99 Stratos pro elite 225 Johnson H.O. help?

[dennis08]

I Just recently bought a 99 Stratos 201 pro elite w/225 Johnson H.O. I was hoping someone with a similar boat/engine combination could give me some ideas on what prop to run and what kind of top end speed this thing is capable of as is. I'd also like to know any modifications or upgrades I could do to make this Johnson run and perform faster, and how far and fast can I go to still be reasonably reliable to fish tournaments yearly. I haven't heard of many aftermarket parts made for Johnson or Evinrude either but any direction would be appreciated. I'd also like to know what kind of RPM's I can buzz this thing.

[225ho]

Had similar. Max you will see loaded to fish is in the mid 70's gps in stock form. You can do tons of crap to the HO.....(plug idle reliefs, space air box, tighter heads, clean glue lines, reeds and cages ets) will still be reliable.

However; no matter what you do to the HO the 201 will hit a wall at around 78-80mph.

Best thing you can do is get rid of the Stratos and put the HO on 20' Bullet hull.......


10 mph speed increase instantly.... and if you do said mods above plus gear case swap to Sportmaster you will have a mid 90's gps fishing setup.

Good luck

[dennis08]

I'd honestly be happy with 78-80mph with this boat as heavy as it is. What type of prop and rpms were you running with yours? Would it be better to try a different head or just deck and plug the stock ones?

[225ho]

If your content with mid upper 70's I would not touch the heads because then you will have to be content with running 93 octane (allways)

before you go all mod crazy on the motor, get the boat setup right first and get all you can out of it before making motor changes.

1st thing is at least 10" of setback (hydrolic preferably) some people don't see the value of being able to raise and lower motor at speed....some people do. I am one that does. I feel it's a must. You can experiment with 2 and 4 inch spacers on the 10" plate...but 10 was the best for me.

Next thing is get all your crap into the back of the boat or just go on a gear diet period. Rods only in the rod box, light weight gear in the front. keep it limited to life jackets, rain gear, ropes, crankbait plano boxes in the front. Put all your dang anchors, and 30 lbs of plastics, jigs and c rig weights in the back passanger box. (anchor all the way back in the bilge if you can as well as spare prop)

now that you have proper setback, moved your weight out and around go run the thing. My boat ran the best about 3 bumps down from full trim.

in the prop catagory....I was running a worked 27 Renegade. I'd say that other props are better today. txp's, Hydromotive quad IV's and Mercs selection of trophy's too.

So, #1 setback, #2 move wieght out/around, #3 get a couple of props to run and pick a couple (must have a spare) once you find a prop that your rig likes you probably want it worked.....I say Rich Boger...others say others. Personal preference thing. Find a shop you like and go with them. I would caution you to stay away from shops that "thin" blades. it will break.

after you have 1,2,3 and 4(working prop)

then you can start your engine work. easy mod on HO's. space your air box about a 1/4 inch off carbs froom factory. (200'ish rpms on top) Plug idle relief holes with set screws (1 hp per cylinder). Reeds....and cages and then it gets more involved after that.

If you do steps 1-4 then air box mod and idle reliefs you should see day in and day out 76.5 - 77 fishing load setup. I couldn't tell you what it will run light as I never ran any of my boats light. Im sure 80 is there but I never saw it so I can't say it "will run 80 light"

[bigbore]

I Just recently bought a 99 Stratos 201 pro elite w/225 Johnson H.O. I was hoping someone with a similar boat/engine combination could give me some ideas on what prop to run and what kind of top end speed this thing is capable of as is. I'd also like to know any modifications or upgrades I could do to make this Johnson run and perform faster, and how far and fast can I go to still be reasonably reliable to fish tournaments yearly. I haven't heard of many aftermarket parts made for Johnson or Evinrude either but any direction would be appreciated. I'd also like to know what kind of RPM's I can buzz this thing.

that'll give u a good idea what can b done,u ca n go that rout or call RACER (on the boards,al stoker),do what u want,i run a worked raker 26.an srx 27or 29 will b best top end.

[dennis08]

I dont have the exact factory specs on this engine but do you have any ideas on max rpms that i can buzz this thing? Most of my friends with johnsons are turning them 5800-6000 but I've heard with the H.O. you can buzz it a little more. Do you remember where the propshaft height was set in at on yours? Mine also has a 10" pro hi-jacker manual lift plate.

[BenKeith]

I would put a 76d main jet in #2 carb and keep the rpm around 6,000.

The biggest gain in power on that motor will require a whole lot of port work on the intake side and raising the exhaust ports about .020" that boat. The whole intake path is just plain ugly with glue lines, port mismatching and slag. Some of the ports are probably half closed off because of this. Done properly and that alone will give you about 280 hp at 6,100 - 6,200 rpm. After doing that you can go a little deeper into the piggy bank and put MAD EFI on it, and you should see about 300 hp. Dig even deeper and put a set of Stokers heads and you could be getting close to 320 hp.

It all depends on just how bad you want it and how much you wanna spend.

The biggest problem with this whole package is the porting. Al Stoker is the only one I would let put a die grinder inside my motor (other than me) and I'm not sure he's doing that kind of work anymore. If he is, it would probably be about christmas time so you will have plenty of time to save up. You would have to check with him to see.

Just for gee wiz info, I have a 99 Javelin R20 DC that will run a touch over 80 with two men and gear when I have one of my modified motors on it (and they are carburated), so that motor can be made to kick some ass.

[dennis08]

why would you just jet the number two carburetor up instead of all of them? Do you know what the difference is in the venom 225 and the newer H.O. (head and port size/oiling system etc).

[BenKeith]

Because of the unbalanced cooling #2 cylinder egts are approx 50 degrees hotter and is the cylinder that is most prone to loose the ring locator pins. Jetting it up gets the temp back down to closer to the other.

The Venom (200/225) block has exhaust ports that are 1.170" wide and 1.80" down from the deck. The HO has exhaust ports that are 2.340" wide and approx 1.730" down from the deck. For a heavy bass boat, I would never raise them above 1.70", that will put peak hp at approx 6,300 rpm. The HO also has a smaller exhaust relief hole.

Those are the only differences between the HO block and the 200/225 block. Mater of fact, those are the only difference between the carburated 225 and the 250/225HO motors for the same year model. Most of the 200's have smaller carbs and throttle bodies, but some of the 200 S models actually had 225 carbs on them, so they were 225's with 200 markings. Like the HO is a 250 with 225 markings.

[bigbore]

Because of the unbalanced cooling #2 cylinder egts are approx 50 degrees hotter and is the cylinder that is most prone to loose the ring locator pins. Jetting it up gets the temp back down to closer to the other.

The Venom (200/225) block has exhaust ports that are 1.170" wide and 1.80" down from the deck. The HO has exhaust ports that are 2.340" wide and approx 1.730" down from the deck. For a heavy bass boat, I would never raise them above 1.70", that will put peak hp at approx 6,300 rpm. The HO also has a smaller exhaust relief hole.

Those are the only differences between the HO block and the 200/225 block. Mater of fact, those are the only difference between the carburated 225 and the 250/225HO motors for the same year model. Most of the 200's have smaller carbs and throttle bodies, but some of the 200 S models actually had 225 carbs on them, so they were 225's with 200 markings. Like the HO is a 250 with 225 markings.


The top 2-starbird side (on mine)looking lean.95 225 vindicaor.

[225ho]

I thought an HO was stock 76d mains?

[BenKeith]

You may be right, I was thinking they had 74d's but it's been quit a while since I've messed with a stock motor so my old brain don't remember real well.. Let me just rephrase my statement. Increase the jet in #2 carb two number sizes. If it's a 76D go to a 78D

[dennis08]

I carried the boat out to test different props and the boat is now missing. I never even changed the prop. I went home and changed and gaped plugs (.030) and pulled bowl screws out of carburetors. The carburetors were clean, and I saw no signs of moisture in the gas. I opened the butterflies and inspected the reeds, cages and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The compression in each cylinder were within 10 percent of each other (110-125psi). Went back to the lake and the motor is still missing. I'm thinking it's either the ignition power pack or the timer base or something electrical because it's cutting in and out at times and idling rough. Cranks right up though. Any ideas???

[racer]

Check the shift switch first.

[bigbore]

Let me guess u got a couple high,check re-circulating system,may have a couple plugged.:cool:

[dennis08]

I replaced the power pack and the boat went back to work!!! The boat ran 73.6 with just me and my gear. I went up on the height about 3/4'' and it didn't change much at all. RPMs or speed. I definately want to put a nose cone on and bring it up all I can but I'm not sure if the prop I'm running now will work or if I need less or more pitch. I'm running a 28 pitch powertech 4 blade, hammered down to a 26-27 pitch. The boat has a good top end and rpms are just right at 5800-6000 but the boat is a punk on the holeshot. I've tried a raker 3 blade with 25-26 pitch and the holeshot is much much better but it turns too many rpms

[Action Dave]

I'm not too sure if the Raker comes in a 27 but if it does it might suit your application. Naturally, the more pitch the less hole shot, so some tinkering with different props may be required. I wouldn't recommend the 4 blade for a bow-heavy boat if you are looking for speed. You need something that is going to lift the bow with all the weight from the fishing gear. A well-cupped 3 blade will do that for you.

[BenKeith]

I would send a 26" Raker to Bob Lipton and let him work it for your boat. Made a world of difference on a 201 and a 285 Pro with the ones he's done for me.