1979 Viking build

[LakeFever]

Continually testing props and working the set up and have learned some really helpful tricks here. I don’t know if I’ve ever read anyone else doing this or not this may be old hat to you but to me this was a massive revelation I figured out on yesterdays run. I run with a lot boats mostly stvs and cats. I can keep up on any runs in the 80mph range but in the corners these guys all leave me in the dust. Not last night. They couldn’t pass me. The trick is I worked the trim to its maximum setting which is a bit fussy and does change a little with full fuel load or empty but there is a sweet spot where it will air completely out and is drivable vs a blip too much where the chine walk gets too hairy to stay in it and I have to bump it down. The difference between a perfect trim set up and not quite enough is about 5mph so I try to get this dialed every time. The challenge is every corner I trim down and have to get it exactly back to its sweet spot again which is hard to hit perfect every time.

My new style of driving is leave the trim alone once it’s set I don’t touch it. I use the jackplate instead and power it down for the corners and back up when I’m coming out of the corner. This is way easier and with the added bonus of being able to take the corner a lot faster than I can with just the trim. I’ve been trimming down for corners my whole life and have looked at the jackplate as a tool for setting the correct height for load and little else. It is great for me to have because with a passenger it needs to run a little deeper to carry the bow properly and when I have the wife and kids just out for an ice cream cruise it’s deeper again. For speed runs I’ve been measuring and setting at specific heights to compare data at what works best. Well, now I’m throwing all this in the trash. The jackplate is my goto and the trim is the set it and forget it part of my set up.

Best part of this is my jackplate has protap which is a computer to control jackplate height with presets. So im going to get this thing and install it and get the perfect height and trim combo figured out then leave my trim maxed and use the programmed settings to make this whole ordeal very easy. Pretty pumped about this.


As for the props I have grown to like the et. What I like most about it is it wants to run deep. Out of all my props it really doesn’t want to be surfaced much I’m about even or half inch above pad with it at most. The et also runs great jacked down below the pad. In fact it doesn’t really scrub too much speed or acceleration off the et even if I jack two inches below the pad. This for obvious reasons considering the above is making my goto prop. I have also grown a real appreciation this summer for my big ear 28 which is the best prop to run if I have a passenger. The et hates passengers and has a hard time carrying the bow properly with a front seated passenger. The big chopper does this with ease. I can run 88 no issues with a passenger or two running the big ear. The et runs low 90’s on my own and accelerates great for a 30p. The et cut tempest is my goto for rougher days. Very neutral lift so it makes running fast over chop easy.

Next mod is adding protap which is now called Dometic interact drive jackplate controller. Yikes who at corporate thought that name change was wise? Lol

[LakeFever]

[LakeFever]

Well that’s it for this season. Winterizing tomorrow we have snow coming and I’m done sadly. It was a great year with a ton of good running except for one unfortunate problem. Not once all summer did I get out in glass so I could shoot for a number. The fastest I went all summer was 92 with the et and I wasn’t even trying it just happened one day. I grew to really appreciate the et for its safety factor. The et runs nicely balanced and does not make the boat do anything extra which is fortunate because I had a couple events this year that could have been less than fun. I never even got a chance to run the hoss this year. Boat and motor has 1900 miles in it now and 114 hours. I can’t complain with this 2.5 build it’s been excellent and I run it wfo every time out. I can cruise mid to high 80’s all day until the chop gets too much. I was really hoping for one cool calm glassy fall day where I could go out light load and see what it has but that’s going to have to wait till next year now. I’m still plodding along on my next 2.5 build but it’s been on the back burner. So after lots of effort and testing it’s still a low 90 mph boat. I was hoping the tuning and et was going to put me over 95 but that’s how it goes. I’m at the limits of what this motor can pump out on the day to day but the boat feels great above 90 im very pleased with that part of it all.


so it goes, more motor coming. Might stick the smooth back on as well if I get all my ducks lined up. I still have that protap controller to install too I never got around to it this year. I tried all the props now. Hoss is best. Et next. Big ear chopper also a great choice. Et cut tempest also great just not enough pitch for me at 27

For fun I weighed my load up of fenders, 5lb halatron extinguisher, tools etc. the stuff I carry all season 52.4lbs. The rear seat is 33lbs. The front seats are 18lbs each. I also carry a small Jerry of fuel which is also 18lbs. So I’m hauling a little over 120lbs of weight I could easily drop out of it for more speed. Might try that next spring.

[skialot2]

Not for nothing Lake, 92mph with a not very warmed up 200 is pretty damn impressive.

[LakeFever]

Yeah thanks the motor has been excellent. I tend to work in stages to learn and understand what’s workin and what needs work so I kept it close to stock for that reason. Now that I have some knowledge I’ll get more aggressive with the next build. Basically aim for a drag port steel sleeve 7 petal with a laser efi and see how that goes.