distance?

Bud Kennedy · September 13, 2020, 08:37:04 PM

a general rule of thumb is the Prop to Pad should be around 3 1/2" below pad. Here is a diagram how to measure.

Take this measurement while the trailer is on a hard surface. Level the boat and then trim the motor so it is vertical to level or you might say straight down.

As I recall you do have a jack plate so it won't be too tough to move up or down depending upon what your needs may be. Things to observe after setting your starting distance is to keep an eye on your water pressure. If you get the motor too high you will see a drop in water pressure immediately. If you are too high you are also likely to have a rooster tail above the height of the motor. These are just key indicators that let you know you may be too high. If you are too deep then you may notice your boat will tend to plow a a bit and not stay balanced on the pad especially at slower speeds. After all this and you feel the setting are in a good starting point you other indicator will be the RPMs at mid range and wide open throttle. All of this things will play into your adjustments so you just have to be a bit patient to achieve the ultimate sweet spot for the performance you are expecting.

Once you get the settings finalized then you can calculate more accurately the overall performance of your prop based on optimum performance. Not really as complicated as it sounds.

Bottom line is the correct set up is critical before you can really judge your total performance. Sometimes trying to achieve a couple more miles per hour just won't be worth it if it takes you out of your comfort zone.

FD · September 13, 2020, 08:47:57 PM

Also do your testing with full live wells and a fat co angler if you have a willing hostage...

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zippyduck · September 13, 2020, 11:58:59 PM

Bud,
Speed is not the problem. It will get up to the 70's but it is very shaky.

Quote from: FD on September 13, 2020, 08:47:57 PM
Also do your testing with full live wells and a fat co angler if you have a willing hostage...

I think I have the right guy for the job. OW fishballer.

ranger175a · September 14, 2020, 09:52:23 PM

Weight distribution is a factor also. Might just need 30 or 40 packs of worms moved to the front of the boat.

zippyduck · September 14, 2020, 11:05:23 PM

Quote from: ranger175a on September 14, 2020, 09:52:23 PM
Weight distribution is a factor also. Might just need 30 or 40 packs of worms moved to the front of the boat.

No that is not the problem as all my baits are in the front. The 4 big batteries in the back may be causing some trouble though.

FD · September 15, 2020, 05:20:26 AM

Quote from: zippyduck on September 14, 2020, 11:05:23 PM
No that is not the problem as all my baits are in the front. The 4 big batteries in the back may be causing some trouble though.

I had 4 group 31's and a 225 FICTH on the back of mine. You will get it right with the manual jack plate and then never have to touch it again.....

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