I have a 15' wood and fiberglass whaler / Flats type craft, it is somewhat heavy especially with two adults on board. I have recently purchased a new 20hp four stroke Tohatsu for it which was a downgrade from a 1994 Force 40 hp. The Force was just too many problems. I have outfitted the Tohatsu with a SE200 Hydrofoil, and jack plate. Now I know that I lost a lot of HP with the downgrade to a more reliable motor but it does seem that I have good pickup just like the Force did. Only thing is that I cannot obviously plain at WOT with this motor, but it seems close to doing but no cigar. Is there anything I can do to other then shift weight or maybe change the OEM prop to give me that boost to plain out? The current prop is a 9 1/4 with 9" pitch. Would going to maybe a 7" pitch do it as long as I stay within recommended guidelines by manufacturer? Thanks..
PS. I know I am going to get responses over the downgrade in HP, but I believe the 40HP was too much for this craft anyways even if its a heavier boat for the size. And I had to watch the stern weight too and anything around what the 40 Force weighed was too much with only about three inches at standstill until water poured in. This Tohatsu I gained about 5 1/2 inches of clearance to water line on transom.
PS. I know I am going to get responses over the downgrade in HP, but I believe the 40HP was too much for this craft anyways even if its a heavier boat for the size. And I had to watch the stern weight too and anything around what the 40 Force weighed was too much with only about three inches at standstill until water poured in. This Tohatsu I gained about 5 1/2 inches of clearance to water line on transom.
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