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Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 2:45 pm
by serpa4
Wondering where to spend money to get more speed. I need a small light pontoon to tow. I bought a 2017 Bass Buggy DLX 16 with a 40hp Mercury. I really like the size and foot print. I don't fish, mostly sight see and cover long distances.
I'd like to cruise at 20 mph.
I do on GPS 18/19 mph with three adults and empty boat. I have since pulled the heavy trolling motor, and 2nd battery out as well as the front two pedestal seats. I then loaded my own stuff, float noodles, tackle box and 2 rods, some oil and cleaners and a 6lb anchor. Overall, I think the weight is still a lot less and it will only be my wife and I. The sells man was about 200lbs tops.
None the less, looking to cruise at 20, not WOT.

My boat is only 7 feet wide, but has 24" logs. No strakes.
I figure for $2,000 or less:
1) Used 3rd log.
2) New polypropylene log with strakes, $1800. http://www.pdbmagazine.com/2016/07/stay ... rd-pontoon#
3) Exchange my 40hp for a 60hp of equal or so weight for $2,000 after exchange for a used one.
4) Aqua Glide, lifting section $2,000, but most people say just add a 3rd log for less.
5) Adding strakes to my 2 exiting 24" logs. Cost unknown. I'm in El Paso Tx so don't think there are many people with good Aluminum welding skills.

My concern, 40hp isn't enough for a 3rd log.
40hp might not be enough to take advantage of strakes.
Going to 60hp (largest without adding weight) is over the boats 40hp limit. 20hp isn't much, but then again it is a 50% increase which is a lot.

What do you all think considering I don't want a bigger pontoon and I don't want a different type of boat like a deck boat.

It is likely I will add two small benches up front for guests (2 max). I assume... it will be about 100lbs each.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 5:35 pm
by boocat
I don't think you are going to cruise 20 with a 60. I don't. I have an 18 Bass Buggy. What does Teecro say? Maybe a 75.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:26 pm
by mgarvie
Is your boat under skinned yet? With just that I picked up a couple mph.

I have a 20ft 1986 Bass Buggy with a 2004 60hp, with the wind just right I've gotten 25mph on my gps. But I only have one seat, a console, two batteries, and a 13 gallon fuel tank. I'm only rated for 60hp but if I could get more hp with the same weight I would jump on it. Problem is that with all my camping and fishing gear loaded, the back of the boat sits about as low as I feel I can safely go.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:43 pm
by boocat
Sorry,I misread, Thought you had an 18.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:22 pm
by serpa4
Main difference between a 16 and 18 is the deck I believe. The 18 has a 8.1 deck and the 16 has 7.1 deck. The 18 weighs 400 lbs more or roughly 40% more.
400 lbs might make 3 mph faster than the 18.
So, 60 may not get much even if 50% more power?

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:23 pm
by serpa4
I haven't skinned it yet.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:00 am
by Bamaman
Put it on the retail market in the spring and buy a boat with a more substantial hull underneath it. Pontoons without strakes plow thru the water, but small diameter toons don't have a chance at producing performance as they dig in even deeper with less than marginal floatation.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:30 am
by steve1313
I hate to say it, but I don't think you can get there.

First, consider you probably will void the warranty if you exceed the max recommended horsepower. (and probably so will any of the other changes you are contemplating)
Adding any kind of third toon is going to add weight, so I'm guessing any potential speed gain would be offset by the extra weight. A tritoon can plane (sorta), but it's highly doubtful you can put enough horsepower behind it to get it to go fast enough to actually get the logs on top of the water.
Adding strakes isn't going to magically suddenly turn your toons from displacement hulls into planing hulls.

If I understand your goal correctly, you want the same (or slighter more) speed but with significantly less RPM's. I just don't think the math and physics work. Unfortunately Bamaman may have the best suggestion.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:50 am
by Oldchuck
I think the guys are right on this one AND you can not get there from where you are at,
As stated, you do not have enough hp to get you the benefits of more speed and your hull would not support the additional hp. AND as said, even if you did over power the hull with more power your hull would still plow through the water as you do not have enough hull in the water to support the weigh.
A pontoon acts a lot like a displacement hull in that the longer hulls will go faster with the same power due to the waterline length. This is seen by sailboats with a longer waterline length always going faster than shorter boats not counting sailboats that plane. Point being, if you add more power your boat will most likely squat in the rear and kinda dig a hole for itself with little if any increase in speed...
Could go on and on but the point is the above posts are correct and you can not get there from here......Sell the boat and buy what you want or be happy with what you have.....Boats are always a compromise.....

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 9:31 am
by serpa4
Guess I'll be happy cruising at 14 or so.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 2:41 pm
by Oldchuck
Serpa,
It is all relative. If you were on a sailboat and going 14, you would be hauling ass........

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:11 pm
by serpa4
I'll start cheap with some underskinning. The distance between the toons is really not much because the deck is only 7 feet wide less the width of the toons themselves. The center motor pod also consumes a lot of what is left, so sheeting will be easy and cheap after I've actually measured what I'd need.

Re: Where to spend $2,000 tops for speed.

Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 4:15 am
by wwind3
agreed of the sheeting. In addition to smoothing out the ride---the sheeting must be providing some front end lift to the boat. When I make speed runs I am 1-2 mph faster into the wind than with the wind. Only explanation is I am getting bow lift with the sheeting. Perhaps others can comment on this. Also--boat will be faster in winter than in summer due to the density of the colder water pushing against the prop....

I was fishing a tournament on Sam Rayburn lake in Texas one early spring and was coming into the marina at Powell Park. Running into the wind I was running 29 then all of a sudden I hit 30 for a few seconds and then back to 29. Puzzling till I realized I went over a shallow ridge and decided the ground effect of the water being forced down and compressed by the boat actually lifted it a little. Moral of story-the more toon you can get out of the water the better-you are basically pushing a brick thru the water.

Pardon long post but another example-Hunting off Intercoastal Canal in New Orleans- 4 people in old boat with smaller motor back then(1967) --plodding along WOT--couldn't get on plane--got closer to the bank and boat raised up on plane in shallower water--boat sped up-got back in deeper water and boat fell off plane and started mushing along again-ground effect is a real thing. Sorta like a low-wing airplane when landing.