Both boats ran to tampa, 25 knot winds, 3-4 footers, a total blast. Lock and Load ran great, just needs more prop, which will be ordered, on Monday

Notice any big diff in handling etc. Going from #5s to your #6s?

Thanks for continuing to share

Jon

Awesome thread..like others have said..great attention to detail and craftsmanship..enjoy that sweet Cig!

Any top speed numbers out of the boat? I realize the props aren't right, but what have you run her up to so far? Sweet ride!

Great thread. Thanks for documenting the conversion.

With those 6's on boxes, that's a lot of weight hanging pretty far back. The CoG has to have been significantly altered. How does the boat sit in the water now compared to before? How does it fly and handle now?

Looks amazing, nice job!!! :cool:

how long did that run take?

Thanks for all the interest and questions...

I didn't really try to "air it out" on this first trip. Just wanted to see how it would handle, dock and cruise.
I ran it up to a max of 4,000 rpm, which, due to the lack of prop, only translated to 56 mph. Of note, the engines were not making ANY boost at that rpm, so it is definitely way under propped.
ZP calculated that it has in the range of 25% slip!

I'm sure the C of G changed a bit.The boat handles great as a result. It was very stable in the rough stuff we ran it through on Saturday and Sunday. It is a tad more bow up at rest but not significantly. When it did launch a couple of times in the rough, it flew very level and landed beautifully. It also gets on plane noticeably better than before.

The new props were ordered today. The real test will come when they are bolted on and we can get some bite.

MP,

Sorry if you have already noted this.
Is your gear ratio different causing the change for more prop?

Thanks
Jon

Yes, went with 1.61 gears, so the prop turns
Slower, so more pitch is needed to get back where it was. The main thing needed is diameter. Everyone says mount the drives 3 or 4 inches up, a old cig is not an airboat. The prop needs to touch the water, this one is 1" above the bottom, and needs diameter to get a bite. The staggered setup limits diameter to 17.5 " , we tried sliding on my 17.75" but they were to close to run. (In my opinion, there my new props) Merc Racing is building a new set as of today. Did not choose 1.61s that is what came in the drives, it was decided to spend money on props early on, instead of gears.

Thanks for asking. Good question.

There's a set of year old Hering 17x 32 x 18r 5 blades for sale at a great price.

Post a pic of the Cougar.