Eliminator Sport Cruiser setup/prop question

[Todd98SE]

Hello S&F,

I'm a new boat owner and picked up a 1988 Eliminator Sport Cruiser with a Mercury 200 Black Max a few weeks ago. It came with a 21 pitch High Five prop and the first time out I was easily pegging redline at way less than full throttle with 3 adults and 2 children on board. The High Five had little to no bow rise and hooked up instantly however I feel it is severely limiting the top end. I've been reading everything I can on prop selection and have been considering trying a 25 pitch Trophy Plus as my next prop. Should I be setting up this boat similar to a 20 foot bassboat with a comparable engine? It has the rounded keel but is otherwise is fairly flat. It doesn't have a jackplate yet and I haven't measured prop shaft to keel height yet.

Any suggestions on beginner setup and prop selection for this style boat and engine?

Thank You,
Todd

[Flatlander]

I own a 1987 Sport Cruiser that I bought new. It originally had a a 225 OMC on it and would run low 70's with 26 chopper. I blew that motor up twice before I finally dumped it and and built a 225 Promax for it. My boat also has the rounded keel with the factory set back plate and a 6" hydraulic jack plate. I have experimented with a lot of props over the years trying to find the best all around prop that gives me decent top end, will pull one skier and haul people and beer From what I have found, the 25" Trophy has been the best prop so far, a close second is the Predator 4 blade Eagle. The motor is due to be freshened up, but will still run low 70's on a cool day with one person. I should mention that I had a different windshield made for it years ago that gives a little more protection from the wind. That windshield slowed me down a couple mile per hour. These boats are rather bow heavy so you need a good bow lifting prop and the Trophy does that along with lifting the entire hull. The more weight you can move to the back, the better. I should note that I haven't tried any new props in the last ten years, so there may very well be a better prop on the market now a days.

[Todd98SE]

Thank you Flatlander for the info. Sounds like I'm on the right track with the Trophy Plus and a jackplate. Any thoughts on whether or not I'll still be in good shape running the 25 pitch with only a 200?

The ability to carry a cooler and 1-2 other people is still more important to my than solo high speed runs.

[Flatlander]

Hard to say... depends on how healthy your 200 is. Personally, I think a 225 is about the lowest HP required for these hulls. How many r's and mph were you spinning the 21 high five? I ran a 24" Trophy for a while and it was very comparable to the 25". The Predator Eagle is a little smaller dia. and less blade area so it is somewhat easier to spin. Are you able to get your hands on a Trophy and try it? Sorry I don't have a definite answer for you.... every setup is different.

[Todd98SE]

Well to follow up I was finally able to get out to the lake with the 25p Trophy Plus. No prop ring and large PVS plugs really killed the holeshot but midrange and top end were much better. At 6000rpm the GPS tach showed 64mph. This was with 2 adults and 2 kids on board with full tanks. I'm going to try a couple variations of PVS plugs and/or a prop ring to try to improve the holeshot. Also turns out this boat is actually a Liberty and not a sport cruiser as I was originally told. Going to post pics after I compound and polish the gel coat. Really enjoying this boat so far. Cheers,