Hey guys,

Have a 1999 Mercury 200 EFI, was wondering if someone good with outboards ( no mechanical knowledge of outboards whatsoever) could message me in regards to the engine, we ran our 21' husteler with our 99 merc 200efi saltwater and it took forever to plane out and could only hit a best of 53mph at 5000rpm with a 21 pitch laser. opinions?

I would also try Scream and Fly. More OB guys there.

It sounds like your over propped- that engine should be turning 6000 rpm IMHO.

Wannabe

Agrred, like I said i know nothing about outboards but it seemed to me we were missing a cylinder but the overprop could be a correct, only other prop we have at the moment is a 24p lol.

How heavy is the boat? I would have the motor checked out. It may be down a hole (coil, plug, wire, injector, etc). Don't keep running it!

21 foot boat with 200hp and 53mph sounds about right. WOT range shows 5000-5750 rpms so you are on the lower end of that. Dropping to a 19" prop will gain you about 400rpms and put you in the middle and should help it plane out faster.
http://www.mercury-marine.eu/mercury...ke%20200%20EFI

I was going to suggest dropping down to a 14x19P prop and check results from that prop but Griff's answer covers everything

Speaking as one who owns a similar sized hull with a similar sized motor, I'd say he's definitely down on power. My 22' Progression with a mildly modified 200 Merc (240 HP at the powerhead) runs 76.9 MPH on GPS at 6,400 RPMs with a 27" pitch 3 blade prop.

The first thing I'd check is the plug wires. I've had them come loose on my boat and the Service boat at the marina runs a 200 Merc and they come loose all the time. I'd also pull the plugs to have a look at them and maybe even run a compression check.

is that the hustler from naples???

lightspeed yes it is,i checked compression 120-125 on all 6. ran her again today after fuel system work. New fuel lines,fuel filter,fuel/water seperator, and she ran better, planed out a little faster and she ran 5400-5600 most of the time. but still only saw 53 mph :/

Greg, set back and motor height play a huge part in how well a small outboard V bottom runs. You should be seeing speeds in the low to mid 60's with a 21' v bottom and a 200hp. You should be running about 10-12" of setback and use a manual or hyd. Jack plate to adjust your motor height. You should also have low water pickups so you will retain water pressure as you jack up the motor. The Merc Trophy Plus 24 or 26 will run well on that boat/motor combo.