Pad to Prop - Power Pole Install

[mgeer]

Hey all,

I'm going to be putting on a pair of 8' Power Poles on my
Triton this weekend, well stating tonight! I have an '08 Triton 186 w/150hp Optimax turning a Tempest Plus 23 with no jack-plate.

I took a pad-to-prop(PTP) measurement and found that the prop is currently positioned 5" below the pad. There are 5 mounting holes on the engine bracket, each 3/4" apart, and the motor is currently bolted in the center mounting hole position(3 of 5).
From what I have seen in prior posts is that a 3-blade prop should sit around 3 1/2" but being mindful of maintaining adequate water pressure to the engine.
....So my question is; since I have to remove the motor from the transom for the installation of the Power Pole brackets, should I move the engine to a higher position to reduce the PTP difference and then fine tune the Tempest with the plugs for optimum performance? My hole shot is decent now but I will be adding an additional 64# total to the tail end of the machine so I thought I would post this for commentary.

Thank you in advance for all of your comments.

Regards,
Mike.

[Bud Kennedy]

We are very good at spending other people's money around here.  Ideally, since you are gonna pull the motor it would be the perfect time to add a Jackplate.  Im most cases a manual plate will do just fine but it may also accommodate the mounting of the power pole brackets on the jack plate as well.  Otherwise you should consider getting to a 3.5" starting position anyway. 

Since you are adding weight to the transom you will notice a hole shot difference.  Not sure how much but I believe it will be noticeable for sure.  Your prop just might be just fine but many in your situation wind up going to a 4 blade just to improve the hole shot.  As they say your results may vary but a jack plate will make future adjustments possible and a heck of a lot easier.

[Princeton_Man]

Like Bid says, We'll gladly help spend your $$! 

Having experienced and learned a few things about props in the past few years I can say I think a jackplate is a must have. Weight changes, prop changes, and even water temps can have an effect on performance. I'd love to have a hydraulic jack plate but I'm just glad I have a jackplate at all.

Welcome to the family!

[Mike Cork]

A manual jackplate isn't that expensive and gives you tremendous ability to move the motor and dial it in.

Now as far as changing your mounting position. Hard to say if you should or not without knowing your numbers now? What RPM are you hitting, what kind of speed are you getting. How's your performance in corners? Are you blowing out the prop at all?

If you're happy with your performance, and close to your max RPM's I wouldn't change it. If you need every ounce you can get out of her, then I'd say that you are to low. But that's just a guess at this moment.