What should my top speed be?

[saltfisher]

Im rasing my jackplate a bit today, and see what happens. I know im down to far. Last time i measured I was like 5 1/2" below pad.

[saltfisher]

Took it from 5 1/2 to 3 1/2. Figured i would start from there. I think a 2" difference should make a improvement.

[saltfisher]

Well i had 3 people in my boat today and after raising the jackplate to 3 1/2" I was able to do 55mph at 5400 rpm. My one buddy got out, and we did 58mph at 5500rpm. I figure with just me and no load it should be about 62mph at about 5600rpm. Not a big difference moving the jack plate, but did seem to help a little. I think a prop is next. Any recomendations on what info i have here?

[Eddie Alpha211]

What the heck your buddy running on the 21' Javelin to hi 52? A 115? That is slow. Everyone is right about your hull gaining weight in 20 yrs. You have wood in the hull and the old style flotation will suck up water like a sponge and eventually crumble part. I would think around 60mph way back when and maybe 56 or so now but who's to argue with a GPS? That's like disagreeing with a compass when you are lost... DON"T!!!

[Rebel9921]

Hello...  Im a proud owner of a 1988 Bass Tracker 1800FS with 1988 Mercury XR4 Black Max 150...  I am in middle of a complete renovation with this boat... So far, I've succeeded with taking the motor off, the top cap off, removed/cut the flooring off...

I can tell you few things about this boat...

The flooring is fiberglassed into the hull... apparently what Tracker did was lay down some 1/4 plywood for the flooring then laid down fiberglass on top of it, leaving the underside of the flooring exposed to moisture which would enable it to rot quickly if you dont take good care of it...

After taking the flooring off, the foam was next... and theres two "tunnels" running up and down the boat on the hull... full of foam too... the tunnels werent completely sealed... so pretty much the rainwater/lakewater that accumulates at the rear of the boat would be absorbed by the foam...

From what I have discovered, the hull for Bass Tracker 1800FS is composed entirely with fiberglass... The only wood on it was the transom and the floor...  the rest is just fiberglass and foam...

You also would want to seal the transom better than what the factory did... Transoms in this type of Tracker hull tends to go quickly along with the floor if its not taken care of well through the years... theres an opening in the rear where the top cap meets the transom and its covered by this Aluminum "L" beam... You'd might want to unscrew this "L" and lift it up a bit then apply marine silicone or some kind of sealant under the "L" to seal it a bit better... same goes for the motor mount bolts...

I've done excessive research via the internet with this boat...   Most owners would run 3-blade SS props but I know of one man from Minnesota who run a 5-blade SS prop... The boat I have now came with 3-blade SS Prop... and once reached 72 mph with no-load and a driver...  Highest I've heard of was 84 mph but this hasnt been verified yet... is it possible?? I dont know... although 68-74 mph seems to be average for no-load...

This model came with two options... 115 or 150 HP motor...

Overall, based on numerous opinions I've gotten over the past few years on this boat has been excellent... It is definitely not a Tournament boat anymore... but it will do great for recreational fishing/skiing/tubing... very durable and will treat you well over the years as long you treat it well...

Hope this helps!!!