Tritoon WOT performance

[chasedawg]

I just got delivery and breaking in the engine of my new Tritoon boat. What has other Tritoon owners seen for WOT performance. I find these Tritoons can really perform almost as good as fiberglass V-Hulls. Let em know what have you experienced. It seems like there is a new dynamic going on with the old pontoon boat and what is now called a tritoon. Boat sales are now favoring, what I have been told., Tritoons over fiberglass V-Hull hulls 3 to 1 in favor of the tritoons. It woud be interesting to see what is going on with this new dynamic shift in buying toons over fiberglass.

[codeman671]

I have owned a few. What did you get and what are you seeing?

[cmack]

Mine runs 35/36 according to the GPS

2012 Sylvan 8522 LZ tritoon with RPT tubes
2012 Merc 150 FS
15px15 Enertia

[Par Four]

I wish you good luck with the new boat, they're all fun.

I only own one boat, and have always only owned fiberglass "V"s. One thing I wonder about with tri toons is the same as what I think I understood the knock to have been on older cathedral tri-hull boats, that the ride in rougher water conditions was rougher than "V" hulls.

This may not apply to your new toy, based on however the hull config works out.

Goog luck and enjoy... Post updates as you go.

[Grandpa Redneck]

Our Premier 225 Sunsation LTD PTX package, with a Merc Optimax 150 will run 34 MPH by GPS with 4 large adults, 2 children and, a full fuel tank and a full load of beer n gear

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by Grandpa Redneck

Our Premier 225 Sunsation LTD PTX package, with a Merc Optimax 150 will run 34 MPH by GPS with 4 large adults, 2 children and, a full fuel tank and a full load of beer n gear

We had a similar boat a few years ago, but the deck was stretched a foot and we ran the 250 pro xs on a ptx36. We ran between 44-47 on average depending on load and Bimini.

Our 310 sky dek runs 35ish with the verado 300 pro.

My fastest was a 24' manitou oasis xplode with a 225 optimax, 49.8 on GPS. Just could not get it to break 50...

[ishoot308]

24' 2008 Manitou SHP Xplode Cruise
250 H.O. Etec with 19-P Viper prop
Max speed 53 MPH with 1 person and 1/2 tank of gas. Reduce speed by approximately 1 MPH for every person added.

Dan

[chasedawg]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

24' 2008 Manitou SHP Xplode Cruise
250 H.O. Etec with 19-P Viper prop
Max speed 53 MPH with 1 person and 1/2 tank of gas. Reduce speed by approximately 1 MPH for every person added.

Dan

I have a 2550 Bennington with a 300 Verado. Out of the box performance before broken in my GPS read 49.8 MPH at 5900 RPM. I had full tank of gas and just myself. The engine is rated at 6200 RPM. The prop is a Entergy 18 pitch prop. I was informed that if I drop down one pitch to a 17 or 16 pitch that I could break 51 MPH. Anyone have any experience with changing prop pitch?

[BlackcatBoater]

2011 Harris FloteBote 230 Solstice P3 225 Honda- SS prop 47.3MPH via GPS with two people, one black lab, full tank of fuel and a newspaper. GPS was Iphone, speedometer was reading 50 on the nose. Should have left the GPS at home!

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by chasedawg

I have a 2550 Bennington with a 300 Verado. Out of the box performance before broken in my GPS read 49.8 MPH at 5900 RPM. I had full tank of gas and just myself. The engine is rated at 6200 RPM. The prop is a Entergy 18 pitch prop. I was informed that if I drop down one pitch to a 17 or 16 pitch that I could break 51 MPH. Anyone have any experience with changing prop pitch?

Going down a pitch will raise your RPM but will most likely slow your speed down a bit. Your engine is rated for 5800- 6400 RPM at WOT. Your rev limiter should kick in at 6400. With pontoon boats you want to prop to the higher end of your rating so when loaded the engine performs well. You would need a 19P for faster speeds but your RPMs would be too low and I would not recommend it. If anything you could go down a pitch to raise your RPM's slightly but you may lose a mile per hour or two. Your pretty good where you are at, if anything try a different style prop, I am not that familiar with Mercury props but am sure there are a lot to choose from.

Dan

Edited to add this: http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines...letin/?ID=729&
Here's a performance report from Mercury using their 300 Verado on a Bennington very similar to yours. As you can see they used a 16P Enertia prop and got 6250 at WOT but speed was slightly slower than yours at 47.8 MPH. I would go for the higher RPMs and give up the mile per hour or two simply for engine longevity.

[codeman671]

Depending on the power curve of the engine sometimes dropping a pitch will still maintain or even increase speed. We found this on the Boundary Waters. Engine mounting hole position on the transom makes a difference as well. The Verado runs 6400, yet we were running mid 5000's as it was set up so we still had a ways to go in the curve.

[ishoot308]

Chasedawg;

Codeman brings up a good point regarding engine mounting hole. Basically you should be able to clearly see the cavitation plate of your motor just above the waterline at WOT as shown below. If you can't you need to raise your motor.

Dan

[BroadHopper]

Dan is right about lower pitch props increase the RPM and higher pitch will decrease. Sometimes lowering a prop pitch can increase speed and vice versa. There is no exact science. Different makes and models of props can also effect the 'attititude' of the boat as well as the RPM/Speed. The best way to determine the best prop is to call the manufacturer. I'm sure they did tons of research.

No one talk about the number of blades. The higher the blade count the more torque is applied to the water. A 4 blade tend to slip less than a 3 etc. This is the reason the Bravo III setup are very popular with heavier boats. I am not familiar with tritoons but I can imagine that a 4 blade will be more efficient than a 3 blade. Whan increasing a blade count, decrease the pitch about an inch to get the equivalent RPM you had with the 3 blade.

There are 5 blades, but they are used in water ski crafts and bass boats for better 'hole shots'.

On the smaller HP motors with less torque, a 4 blade may put more strain on the motor. I would stay with the 3 blade.

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Dan is right about lower pitch props increase the RPM and higher pitch will decrease. Sometimes lowering a prop pitch can increase speed and vice versa. There is no exact science. Different makes and models of props can also effect the 'attititude' of the boat as well as the RPM/Speed. The best way to determine the best prop is to call the manufacturer. I'm sure they did tons of research.

No one talk about the number of blades. The higher the blade count the more torque is applied to the water. A 4 blade tend to slip less than a 3 etc. This is the reason the Bravo III setup are very popular with heavier boats. I am not familiar with tritoons but I can imagine that a 4 blade will be more efficient than a 3 blade. Whan increasing a blade count, decrease the pitch about an inch to get the equivalent RPM you had with the 3 blade.

There are 5 blades, but they are used in water ski crafts and bass boats for better 'hole shots'.

On the smaller HP motors with less torque, a 4 blade may put more strain on the motor. I would stay with the 3 blade.

On our Dauntless we just dropped a pitch and went to a 4 blade as my hole shot was terrible with the newer, smaller motor I installed. I am told it maintained the same rpm on top and gave it the jump it needed but have not driven it yet.

[Winnilifer]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

No one talk about the number of blades. The higher the blade count the more torque is applied to the water. A 4 blade tend to slip less than a 3 etc. This is the reason the Bravo III setup are very popular with heavier boats. I am not familiar with tritoons but I can imagine that a 4 blade will be more efficient than a 3 blade. Whan increasing a blade count, decrease the pitch about an inch to get the equivalent RPM you had with the 3 blade.

There are 5 blades, but they are used in water ski crafts and bass boats for better 'hole shots'.

BH is correct the 300HP I/O Bravo III with Duoprop GPS's at 41 - 43 mph with 1/2 tank fuel and 4 people aboard (Boat is a Benne 25Q). The holeshot is not unlike my last comp. ski boat (well almost) as I have slalom skied behind it. I would imagine top end would improve with different prop set up. That won't happen

[SSprops]

24' Manitou, 225 E-tec, slight chop, full tank of fuel, top down and by myself 54 on the dash. Have never verified with g.p.s. We have tried several props, to help with cavitation, but all lost mph on top end.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by SSprops

24' Manitou, 225 E-tec, slight chop, full tank of fuel, top down and by myself 54 on the dash. Have never verified with g.p.s. We have tried several props, to help with cavitation, but all lost mph on top end.

Try a 4 blade Cyclone prop. That is what I use when carrying a lot of people. The grab and holeshot is amazing, a lot less blowout when cornering as well. You will lose a couple miles per hour top speed however but who cares when you have 10 or 12 people on board.

As an fyi, my dash speedo reads 4 MPH faster at top speed than GPS.

Glad to see another Mani on the lake!! I absolutely love mine!!

Dan

[NHBUOY]

Are pontoon boats the next generation of GFBL's.?. I am lol-ing.

Pontoons with jack-plates, nose-cones, $1000 Labbed/Blue-printed SS props, NOS systems, Tube-blueprinting..etc.

"If I take the Bimini down I'm good for a whole 51mph..."

I see a new boat race series in the future... ..

Heavy Metal Racing Series.

[AC2717]

they are putting 350hp outboards on them, bennington is

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

Are pontoon boats the next generation of GFBL's.?. I am lol-ing.

Pontoons with jack-plates, nose-cones, $1000 Labbed/Blue-printed SS props, NOS systems, Tube-blueprinting..etc.

"If I take the Bimini down I'm good for a whole 51mph..."

I see a new boat race series in the future... ..

Heavy Metal Racing Series.

Bimini tops create a huge wind resistance on pontoons. On my skydek I figure it costs me 2-3mph at least (bimini on roof deck).

On my previous Premier with the 13' bimini I would say 3-4mph.

[NHBUOY]

I lol about the speed disease relating to pontoon boats, but, I like bimini's.

[Par Four]

This guy is really going...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLRwkrBZzsA

No PFDs being worn or in sight...

[HomeWood]

I like this one a little better. I love the sound from the exhaust.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lSdl9ujVgo


I Skippered a rental pontoon last weekend for a large company picnic I do police security for on the side here in NC. I took employees on boat rides all afternoon. The toon was a twin log, 16 passenger rated boat with a 90hp Merc 2 stroke on it and a 20 gallon tank (rental co. allowed 11 people max). The gph on that thing was awful! I think I could go 18-20 mph with a wind behind us. I ran it for maybe 4 hours total and the gauge was bouncing on E by the time I brought it back to the dock. There was a gas jug with 3 extra gallons on board, so I would have been fine. A decent size 4 stroke is the way to go from what I hear.

[Grandpa Redneck]

Originally Posted by AC2717

they are putting 350hp outboards on them, bennington is

I have seen Premiers with twin 300hp outboards

[Par Four]

Originally Posted by HomeWood

I like this one a little better. I love the sound from the exhaust.

I like the exhaust on him too, but he's not doing 107 and he's trimmed out a touch too much and has some bow bounce going on.

I've learned a whole lot about tri-toons in the past week or so by following this forum. I love just about all boats, but I sure wasn't keeping current with state of the art pontoon boats, that's for sure!

[SAMIAM]

Chasedawg.....your next boat.
World's Fastest Pontoon Boat - Brad Rowland's South Bay 925CR - YouTube

[chasedawg]

Yep. Saw it with the "7" supercharged outboard engine 575HP. Thanks. On youtube there is a tritoon with three "7's" - 575HP engines each. It's getting crazy.

[brk-lnt]

Last time I was in Michigan I saw a 'toon that had a custom I/O setup with a V8. Had a pretty nice exhaust sound and seemed to move quite well.

[NHBUOY]

Anyone have one of these Toon's Kite/BlowOver at these speeds yet.?.

TRIPPLE 7's..yikes..bet it sounds awesome though...

Talking about pontoon boats that can actually exceed 100mph puts a smile on my face...

[SAMIAM]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

Anyone have one of these Toon's Kite/BlowOver at these speeds yet.?.

TRIPPLE 7's..yikes..bet it sounds awesome though...

Talking about pontoon boats that can actually exceed 100mph puts a smile on my face...

Makes me smile too,NHBUOY.......can just see a couple of old farts,sipping a glass of chardonney as they blow by a 38' Donzi with twin 525's

[chasedawg]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Makes me smile too,NHBUOY.......can just see a couple of old farts,sipping a glass of chardonney as they blow by a 38' Donzi with twin 525's

One of those old farts smiling would be me. I'll raise my glass to that. I had a 32 Scarab with twin 454's and I know my new rig would put it down.