THAT'S what I am talking about!!!
Desert Boats was on Hayden next to the river bottom...
HOTROD bassboats!!!!
Back in the day, we did a lot of cowl/sticker swaps to get a bit more speed out of the rigs. IF you were daring or had the $$ we started porting, shaving, hot rodding!!
WHAT rigs have you owned and what type of speeds did you get?
1. In the 80s, my dad used to run Hydrasports with Johnyrudes. We had a 17'6" Kevlar hull with a 150 running low 70s. Then it got silly. Cut heads, porting, different power heads... we bumped the 80mph mark.
2. I stopped fishing seriously for 20 years (school, work, starting a family, racing) and switched to racing hulls. I ran a couple of different ModVP hulls with 2.5 (200HP) fishing motors into the low 90s, then hot rodded them to the low 100s. After throwing a few rods and blowing power heads, I switched to the 2.5EFI (260+HP) motors and with mild tweaks, ran 110+...
3. About 3 yrs ago, decided to stop pond fishing an start bassing more seriously with my son ( 6 at the time), and sold the tunnel and got the Ally. Ran strong for the past two years until I threw a piston/rod (the RACE motor ran a STRONG six years without any hiccup, I would rebuild, but $$$ is tight, someday I will fix the big motor).... Bob in Yuma made me a deal on a 2.0 (150), I am currently trying to rig/setup and see if this 27 yr old motor will run... Hope to see 70 ish again...
SO WHAT did you HAVE or currently RUN that would be considered a HOTROD...
WHAT rigs have you owned and what type of speeds did you get?
1. In the 80s, my dad used to run Hydrasports with Johnyrudes. We had a 17'6" Kevlar hull with a 150 running low 70s. Then it got silly. Cut heads, porting, different power heads... we bumped the 80mph mark.
2. I stopped fishing seriously for 20 years (school, work, starting a family, racing) and switched to racing hulls. I ran a couple of different ModVP hulls with 2.5 (200HP) fishing motors into the low 90s, then hot rodded them to the low 100s. After throwing a few rods and blowing power heads, I switched to the 2.5EFI (260+HP) motors and with mild tweaks, ran 110+...
3. About 3 yrs ago, decided to stop pond fishing an start bassing more seriously with my son ( 6 at the time), and sold the tunnel and got the Ally. Ran strong for the past two years until I threw a piston/rod (the RACE motor ran a STRONG six years without any hiccup, I would rebuild, but $$$ is tight, someday I will fix the big motor).... Bob in Yuma made me a deal on a 2.0 (150), I am currently trying to rig/setup and see if this 27 yr old motor will run... Hope to see 70 ish again...
SO WHAT did you HAVE or currently RUN that would be considered a HOTROD...
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THAT'S what I am talking about!!!
Desert Boats was on Hayden next to the river bottom...
I have a SeaRay (Cream Puff) that on a good day with the wind at my back will 41 easy. :biggrin:
Yeah back in the 80's some of Merc's used the same cowling on different engine sizes.
I knew a guy who ran a 175 in a 150 cowling. Boat plaque had a limit of 150 so he got away with an extra 25, not much but enough.
I knew a guy who ran a 175 in a 150 cowling. Boat plaque had a limit of 150 so he got away with an extra 25, not much but enough.
I wish I still had my 94' XD hull. THat thing was much lighter than my new XD.
In the late 80's I used to go to Apache alot. Down at burnt corral in the evenings the jet boats and V-drives would be racing somtime 5-8 at a time. Once in a while a Bass Boat would come out a smoke these guys. Funny as hell watching these guys put their junk on trailers till the fishermen left!
Down the road from me is a old Champion Mean15 with 200 Merc setting in a yard that the grass and weeds have overgrown for sometime.The last time I was having my boat serviced I was talking to the shop owner who use to work for Champion before they moved out of Mtn Home about old Champions and I told him about that mean 15 I had seen.He said back in the old days they use to but a lot of 200 Merc's on the Champion 15 and 16 ' boats and they would run in the 80s
Hot rodding is a matter of perspective. I've got a 16' flat bottom jon boat (rated for a 50) that I have have tipped over the 40 mark (with two people in the boat) a couple times with a Mercury 50 ELPTO.
I originally powered the boat with a Force 50 (and currently on the boat until I finish fixing the lower unit on the Merc) that everybody said I would be lucky to get 26 out of. I had the motor hung at a shop, and it porpoised like crazy with out a whale tail and ran about 26-27. I raised the motor, and it quit porpoising even without the whale tail and all of a sudden I was getting 32-34.
I feel like I am screaming at those speeds in my little 16 X 50 jon boat. (Waco 2050-16 w/ 20" transom and console steer).
I hope to have a 250 Pro Xs on my basscat soon, and I expect to run around 75 depending on the heat and humidity. Nothing special for speed, but more than fast enough to get you killed.
I originally powered the boat with a Force 50 (and currently on the boat until I finish fixing the lower unit on the Merc) that everybody said I would be lucky to get 26 out of. I had the motor hung at a shop, and it porpoised like crazy with out a whale tail and ran about 26-27. I raised the motor, and it quit porpoising even without the whale tail and all of a sudden I was getting 32-34.
I feel like I am screaming at those speeds in my little 16 X 50 jon boat. (Waco 2050-16 w/ 20" transom and console steer).
I hope to have a 250 Pro Xs on my basscat soon, and I expect to run around 75 depending on the heat and humidity. Nothing special for speed, but more than fast enough to get you killed.
I have a 1985 bass tracker xt with a 65 hp jhonson that I just bought. I looked up the specs on the boat and the biggest motor they came with was a 50 hp merc. I'm wondering if I will be able to hit 40mph?
ps it has a whale tale if that realy makes a difference?
ps it has a whale tale if that realy makes a difference?
If it actually needs the whale tail it will probably slow it down slightly on the top end.I have a 1985 bass tracker xt with a 65 hp jhonson that I just bought. I looked up the specs on the boat and the biggest motor they came with was a 50 hp merc. I'm wondering if I will be able to hit 40mph?
ps it has a whale tale if that realy makes a difference?
I think a lot of whale tails were sold due to improper mounting height or underpowering.
Back in the 80s Mike Kanapel used to run Hydrasports with a Evenrude that had Cut heads,reeds, ported,polished and Teflon rings.He never knew how fast that boat would go because he would chicken out and back off before he hit WOT.As I remember he had the boat up to 80s but no telling how fast that boat would go.The Hydrasports back then held about 4 world records for speed
Back in the day my buddy Paul had a Hydrasport I dont remeber the size of the motor size but he would joke about doing 80 with no hands and he actually did it. I was scared out of my f*king mind but that old boat was pretty fast.
booyaa az dads boat
Did that Yammy say suckin gas and haulin ass? If thats the one Im thinking of I remember that boat!
Did that Yammy say suckin gas and haulin ass? If thats the one Im thinking of I remember that boat!
Yep!Did that Yammy say suckin gas and haulin ass? If thats the one Im thinking of I remember that boat!
87 HYDRASPORT
I purchased a 1987 20 FT Kevlar tunnel hull Hydrasport with a 200 Johnson GT from Sunland marine in 1990 I could only get 65-67 out of it but Floyd Preas told me that he had either owned it before me or new the owner before me I dont remeber which but they had it running in the 80's
I purchased a 1987 20 FT Kevlar tunnel hull Hydrasport with a 200 Johnson GT from Sunland marine in 1990 I could only get 65-67 out of it but Floyd Preas told me that he had either owned it before me or new the owner before me I dont remeber which but they had it running in the 80's
Ya my dad sold the tunnel after it got away from me upsetting a jet boat at roosey and we also boat a 20' Hydra sport with the Kevlair haul and a 200 Johnson but we went through 3 motors in a year and it ran good, not 80 maybe 70 but it was way more stable than the tunnel haul. Drag racers will do anything to go faster!
booyaa hydra
I was thinking that Jet boat upset was Lake Mary dont know where I got that from! Memory is going LOL yeah im sure the hydra I had was setup and propped a lot different then when I bought it and they must of took some stuff off I know it had a Ginormous rear Livewell though!
I was thinking that Jet boat upset was Lake Mary dont know where I got that from! Memory is going LOL yeah im sure the hydra I had was setup and propped a lot different then when I bought it and they must of took some stuff off I know it had a Ginormous rear Livewell though!
There was alot of upsets in that boat!
Glad you mentioned Hydrasports. My dad had a 20 footer with an Evinrude 235 race motor. Had the worsthole shot on the face of the planet, but get her up on pad and look out. He never had it over 65-70 due to chine walk, but there was 1/4 throttle and about 1800 RPM left at that speed. I wish I had that boat today to see if I could drive it any better.
:biggrin:I had an '86 Procraft that was damaged in a fire, when I got it repaired and buffed out they replaced all of the decals on the Merc. 200, only problem was they put 150 stickers on it. I had a lot of fun with that boat.
1 - 20 of 30 Posts
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