little boats

[mackey147]

Here’s some more photos of our Vyper 4 Meter in Lake Erie water.

[at100plus]

Yea hydraulic jack is probably a must if it won't plane but could be your prop too. Lots of people say thru hub props are the preference on Superboats and similar Vs. I've never liked any that I've tried. I like a good worked chopper or semi cleaver like Performance Propellers drag, Lightning ET or Yamaha drag. 4 people in that boat hugely affects it's performance. 60+ is actually quite good for 4 aboard, but to really maximize the efficiency it's gonna come down to engine, height, some setback and the right prop for what you are doing with the boat on that particular day, a prop fo 4 people and one for when you're solo probably. Keep us posted, I love Tuff boats and the 16 is really cool. I wonder how one would run with my inline 6.

[hellbents-10]

Thanks for the advise! This is a new type of boat for me so I have a ton to learn! I am looking forward to trying out different props and engine heights. There is a huge difference in getting on plane from 2 light people to 4 heavier people for sure! I am surprised the top end does not change that much. That alone tells me I have some work to do on the whole setup. I think it would be a riot with the I-6, what is the weight on that one? I am looking for a commercial 70-90 Yamaha to get a 15" mid. I need to work on making a carbon cowl and taking the latch assembly out, that stuff is HEAVY!

That pic of the Vyper out of the water is awesome!

[at100plus]

An inline 6 is a little over 300 maybe 310. If you are new in the game, usually it goes without saying but once you setback and jack it up, speeds over 60 it becomes very important that everything is rock solid tight. Solid engine mounts, dual cable, Nydahl or hydraulic steering with zero play when you yank on the engine it shouldn't budge. Bushings in your clamp/swivel bracket, no play in tilt tube, trim ram ends etc. Also foot throttle trim at the wheel so both hands can stay on the wheel, engine kill switch and quality, preferably racing lifejacket.

[hellbents-10]

Right on! I have ran some big cat boats well over 100 and some fast big V boats. The little engine pad bottom is a new deal though!

[at100plus]

Here’s some more photos of our Vyper 4 Meter in Lake Erie water.

Who built that Vyper? I'm looking at Checkmate Playmate, Fantasy or Paradise F13s for my son. Trying to figure research build quality. So far I've heard Fantasy was inconsistent, I'm told built with chopper gun but haven't verified, also that some had air voids particularly in the strakes, and some were good. Paradise I was told by an owner of one who knows boats, that his looks like a very good build. I'm confident if I could find a Checkmate that was cared for it would be good. I'm also considering a Bullet 130, or possibly a Funcat although I'm afraid that may be too fast or could roll since he's 16 and it would be his first boat.

[mackey147]

Who built that Vyper? I'm looking at Checkmate Playmate, Fantasy or Paradise F13s for my son. Trying to figure research build quality. So far I've heard Fantasy was inconsistent, I'm told built with chopper gun but haven't verified, also that some had air voids particularly in the strakes, and some were good. Paradise I was told by an owner of one who knows boats, that his looks like a very good build. I'm confident if I could find a Checkmate that was cared for it would be good. I'm also considering a Bullet 130, or possibly a Funcat although I'm afraid that may be too fast or could roll since he's 16 and it would be his first boat.

Vyper is the manufacturer. They were based out of Erie, PA. I don't think there were too many of them made, but I have seen a couple of them floating around. As far as build quality, mine is a 1997 and seems to be in fairly decent shape. We use it in Lake Erie (probably over 100 hours in the last 15 months or so since we bought it) and it can get pretty abused at times (see photos from my earlier post). The only issue we have had arise so far is the deck and the hull have started to separate in some areas; I attribute this to using the boat in water that we probably shouldn't have. The plan is to fiberglass it together over the winter.

[Robby321]

Here’s some more photos of our Vyper 4 Meter in Lake Erie water.

Need a shorter shaft, or motor jacked as way too much prop in the water

[Capt.Insane-o]

It's fine as set up..that particular hull was passed around like candy.

[mackey147]

Need a shorter shaft, or motor jacked as way too much prop in the water

I was thinking the same thing. I raised the engine one hole, but probably should have been a bit more liberal. Currently looking for a hydraulic jack plate. I am worried about getting up on plane as I keep raising the engine, would be nice to have the best of both worlds. Especially with the ever-changing waters of Lake Erie.

[Mark75H]

Jack plate isn't a substitute for a 15" motor

[mackey147]

Jack plate isn't a substitute for a 15" motor

Understand, my thought about it was that since it takes a while to get up on plane with the long shaft sitting so deep in the water, raising the engine to get more speed will make that even worse. So having the jack plate would allow me the flexibility to get up on a plane quicker and still get the top end I’m after. I also like the idea of being able to push the motor down to help with handling if the lake picks up. I am relatively new to all of this, so please feel free to tell me my thinking is wrong!

[Mark75H]

The 15" case can reach deep enough. The extra 4 or 5 inches is just extra height on the bowling ball on a stick of a tall motor.

[Robby321]

The 15" case can reach deep enough. The extra 4 or 5 inches is just extra height on the bowling ball on a stick of a tall motor.

higher center of gravity ya know..not good

[at100plus]

Deeper in the water causes drag that actually makes it harder to plane. Prop selection can help that too.