need some help with motor set up

[aj.hiner]

I have a 16ft aluminum Lowe sportsman with a 60 hp mercury 4 stroke on it. The rpm range is 5500-6000 rpm's..right now I have the factory aluminum prop on and at full throttle I'm turning 5900 rpm's at 36 mph..I just put a 4 in. Jack plate on it and am at the same place I was..Where I need help is where I go from here..I'm trying to be at 40mph at 6000 rims that way I can run say 5400rpms at 35 mph..Do I put a stainless on there? What pitch? (It has a 3 blade 22 pitch now). Do I raise the motor up 2-3"? Any help would be appreciated

 

[Inline6]

Usually a good starting point is trying to have the anti-cavitation plate with the bottom of the boat. There are numerous websites that match props to weight, length and hp of boat.

Here is the Mercury prop selector.

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/propellers/selector/#/step-one


Keep in mind the more top end you start losing your hole shot.

 

[fishingga]

stainless is more efficient than aluminum, less flex and smaller blade thickness on same size prop. Drop down a pitch for SS but in my opinion what you have is about right. You want your top end a little below the max and you wont be replacing a power head, esp a merc. On a lower hp motor you do not get the same advantage from a SS prop as a larger hp motor. just my 2 cents.

 

[Alan in GA]

Sounds like...

Sounds like you are set up about right. Larger motor is about your only option. Might get a couple more mph with your present motor but at the cost of an expensive prop, tweeking the jackplate settings, and maybe more prone to cavitation with heavier loads, at lower speeds.
Hard to make a hydroplane out of a canoe! And yes I've tried- had a 12' HD wide jon boat with a jack plate and got the 9.9 running fast enough to get 'blow out' because of it's blunt nose in the gear case! Almost built a bullet nose for it but decided it was fast enough. Fun to tinker though, isn't it!

 

[ribber]

I have a 16ft aluminum Lowe sportsman with a 60 hp mercury 4 stroke on it. The rpm range is 5500-6000 rpm's..right now I have the factory aluminum prop on and at full throttle I'm turning 5900 rpm's at 36 mph..I just put a 4 in. Jack plate on it and am at the same place I was..Where I need help is where I go from here..I'm trying to be at 40mph at 6000 rims that way I can run say 5400rpms at 35 mph..Do I put a stainless on there? What pitch? (It has a 3 blade 22 pitch now). Do I raise the motor up 2-3"? Any help would be appreciated

I know you don't want to hear this but, there's not much you can do to increase speed on a 60hp. Just not enough horses to spin a cupped stainless prop to see its true effectiveness. On a V6 motor, an aggressive stainless prop can work miracles. That being said, you could play with your motor height and maybe gain 1-2mph. Sounds like your perfect at wide open RPMs. You want to run at or near 6000. A SS prop would be more efficient and would probably handle better at lower cruising RPMs.

 

[aj.hiner]

thanks for the input fellas

 

[bigblocktransam]

I have a 16ft aluminum Lowe sportsman with a 60 hp mercury 4 stroke on it. The rpm range is 5500-6000 rpm's..right now I have the factory aluminum prop on and at full throttle I'm turning 5900 rpm's at 36 mph..I just put a 4 in. Jack plate on it and am at the same place I was..Where I need help is where I go from here..I'm trying to be at 40mph at 6000 rims that way I can run say 5400rpms at 35 mph..Do I put a stainless on there? What pitch? (It has a 3 blade 22 pitch now). Do I raise the motor up 2-3"? Any help would be appreciated

What prop is it? I know you Said 3 blade 22 p. try a 21p laser 2. Your running 46% slip with that set up. How high is the motor?