Advice for 24' Stepbottom Outboard Setups
 

Hey guys,

i spend hours upon hours searching the forums for feedback from other 24 SB owners with outboards trying to figure out the best setup for my boat.

I know everyone instinctively says, get in touch with SUPERBASH! ... but i dont see him around much at all on the forums and haven't been able to get in contact with him thru the internet.. so I need some help from others.

What's the secret sauces, the hot setup and rigging for my boat?

It's a 2000 hull (step bottom) with a bone stock 250 EFI

how much setback is optimal on these hulls? ... right now i have a 5.5" setback CMC hydraulic jack plate

how far below the keel should the prop shaft be?

what are some good props to yield good results? ... so far i have had the best speed results from a tempest prop...

just looking to speak with some other 24 outboard owners out there as i seem to be having a hard time tracking down some

thanks
STEVE

1)buy a 300
2)lose the jackplate and do a stainless marine 12" ridgid setback
3)buy a full hydraulic steering setup
4)get a 4 blade trophy. 23 pitch for 300xs. 24 pitch for 300x
(ive had both motors)
5) only use amsoil HP injector oil
6)enjoy. you will have a 75 mph boat that runs great all day in any conditions the bay can toss at it.

also have eastcoast do the rigging

i would sell my boat and buy yours before i went thru all that work, LOL... and that's no joke. everytime i look at your 24 build thread and all those pics i really think about selling mine and picking yours up

but cash IS an issue unfortunately... picked a great economy/market to graduate college with my BS in business and try to find a full-time career in this messy market.. or i should blame my parents for having me in 1985, LOL

i'm stuck with my 250 EFI until further notice... just trying to get the most out of the boat with what i got and making small improvements where needed

any reason for getting rid of the jackplate and only running a setback plate? any pro or con of adding 6 or 8 inches to the jackplate i already have?

jackplate is just unnessecary. it really just does nothing. its kinda cool but just dosnt really do much on a 24. the setback provides more leverage when you trim out to get more air under the boat. thereby providing less wetted surface area for less friction and mo speed. What prop are you running? also i would try to pick up a cheap, maybe used full hydraulic steering setup. So yeah, without changing power i would just ditch the jackplate, do the setback, def. buy a BRAND NEW prop (very important, to those who know, theres just nothing like those factory fresh blades) and try to cop some full hydraulic steering.

also tell me what pitch prop and what RPMS at what MPH your running. And have joey from eastcoast put on the setback. he will get your optimal x-dimension.

with a labbed 23P mirage plus i borrowed from a friend - 6000 + rpms chirping the limiter once in awhile - 63.5 mph


with a 21P trophy plus - 61-62mph at 3/4 throttle hitting the rev limiter hard ... this is the prop that i bought the boat with


with a used 25P mirage - 62ish mph @ 5500 rpm

with a kinda beat up 23P tempest plus 67-68mph at 6000 rpms


went running with some guys today... they all telling me the same as u... get rid of the jackplate and put on a 12" setback... i'll get that done this winter for sure

i also would like to address my steering.. it pulls something awful when i trim it out and is very tiring and a handfull in rough waters

change the steering helm....its NFG....

ditch the jack...like we said today its a novelty...somethng else to break.....

i am going to say that the 2" below the pad is going to be the spot....once you have the setback on the boat you may be able to go up slightly maybe one more bolt hole....

as far as a prop i am willing to bet money that the 24 tempest is going to be it....i hit the rev limiter once or twice today with the 23 tempest....once the engine is raised and set back its def gonna need more pitch....plus cruise speed is up 10mph from my trophy.....

George,

What prop are you running now? Change from the 23 trophy yet?

This is what you do
sell the 24 superboat
and buy a 21 superboat
im sure after the beating I gave pitt
he will be selling hes real soon :evilb:

My neighbor used a tempest on his 24 baja with a V8. Best prop he ever had. The only thing better was a spinelli. Tempest is a great wheel.

Do you guys think a tempest is better then a trophy for a 24????? how do the pitches coordinate???

3 blade props don't work that great on a 24' Super no matter if it's an outboard or an I/O. A three blade might get you 1 maybe 2 mph on top but the all around performance with a 4 blade is the way to go.
Any of you out board guys ever try a Revolution 4? That was the best box stock prop I ever ran on my 24' I/O.

LOL! still on your high horse huh man , ahahah

and trust me... i already got the itch :eek::eek::eek:i've been boat shopping again, just in case something catches my interest. i like the height and space and room of the 24 SB... but i think i might like an extra 20mph a little more :party-smiley-004:

so far i've tried a 21 trophy (obviously a joke) and a 23 trophy...

i think the pitches coordinate semi-close bc the 23 trophy i tried would turn very similar rpms as the 23 tempest and chirp the rev limiter about the same amount.... both the 23 trophy and 23 tempest i could turn 6000+ rpms and hit the alarm ... i believe i'm supposed to prop for around 5800 is where peak HP falls off. i'm looking to get my hands on a 24 tempest...

i also have a 25 trophy i'll be trying soon also

the mirage props sucked (23P and 25P)... dind't like anything about them. holeshot sucked, mid-range sucked, and top end was lacking.

i've tried i think 8 or 9 props so far and the 23 tempest is ahead by a solid 4+ mph easily compared to the next fastest prop i've tried

should be trying another 1 or 2 props this coming weekend

Rory.....running a 23 Tempest at the moment.....consistent 68.5 mph @ 5800 with no other changes....the 23 trophy is a dog compared to the Tempest.....cruise picked up 10mph at 4000....

i just ordered a Hydro Dynamics 12" setback...once the motor is where it belongs i hope it can spin a 24 tempest

as far as the Rev 4 goes i ran a 23 on my boat...did 65 at abou 5700 and the stern walked sideways at top end....i had to really steer the hell out of the boat to keep it straight....

i think the extra diameter of the tempest is what helps carry te bow in the 24....thr trophy is great if you have enough horsepower (300X) to over come the need for more bow lift....

i have yet to try a prop on my boat that is as good all around as this old azz tempest i am running.....ive tried Choppers, Trophys, Rev 4, Mirage, Mazco RE-3, and a Hydromotive something or other.....

I guess the Rev 4 has too much blade area so too much stern lift for the lighter outboard 24s.
A B1 may have the same effect but may be worth a try.

George,

I guess the larger diameter of the tempest did the trick . Bet it carrys the bow better with less trim. Its odd I didnt have much luck with 3 blades. I only 1-2 mph on top end and general performance in the mid range was not a good as trophy. Did you change engine height? Its was set up very low.

Rory

Shibby you want an extra 20mph. Bigger boat already. I found a boat for you. How about a 29 progression with twin 300,s for 25k. Who wants it ??? Its at MRD and at 25k it will be gone fast. Call Skip at 631-225-5656

Different animal, but so far a 23 Rev 4 has treated the challenger well. Spin it about 5800 and seeing 65 with it. Just about 1 MPH off the mirage. Brett at Bblades has something cooking for me now.:evilb::drink:

Rory,

i havent changed a thing other than the prop as far as set up goes....the way they drilled the transom i can only go up one hole which is no where near enough....the prop shaft is almost 5 full inches below the bottom and it should be around 2 below.....

yes the Tempest carries the bow much better...also the trim button actualy makes a difference LOL....it used to be just a small amount of trim ad the boat would stop reacting really...now the more you trim the more it lifts....

i have a Hydro Dynamics Bracket in the works and i am havning knees glassed in instead of tie bars so hopefully next year the boat will be a consistent 70mph boat....at that point i am done...the 24 doesnt need to go any faster in my opinion...

can i find pics anywhere?

pardon my ignorance... i'm new (i'll keep using the "new" excuse as long as possible :grinser010:) .... but MRD = ?

what year is it

The boats an 89 . I looked at it yesterday. Its mint. Original gelcoat mint. The cabin has never been sat in. The cotpit interior is new this year and it looks like don frost,s work. supernice. 1 powerhead was from merc last spring. and one lower was from merc 2 months ago. MRD is in lindenhurst, at the anchorage. Tell skip mike the zuperboat sent you.

sb knees
 

Not sure which person on this thread is having his 24 transom glassed in with knees. Not to derail this but a quick question:

Are you having them glassed to the top of the transom and modifying the splashwell, or just going up to the underside of the well. Doing the underside, at least on my 1990 24, doesn't look like they would go high enough to offer as much support as the tiebars would off the top of transom.?

Thanks
John

have some more results to add... tried more props this morning

24P trophy plus with the hub plugs out - 65mph @ a touch above 6000 rpms

26P trophy plus with the hub plugs IN - 69mph @ 5750-5800 rpms... but it took FOREVER to climb to this rpm and settle in

i might go give the 26P a try with those hub plugs removed for chits and giggles and see what it does?? dont know how much difference those holes make


i didn't try any adjustment on the hydraulic jackplate with these two props, so i dont know if maybe there's more gain to be had with a different motor height. i was only playing with trim feeling it out a click at a time

these trophy props really dont give much bow lift

mid-range acceleration was pretty uneventful/boring borderline non-existent with the 24 and 26 trophy props i felt.. but they do get up on plane real good

.... i'd like to give a 25 Trophy a try... might be a nice balance between the 24 and 26 as far as getting to max rpm a little quicker, i could probably spin the 25 maybe 5900 or a touch more... dont know if that would give me a speed gain or loss stepping the prop pitch down?


there was a 24 Tempest plus on ebay i wanted to buy but i lost it :mad: forgot about the auction. the 23 tempest i could turn 6000+rpms and it gave awesome bow lift and ran 68-69mph..... the 24 might bring the rpms down a touch and give me another mph?


i'm probably going to follow suit with george and get a 12" setback. i'll sell my CMC 5.5" hydralic jackplate and put a setback on instead.. get more bow lift out of it without having to trim the dickens out of it

draw any conclusions from my updated prop testing results, what do u guys think?

STEVE