plugging water p/u holes

[inspectorlance]

Whats the best way to plug the top water p/u holes on my 1994 omc looper ? I am thinking of maybe threading in brass plugs ? Any other ideas ? I hear that I should plug the top two holes ? Does this mean just one top hole on each side or the two top holes on each side ? We only have four holes on each side. Is there any down side to doing this ?

Lance

[Rickracer]

...and since there are four on each side of a V-4 OMC, I initially plugged the top 2 (on each side). That worked well, but then I wanted more engine height, so I filled the third hole down, and drilled a new one near the bottom of the water pump feed cavity. Then I took a burr and opened it up to a vertical slot about the depth of two OEM holes, and faired in the opening so it kind of scooped in the water. Tapping and plugging should work, but I don't think it's really necessary. I don't have any pics of the finished work, but I think you can figure it out. 5200 is quite durable, but not as permanant as Marine-Tex, JB Weld or epoxy. If it doesn't work well, stick an icepick in it and pull it out. :cool:

[Bulletboy]

There is no need to thread and plug. Just do what Rickracer said when you decide if it helps or works you can do a more permanant job with JB or marine tex


Ray

[Superdave]

Plastic plugs like used to hold auto interior trim in place. They pushed in and had a plastic pin that when pushed in it spread the plug and held it in. After I decided how many to plug, I used SS setscrews with red loctite.
Dave

[RONNIE]

Send it to bobs and get a nosecone put on it and get it over with

[inspectorlance]

I just ordered the Hydromotive cone with lwp. It's knife shaped and shouldnt kill the bow lift like a bob's will. Can't wait to try it. I think Pyro is running the same one.

Lance

[pyro]

Do whatever you wish, but...

The cone on mine was there when I got the boat.
Yes, you're correct, the 'motive has a flat nose profile, not as broad on the top side of the nose, less lift-killing downforce at lower propshaft heights.
ANY cone on a hull like a vegas or a checkmate is going to hurt bowlift under 85 mph to some degree.
The vegas likes propshaft heights around 1"-2" under, at these heights you can plug the top two sets of holes and get good water pressure, from what I've been reading here.
The cone might not give you the best results.

My best GPS confirmed top end so far is 79.3 @ 6300 with a 29" Mazco RE3.

Keep us updated...

[inspectorlance]

I have plugged the top two holes on each side, and I'm still loosing water presure. I dont think I have any choise but to go to a lwp cone. I may wait till spring to installed the cone and make some more runs. When I trim out it drops to about 3 lb water presure, and I know thats way too low. Any ideas ?

[pyro]

What propshaft heights are you running? Measure with the trim set so the shaft is parallel with the pad, how many inches below are you? Are you trimming more than necessary? How high does the rooster tail look?

If you do the cone, do it right. No bondo, use marine tex, jb weld or other strong epoxy. Fill your stock intakes with epoxy, and the passage inside, so the water doesn't pool inside and crack it in freezing weather...

[sho305]

This may mean nothing, but on my pile bayliner I was screwing with the prop and filing it. I lost some bow lift. I hammered (crude:D ) some cup in the tip and now it runs good at less trim than it ever did. Could have picked up a hair of speed, not sure. Have no idea what prop you have/setup/etc.; but a bit more lift if possible could help you enough to work.

Now runs like this with no relief, no jack, open heavy bow, only 85hp and me, about 1" raised on transom.

If that didn't help, least ways you got a laugh today:D

[ON THE HUNT]

Big smile on my face,man you glass a pad on that thing and itll be dangerous!

[sho305]

The sad part is I was going to...:eek: Fun to screw with but like everyone here suggests I'm starting to think I should invest my time in something that tops 70mph instead of approaching 50mph. So maybe I'll fix my Checkmate or get something instead of messing more with it. The hull trims about that high and has a small flush pad, but will not trim any higher. I think the short bottom strakes keep the nose from raising anymore. I was going to add a relieved pad on it for fun, but time is shorter these days.:(

[Superdave]

Running any setback? If you setback you get more pressure at the same height. You may also grind the bottom pickups with a taper down towards the nose.
Dave

[Rickracer]

Anything beyond just slightly positive is wasting horsepower that could be better used to propel the boat forward. :cool:

[BOUDREAUX]

Originally posted by inspectorlance
I just ordered the Hydromotive cone with lwp. It's knife shaped and shouldnt kill the bow lift like a bob's will. Can't wait to try it. I think Pyro is running the same one.

Lance

where did u order this from ? and are you sure it wont kill the bow lift because i might be interested in this

[inspectorlance]

The hydromotive cone is'nt much of a cone shape, its more of a knife taper cresent that does'nt extend very far in front of the original bullet nose. I am running my prop shaft 1 - 2 " below the pad. I think I may need to get some more seat time and do some more testing. Its most likley operator Error !! I'm sure that I was over trimming. My last two runs were in pretty bad weather (rain), and cold. Being the rooky that I am I also learned that these motors dont run quite right in cold weather. I understand the my motor isnt jetted to run in sub- 60 degree weather. It seemed to run rich. oh well Guess I will have to wait for spring like everyone else.

Check out http://www.hydromotive.com/

[pyro]

Superdave brings up a good point. How much setback you got? The Vegas really needs 6"-8" just to perform properly with driver and passenger. Maybe you should do some more testing before you jump the gun and mess with the lower unit...

[inspectorlance]

I have 10" of setback. More testing is a good idea. will do

[pyro]

Start with very little trim, 1.5" under the pad. When you're running wide open, find the sweet spot. If you trim below this spot, you'll slow down. If you're above this point, you'll have a big rooster tail and a high-flying bow. In other words, use the least amount of trim required to stay at your top speed. You'll be surprised how flat the Vegas can run and still stay on the pad. You rooster tail should be less than 4 feet or nonexsistent. If you're not over-trimming, you should get good water pressure...

[sho305]

What angle of trim do you think the motor is at wot, to the water?