Really some helpful answers here.....from the guys who know. Couple of things in adding my "2 cents": Slow planing is too much pitch or wrong trim or both. If the engine is tuned correctly, biggest speed reducer is too much hull in the water. My last boat was a 2002 Crestliner 1750 Fish Hawk...
We worked with a lot of 5052 T6 aluminum sheets when I was in industry. No castings, just sheet goods.....don't know the aluminum material type on castings used.
So will property owners with water front property. Wonder if any law suits have been issued to "wake boat" owners/operators for tearing up folks boats, piers, docks, and water front bulkheads!!!!!!
And while you are at it, put a "ported" SS prop on that 115 to get the best of both worlds you mention. I had an original Mercury Laser (they have a Laser II now also) ported SS prop on my first 115, a "tower of power". I got pulled up on slalom just fine and 50 MPH on the other end was not a...
That's the sucker that used to run circles around my new 1972 Johnson 125. Where did you get the picture? Looks like a new one. If its somebody's restoration handy work they are really good at what they do.
Back in the days of the cross flow 4 and then 6 cylinder Mercs, at Lake X in Florida (Mercury's proving ground) boats would undergo destructive testing (being powered with production Merc. engines) to weed out the weak points of the engine. They named the lake X because giving out its real name...
The cutting them in half is a great idea. When you get the hub out you can cross cut the rubber to get the brass bushing out. I would expect both actions would require some clean up work but you now would have access to what you want to do.
4 blades are advertised to be stern lifters.....primarily at the lower speeds where 3 blades don't perform as well. I had 3 and 4 blade props and they proved the point and also the effect of the additional blade reducing top end.
For smaller engines like the triple and 4 cylinder 2 stroke loopers in the 90-125 HP class, the service manual states that if compression is below 120 PSI, expect problems.
Opinion: I think the 115 was just the 850 with an extra carb and a couple more pistons stacked on top.....with a 2:1 gear box. Having had both, The '88 115 I6 was liken to a well oiled sewing machine. Another mighty fine engine that loved to run my little Ranger "pad" boat at 50 MPH at 6k...
Mine had Mercury spelled with a "lower case" m.......disqusted me every time I looked at it.......It had 3 stripes, silver, red, and one other color, blue I think, I forget.....they were beneath the name in a straight line from the front of the cowl straight back and at the rear turned down and...
I had a similar situation. Ordered 100' of 3/8 reinforced industrial type hose from an industrial supply house in a major city. Received 100' of 3/4" industrial air compressor output hose. Contacted them and got the same response. On my end I was out the $$$ and had no useable hose.
