Time to plane and top speed are arch enemies, only way you get both is MORE power. I had an 18 ft with 260hp. With the speed prop I could hit 64 or so, but could not get it on plane with four fatties on the back seat. I mean it would NOT plane no matter how long you held it with the drive all the way in. Put the ski prop on and you could not put enough people or skiers behind it to hold it down, top speed 50 mph.
Installed a 450 HP 406CI small block, Bigger prop and pitch, 75mph, and load it up and you could not tell anyone was in the boat! Was fun until it spit teeth out of the side of the alpha drive one Sunday. New drive, smaller cam, sold boat, went bigger.