malibu flightcraft problem

[cjg454ss]

gosh its been a while, i sold my viking and now have a malibu flightcraft. i know its not a speed boat but this is the site to be at for boat speed problems. it has a 95 merc rxi 200 on back and a 19 pitch merc high five prop. heres the problem. the boat will not trim out and only goes 57. most go 70 stock, i trim the boat up and it will not pull the nose up at all. no rooster nothing. the motor has some lifting plates on back that set the motor up about 3 inches. they were there before i bought it. could that be the problem. thanks in advance

chris

[msm]

If you trim it out and it wont throw a rooster then the motor is probably buried too deep in the water.

My Flightcraft is a '98 and the plates that raise the motor above the transom are factory issued.

Keep in mind that there's a 41 gallon gas tank in the nose and its going to be hard to lift that when it's full.

[ROLF]

First things first,propshaft hight/rpm,is speed GPS or pitot(sp) and what is your goal.High five is a ski only prop.Your rig can be set up and propped to go a bit faster if thats what you want but thats a dedicated ski hull so you will be sacrificing skiing ability.That hull has a great table for footin and is a excellent slolom rig.
Good luck. Rolf

[mike bryan]

i got an 18 ft stratos with a omc 150. i run a 23 inch omc viper prop which is a 3 blade thru hub. it looks stainless but a prop guy told me it was steel-steel not stainless steel. this is a high bite prop with the trailing edge being very thick. this prop pulls like a freight train and runs mid 60's. it will plane out a 180 lb man on a comp slalom ski in about 2 boat lengths. some of the merc guys might know if merc makes the equivilent of this prop or you could have one re-hubbed for your motor. i had 2 inboard nautiques and this set-up pulls harder than them.i don;t know anything about the hi-5 but guess it would be speed limited.

[afr]

we need pictures when you got problems like this
some may have messed with somthing just to sell it

[cjg454ss]

yeah i was told that high five dont give good lift. the boat was tuned by ron scarpa himself for barefooting, i foot often but being near big lakes i would like some more speed to eat up some water. any props you recommend? boat has no problem taking off

[RIVERRUMMER 70]

yeah i was told that high five dont give good lift. the boat was tuned by ron scarpa himself for barefooting, i foot often but being near big lakes i would like some more speed to eat up some water. any props you recommend? boat has no problem taking off

CK THE MOTOR HEIGHT AND TRY A TEMPEST 23", YOU NEED THE PROPSHAFT TO BE UP NEAR THE BOTTOM 2" - 3" BELOW OR SO, TESTING WITH DIFF HEIGHTS WILL GET RESULTS, REC USE AND FOOTIN WILL BE TOTALLY DIFF SETUPS SO BE READY TO CHANGE PROPS AND MOVE THE MOTOR ALOT.
HYD ADJ JACK PLATE WILL BE YOUR BEST INVESTMENT.
PROPS WILL BE YOUR SECOND BEST INVESTMENT, FIND A SHOP THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO RETURN "UNDAMAGED" PROPS AND TRY OTHERS.
WE USED TO HAVE A TEST PROGRAM WHERE YOU COULD COME AND TEST FOR $50.00 AND IF YOU BUY A PROP WE APPLY THE $50.00 TOWARDS THE PURCHASE.
GOOD LUCK AND KEEP FOOTIN TILL YOU GET TO OLD AND FAT LIKE ME!:D

[flighcraft]

I have a 1991 Malibu FlightCraft with a Mercury 2003 250XS (273hp). This boat will do 63mph GPS 6300rpm's with a 23 pitch Mecury HighFive prop. This boat is not made to go much faster than that. I can go 68mph gps but not very stable with a 24 pitch Mercury Lightning E.T. propellers race prop. This boat only has a 24 gallon tank in the front. This boat used to go 54mph with a 1990 Mercury 175 (193hp) engine with a 21 pitch Mercury highfive prop turning 6200rpm's. I have seen past data on this boat showing it should go 60mph with a 200hp engine with a Highfive prop in light load and 52mph with 4 people in boat with 19 pitch high five turning 6200rpm's.

[cjg454ss]

I have a 1991 Malibu FlightCraft with a Mercury 2003 250XS (273hp). This boat will do 63mph GPS 6300rpm's with a 23 pitch Mecury HighFive prop. This boat is not made to go much faster than that. I can go 68mph gps but not very stable with a 24 pitch Mercury Lightning E.T. propellers race prop. This boat only has a 24 gallon tank in the front. This boat used to go 54mph with a 1990 Mercury 175 (193hp) engine with a 21 pitch Mercury highfive prop turning 6200rpm's. I have seen past data on this boat showing it should go 60mph with a 200hp engine with a Highfive prop in light load and 52mph with 4 people in boat with 19 pitch high five turning 6200rpm's.

yeah i can remember when i was younger and the first model flightcraft came out with a 150 merc would do 55-60, i think the newer hull is not as fast as the older. it seems wider and heavier than i remember my fathers 91 being. im trying a couple props this week hopefully. 23 tempest, 23 trophy, if they are no good i might just get a 21 high five.

[Hottrucks]

try these guys ther great to deal with and will help you out

http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/East.Coast.Flightcraft.Incorporated.603-279-8300

[cjg454ss]

i put on a 23 trophy the other day, boat went about 60 at 5200rpm, is something wrong with my 200 xri, it seems to not turn the rpm

[Schmalzie]

I think you're looking at an engine issue. I have the same factory setup, on a '99, with a 200 EFI. With a high five, you should be able to hit 6000rpm without a problem. Even pulling a footer, I have to hold the throttle back so that I don't hit the rev limiter

[cjg454ss]

I think you're looking at an engine issue. I have the same factory setup, on a '99, with a 200 EFI. With a high five, you should be able to hit 6000rpm without a problem. Even pulling a footer, I have to hold the throttle back so that I don't hit the rev limiter


is it possible at 400 hours for the motor to be tired and in need of a rebuild? also i heard the newer flightcrafts are heavier and not as fast as the first model. im getting a 21 high five on trade to try next

[cjg454ss]

some help, the boat pulls LEFTgoing slow trimmed down (20mph) and trimmed up pulls RIGHT kinda hard. (58-60mph), any way to help this, thanks guys

[cjg454ss]

back from the dead. i have a 21 high five. cant get much lift still. anyone know if i go to a 3 blade prop which one i should try? pitch? ect. im having the heads done and a pcm upgrade to give it some bottom end also.

[Wizard]

Dude your prop is buried. Like is posted above in the other thread you need to get the propshaft to 3.5" below the pad to gain rpms. For every inch you go up you'll pick up 200 rpms. Your about 5-6" below now. If you raise it up 3" you'll pick of 600+ rpms which puts you at 5800. It's not your motor it's your set up. Adding setback will also help but not too much as holeshot will suffer. A 6" hydraulic will cure all your problems. :thumbsup:

[cjg454ss]

how much does it cost to have someone take off the motor and bolt it back on higher?

[stokernick]

I agree with Wizard,engine is way to deep,if Scarpa set it up for barefooting,you know he didn't need 50 mph!Raising the engine isn't that big a project,but you may need to go to a jackplate to get it up high enough!

[cjg454ss]

actually scarpa did his trick run inthe low 50mph range, keith st. ong(sp) foots at 57mph. its crazy. ill have an update tomorrow. thanks guys.

ps. are those rapid jacks any worth it?

[cjg454ss]

ok so i tried the prop, a trophy (23p), RPM was 5250 trimmed out and ran 58.6, the high5 (21p) went 56.7 mph @ 5900-6000rpm. the motor again is a stock 200 1995 mercury 200xri EFI. I think i may have my high5 pitched to a 23 and then try to get the motor up higher about 2-3inches. that should give me 400rpm. any suggestions? if i trimmed the motor all the way up as far as it would go the rooster was as high as the top of the motor.

What do those the motor redline at from the factory?

[Wizard]

The high five will not run well surfaced. It was desigend to run buried. The blades are just too small. Repitching the high five would be a waste of money. Spend your money on a jackplate so you can move the motor up and down. Lower for skiing with the high five and higher for running fast with a Trophy. Your 200 XRI should run 6000 rpms wide open throttle. Your loading the motor now which is not good for longevity. You must get the motor up to gain rpms. Any local dealer can install a jackplate. The rapid jacks are some of the best jackplates made. Strong and simple to use. Buy a 6" and be done with it.

[cjg454ss]

ok im going to get the jack plate, probably a hydro one too. but if i run 6k rpm no with the 21 high five and lift the motor a 2inches, wouldnt that gain me 400rpm? that would put me at 6400rpm. is my xri capable of that? what is the redline?

[Wizard]

Your engine may not have a limiter but if it does it will be around 6200. You can run that RPM with no problems. The key is to keep the H5 buried for skiing. When you raise up the motor you get more gearcase out of the water and surface the prop. This requires a raise in prop pitch to take advantage of the reduced drag and increased rpm. Moving the prop back 6" will also allows it to run in cleaner water off the transom. If you can turn a 25p Trophy to 6000 rpms and still lift the boat your running 70mph.

[xsflight]

what year is the hull? does it have the giant ski locker in the rear of the boat? hulls did gain some weight and more fuel capacity in later models. Most factory boats used either a 19 or 21 pitch laser 2 or high five. they did not go 70 stock. but think they can. Jack and 2 different types of props!

[cjg454ss]

yea mines the newest model. 41gal in the front nose, plus a 10inch sub. im going to pick up a panther electric jackplate and try that. the boat hums along at 50 but just doesnt want to go much faster. i think cause the motors barried. i have a high 5 21 on it now,

[Wizard]

Holy Crap a 40 gallon tank in the nose? Your not going to fly that hull no matter what. I've changed my mind if your willing to listen. Definately get the jackplate. What brand does not matter but a hydrolic will be best. Forget the Trophy and find a 24P Tempest Plus. The Tempest is the best bow lifting prop Mercury makes. It likes to be run about 3.5" below the pad. It will hook up and stay hooked up. Adjust the PVS plugs for holeshot. You may actually like it better than the H5 for skiing as it really shines down low.

[cjg454ss]

Holy Crap a 40 gallon tank in the nose? Your not going to fly that hull no matter what. I've changed my mind if your willing to listen. Definately get the jackplate. What brand does not matter but a hydrolic will be best. Forget the Trophy and find a 24P Tempest Plus. The Tempest is the best bow lifting prop Mercury makes. It likes to be run about 3.5" below the pad. It will hook up and stay hooked up. Adjust the PVS plugs for holeshot. You may actually like it better than the H5 for skiing as it really shines down low.

would that prop, 3.5inches under the pad be an ok height for skiing, if so i could get a manual jack plate and be done with it. much cheaper too, i would like to just set the motor and forget it. 40 gallon is huge, 40 gals of 93 @3.00 a gal, $120.00, kinda crazy but i use only 10 gals skiing all day so its not all bad.


wizard im all ears, thank you for the info

[Wizard]

Yes it probably would. The holeshot of the Tempest on big heavy bass boats is excellent. You can find used Tempests on all the bass sites for cheap. A six inch rapid jack and a Tempest should get you good overall performance.

[d26818]

I have a 2001 Flightcraft with a 17" High 5 the boat should be able to do near 60 (trimmed up) I would expect you to get 70 with a 19" (but the boat gets VERY squirrely at those speeds). This boat is made specifically for barefooting and the 17" gives you a much cleaner table. If you want a goFast boat this is probably not the best choice for you.

[cjg454ss]

I have a 2001 Flightcraft with a 17" High 5 the boat should be able to do near 60 (trimmed up) I would expect you to get 70 with a 19" (but the boat gets VERY squirrely at those speeds). This boat is made specifically for barefooting and the 17" gives you a much cleaner table. If you want a goFast boat this is probably not the best choice for you.

can you email me some pictures of the back of your boat, the prop shaft height compared to the bottom of the hulll. thank

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