Tournament V18 with 150 4 stroke

[Arkansas_Ted]

Hey guys and gals....first post here.

I have a 2008 Tournament V18 currently with a 90 ELPTO two stroke Mercury (fully factory).  Motor runs fine and has no problems.  But I've been contemplating moving up to a 150 four stroke.  My main concern is...how stable is the TV18 with a 150 ?  I know that even with the 90, it "slides" across the water in a turn and doesn't seem to cut the water like a glass boat.  I know that these boats can't be compared to a Champion...but my brother has an 18.6 Champion and it turns on a dime even at WOT.  I just don't want to spend a chunk of money on a new motor just to have it be too squirrelly to drive safely.

Any of you have...or have owned a TV18 with a 150?  I'm curious to get opinions on this.

[zippyduck]

Welcome to UB!!

Will that model handle a 150 4 stroke? They are a lot heavier than a 2 stroke. My Aluminum boat is rated for a 75 but can only handle a 60 4 stroke.

I am sure one of the boat gurus will chime in.

[DonM]

Yes welcome to the zoo.
You'll probably get an answer but if you don't there is a Facebook page for Tracker/Nitro owners and you will get experiences very quickly!

[zippyduck]

Doing a little research, I found out that a 115 hp is the biggest motor for that transom. Now saying that the boat is going to fast in a straight line but I would slow down a lot to turn. Aluminum boats are generally so light that not much is in the water to make hard turns.

[Arkansas_Ted]

Thanks for the replies...!

According to the owner's manual...the '08 TV18 has a max rating for a 150.  My 90 two stroke weighs in at 306 lbs and the 150 four stroke is at 455 lbs...so almost 150 lbs more on the transom.  I have read that there were problems with the transom handling larger motors on the earlier 2000 models...but that the problem had been fixed on the later ones.  Here is an older youtube video with Rick Clunn talking about using a TV18 in the Classic...he mentions using aluminum boats with 150 engines...although he doesn't specifically say his TV18 had a 150 but I'm assuming that it did.

But sounds like I'd be better off just sticking with the 90 that is on it.  I know I have way more "junk" in my boat than I need to be hauling around because with myself and one other person I top out at around 33.5 - 34 mph.  Thanks again for the replies....and thanks for the welcome...!!!

[Arkansas_Ted]

Forgot to add the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hidE-Wkx0Gk&fbclid=IwAR0whS_xjevAp4TsPw-5ezToTWl4M2UZ0eX7x9v-lh6Daq2bgl4G8NXouEk

[coldfront]

Doing a little research, I found out that a 115 hp is the biggest motor for that transom. Now saying that the boat is going to fast in a straight line but I would slow down a lot to turn. Aluminum boats are generally so light that not much is in the water to make hard turns.

think one of the keys here is that that particular boat has a mod-v transom.  basically it's pretty flat, so it won't carve like some of the deep v's.

now what can you do?  consider going to a 4-blade prop.  way better bite and will help a lot in those 'skid' turns.

used to run a 16 foot cherokee 106 with a 40hp.  at top end I could get the back end to slide in turns.  when I went to a 4-blade, that additional 'bite' put a stop to that.  also, if you trim down a bit during those turns it holds the boat down for better turn.

something to consider.  the other option?  don't need to carve such tight turns at higher speeds?

lastly:  check two-stroke vs 4-stroke motor weights.  I think the newer 4's are pretty 'weight comparable' to the older two-strokes?

and don't overpower.  follow the plate.


*** follow up ***
just checked the inter-web thingy.
a 2020 Merc Pro XS 115 has a weight of 359#
a 2005 Merc Optimax 115 was 375#