Looking for a boat mechanic

[Blackellunge]

2003 smokercraft Milentia 171 with a 2 stroke 75hp Mercury. looking for recommendation to local boat mechanic to give my motor a look to determine why i'm having issues getting out of the hole and on a plane. It will plane out but is struggling to get there. I'm looking for someone reliable. in Draper but will travel some . thanks in advance.
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[Kent]

I live less than a mile from S&S Marine in Woods Cross and I take my boat to Lee's Marine in Hyrum. That should tell you something.
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[BearLakeFishGuy]

You can talk to Lee at Lee's Marine in Hyrum and he could probably tell you over the phone if you can tell him the pitch & diameter of prop you're running and the the RPM's your engine is turning at wide open throttle. Lee is incredible and really know's his stuff. However, I think that with a 17'+ boat, your gear, a couple of guys and the altitudes we have in northern Utah, that a 75hp is almost underpowered on a boat like yours. I have a 17.5' Lund Tyee and I run a 150hp. I would feel comfortable going down to a 115, but definitely not any smaller.
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[Blackellunge]

thanks guys, ill have to check in with Lee's- never thought about the elevation factor! boat had no problems in the midwest ...my next boat will have more horses !!!
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[wiperhunter2]

This is a good thread of something that could help, worked wonders on my boat.
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...ead#unread
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[Blackellunge]

thanks! sounds like elevation has given others similar problems - i actually have a Stingray Hydrofoil on my motor already, definitely helps to get up to plane , i just need more power

i put on a trolling plate when trolling for trout at the berry , and the boat really struggles gettin on a plane with more than 2 of us in the boat.
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[wiperhunter2]

Well that is a cheaper solution to the problem you are having but as others have mentioned, changing your prop will likely fix the problem, especially since you already have a Hydrofoil. This was an issues I had years ago on an older boat that had a smaller motor like yours. Do you know what the pitch is on your prop? There are several prop repair shops in SLC that can help you with this problem. Just Google Prop repair and call a couple of them up, a lot of times they will have rebuilt props, that are cheaper than buying new ones. You can buy used props for 75 to 90 dollars, new ones are around $140, this is for aluminum props. You do need to know what pitch your prop is before calling, so they will have an idea what size you will need to get your boat up on plane, especially at higher altitude.
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[Lundman]

You might check your prop - depending on the elevation you might want to consider going to a 19 degree for all around performance -- elevation change can effect a 25% decrease in performance.
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[Blackellunge]

great info fellas, definitely going to look at changing the prop - be pulling it out of storage this weekend

thanks!
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