Slow to get on plane

[Chuck Rittgers]

I just bought a NX882 with a

Mercury Optimax 115hp. I put a

SE Sport 300 stabilizer and it seems to help but with two people on board it takes forever to get on plane.

I have a 4 blade ss prop. P/n 48-825934A47. 21P 14 inch

I am not sure where to go for help so I thought Nitro boat owners would be the best place to start. :wub:

 

[Greg Meyer]

There are a few 882 owners on here... But, look up Corey Carrico in the member list. He has the same boat and there is no trouble getting it up on plane with two of us (and I am a BIG boy...lol)! Great boat!

 

[John W2]

Hi Chuck,



I have an 04 NX882SC with a 135 Opti, 23p Tempest 3 blade prop, stock jack plate with the engine mounted second hole from the highest postition and it gets right up with 2 adults, my daughter and a full tank of fuel. Are you trimming the motor all the way down/in before taking off then up/out as you increase speed?



Then again I'm coming from a 170DC with a 60 so anything will feel like a rocket to me.

 

[Greg Duggan]

Chuck,

I have an 03 NX882DC, i used to run a 115 efi 4 stroke on this boat. A little diff than the opti. But they both suffer the same problem, no hole shot.

I added the same SE sport foil. There was a small amount of performance gain, but still suffered a poor hole shot and prop wash out in truns.

i recieved a lot of help here on this set up, the one that was most helpfull was to sent my prop out for ballancing and reshaping.

I sent my prop out to DAH propella and had it reworked. It cost approx $250/300 at that time. this was by far the best money spent overall on my boat at the time. I gained a few mph on the top end and my hole shot was cut in half. I also never filled my fuel cell to the top. 40 gal of fuel is way to much weight in the stern of this hull. Between the battries, gear, full live well and two fisheman the 882 is an extremely heavy stern weighted boat. It will prob never jump out of the water with your set up. But with practice and a lot of seat time. you will find the sweat spot in the throttle with right combitnation of trim position to make it perform to your likings.



i have since repowered with a Merc 135 opti. Major differance from the 115. I also raised the motor to the highest position on the jack plate. My hole shot is very good and can run WOT close to 60mph with 2 guys and gear (still never fill teh fuel tank).



Good luck

GregD

 

[Teri C.]

I have a 115 Mercury Opti on my 18' Triton Explorer. I have the same problem and no idea what to do about it. It takes forever to get on plane. Once I am there is rides real nice but getting there is a turtle pace.

 

[Dan J.]

I hate to say it, but it's a power to weight ratio problem that y'all are trying to overcome. Either drop pitch in prop, which will sacrifice top end, get your prop worked by someone who knows what they're doing, or try the baind-aid approach with a foil. Just be careful in these situations in particular with a hydrofoil. With a low HP on the transom as it is, that foil will grab much easier in a turn than a higher HP running the same band-aid. (Less lift for pad.) I know folks love'em for the the symptom cure it provides, but they do not address the problem at hand. (More boat than HP.) I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I'd rather someone know and be safe than another statistic. Good luck!

 

[Bob G.]

Put a 150hp on an 18 footer and it will get on plane with no problem. Always max out the horsepower.

 

[Teri C.]

115hp is the max rating for my 18.

 

[Berry Lindley]

Teri, are your plugs in your prop?

 

[Corey Carrico]

I have the same boat with a 115 2-stroke. I have had it since 2002 and learned the best way to get a decent hole shot after much trial and error. You will never get the same performance as a big motor but time and practice will make up a lot of the difference.



I tried just mashing the gas and that did not always work very well especially on hot summer days. The best bet is to get the boat moving at about 5-10mph and then mash it. As was mentioned it is a power to weight issue and I found that getting a little forward momentum before hammering it helps tremendously. Good luck and I hope this helps.

 

[Jim Corson]

I have the same boat ('04 NX882DC but mine has the 150 EFI Merc on it. From day 1, it was a dog out of the hole. I believe the marina/dealer set it up with either a 24P or 25P prop as i ordered the boat. It would not plane out with the prop provided. Trust me, i tried everything, and though it may be a bandaid, i too put on a hydrofoil and still have it on there to this day, and i now have a 23P Tempest prop and the motor is located (Looking @ the rear of the boat) the top bolt is located in the 4th hole down from the top, and the bottom bolt is located in the middle. Not sure if thats where it should be but it is UP,OUT & GONE in no time. I do tuck the motor under but not all the way. If i do, its even quicker on plane. I have no work done to my prop. The 882 is especially a heavy boat and will never be a rocket but i am very happy with my holeshot now. If anyone has any input on whether or not i should have the plugs in my prop, as their are none in it now, please feel free to email me @ [email protected]. Jim

 

[Teri C.]

Berry, I am not too proud to admit I have no idea how to check if my plugs are in my prop. I just know the Mercury prop is SS 22p. It came like that so I have no idea if that's the right prop for the boat or not.



I cant complain about the boat. I stole it and it fits in my garage. I do wish it was a little faster out of the gate but I still get where I want to.

 

[Jim Corson]

Teri, The plugs for the prop would be on the outer edges, on the rear of the prop. Not where the blades are, the other end. You should see oblong holes as you spin the prop. Thats where the plugs would be located as my prop does not have any in it, so i too am trying to find out if it would make my holeshot any better, than it is right now. Its pretty good now so any improvement would be awesome. Jim

 

[Teri C.]

So which way should it be...plugs in or plugs out?

 

[Teri C.]

After reading the info on this link, sounds like I need to see what plugs are in there and change them up. Now I need to find out where to buy different plugs. Thanks Berry for mentioning the plugs. I am pretty sure I have the Laser II prop.
http://sites.mercurymarine.com/portal/page?_pageid=126,50050,126_50060&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

 

[Jim B]

Teri, you can get them at any merc dealer and they are generally pretty cheap to buy.



One other thing to look at is the prop itself. A 4 blade may help you a bunch, From what i have seen in the experiments i have done on friend's Tritons they really seem to like a 4 blade prop. I would check with your local dealer and see if thye have props to loan and try a 4 blade and see what you get. I have a 23 pitch TRO$ i could loan you to try as long as you promise not to smack it up

 

[Teri C.]

Definitely going to try the plugs. I did the prop selector on that link and the Laser II 22p is one they recommended for my boat. There are others. Mine is 3 blade so maybe I will take your suggestion and try a 4 blade.



I don't know squat about props so this is probably a dumb question but thats never stopped me before....



If I bought or tried a new prop, is it as easy as taking one prop off with prop wrench and putting the new one on?? Do you have to have a professional tune it or do anything?

 

[Teri C.]

Chuck, if you want to sell your prop let me know. That's the top one recommended for my boat or we could swap props and see if mine works better on yours.



Laser II stainless 22p 3 blade

 

[Mini]

Its as easy as you described. Just make sure you lube the shaft (get yer mind outta the gutter girl)

 

[Teri C.]

What do I lube it with? KY?? BBBBWWWWWAAAAAHHHHHH



No seriously, is there something special you use?

 

[Mini]

Marine Grease. You wont find that in your local "toy store"



Also make sure you torque the nut down correctly after yo uinstall the lock washer correctly. Its pretty simple. Check your owners manula for torque spec.

 

[Dan J.]

Merc 2-4-C is the only thing I'll use. I haven't seized a prop in a dozen or more years since only using it.
http://www.mertenmarine.com/servlet/the-470/2-dsh-4-dsh-C-marine-lubricant-mercury/Detail

 

[TrepMan]

Besides the prop wrench get a short 2x4 so you can wedge that between the blades and the cavitation plate, to ensure as you apply pressure you are NOT holding the blades in your hand!! LOL



Teri - if I can swap and lube props, you can!! I've tried 5 different ones on my 115 Carb'd Merc and ended up staying with what Rich had on her (though had it worked and it runs great), I carry my 24p Trophy 4 blade as a backup and that 4 blade is AMAZING in rough water.