Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

[BozBoarder]

In the persuit of a nice surfable wave I have managed to weigh the SAN 210 down with 2300 Lbs of ballasts. During Surf sessions the boat feels fine, there isn't much need for hole shot and the boat dosen't plane so it feels ok. However switching to a wakeboarder with the same weight the boat has a **** of a time getting out of the hole and perfect pass will go back and forth about 5 times before it can keep a consistant speed. My rider is tired before the boat can maintain speed. I am sitting at 6000 ft above sea and the boat is stock prop'd. Any advice or like situations would be great! Thanks again Planet!

[surfdh74]

RE: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

why does everyone need to have so much weight? I have a 2005 SV-211 TE and run only the stock 730 ballast and my wake is better than any other boat that I have came across lately? How much better can 2000lbs really be? And are u hurting your engine by doing this?

[MNSuperAir]

RE: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

I also run around 2000# of ballast and I currently have the ACME 644 and I am also slow to plane out. Not as slow as I was with the stock 14x16 prop. I should have a ACME 856 waiting for me at home this afternoon. I ordered it from deltaprop.com with help from Jim at ACME. He said the 856 should get me on plane faster and actually save me fuel surfing and boarding. Also mentioned that perfect pass will have an easier time maintaining speed. He didn't recommend it if I plan on cruising around at 35mph a lot. I will let you know how it is when I put it on.

What prop do you currently have?

[Sbt3]

RE: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

I have a gt-40 super sport with 2100lbs of water and lead in the boat. I am running the acme 536 which does a nice job. It is the same as the 644 but either 1/4 or 1/2 inch bigger in diameter. I tried the 856 and hated it. I don't think they put enough cup on that prop it only has .060 cup vs the .105 cup of the 536 & 644.

My original prop was an OJ, I can't remember the specs off hand but this prop made a night and day difference.

surfdh74- if you ever get a chance to ride a heavily wieghted boat it makes a huge difference. I can still throw down on a small wake but a big wake is much more fun.

[wakefun]

Boz -
The alititude can make a big difference. Several times a year we head to the mountain lakes around here (4000 - 5000' elev.) and the loss in power is significant -2000 SAN, GT40. If we always ran at altitude I would switch to a different prop. Since you are running at 6000' - I would think the performance loss would be very noticable.
On a seperate note for you engine/fuel experts - does going to a higher octane fuel help diminish the effects of running at higher elevations?
Thanks.

[OKWAKEBDR]

No question...buy an Acme 856 from Delta Prop.com. Be sure to use the discount code...it is the absolute best price I have seen anywhere. If all you're going to do is wakeboard or surf, it is THE prop to have in my opinion. If you do much else, I'm not really sure what to tell you.

[cmb]

Boz -
On a seperate note for you engine/fuel experts - does going to a higher octane fuel help diminish the effects of running at higher elevations?
Thanks.

No. Octane does not provide a power boost unless the engine is designed to need it. People that waste money on higher octane fuel than what is needed always entertain me. At high elevations you need less octane because you have less air to be burned. It is all about compression.

Like said, get a prop. Makes a huge difference.

[wakefun]

Thanks, CMB, for the response.
Based on my limited knowledged of how piston engines work, that makes sense.
John

[Rick]

Bozboarder I have always taken my boats between the Delta and Lake Tahoe. At Tahoe (elev.6500) we lose 20% of our power because of the altitude. We have always used a prop that is 2" less pitch to acheive similiar results. If you call ACME they should be able to hook you up.

[MNSuperAir]

Nto to steal the thread, but what fuel does a GT-40 recommend. I always have put Premo in it, but would like to know if I am wasting my money.

[NautiqueJeff]

Here's what the Owner's Manual recommends. Keep in mind that this is only for the FORD PCM engines, not the newer GM engines, which use 87.

[NAUTIQUEjunky]

Re: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

In the persuit of a nice surfable wave I have managed to weigh the SAN 210 down with 2300 Lbs of ballasts. During Surf sessions the boat feels fine, there isn't much need for hole shot and the boat dosen't plane so it feels ok. However switching to a wakeboarder with the same weight the boat has a heck of a time getting out of the hole and perfect pass will go back and forth about 5 times before it can keep a consistant speed. My rider is tired before the boat can maintain speed. I am sitting at 6000 ft above sea and the boat is stock prop'd. Any advice or like situations would be great! Thanks again Planet!

You have already siad enough to diagnose this problem... 2300LBS and if it does have the stock14/18 OJ in which came on that SAN then that is your problem.. You boat is way under propped with that much weight in there. This goes to say you need the right prop for the load. That has got to be a tremendous strain on the motor and trany. Much like a 4cyl Toyota Truck with 44in tires and stock gear left in the rear.

[Mikeski]

RE: Re: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

I would recommend the 644 first since this is already a pretty small prop for the GT-40. The 856 will not be too good for cruising or anything over 30mph. You might also try moving the weight around to see if you can achieve your desired wake with less weight. I find that wake shape is more important than wake size but that's in a 211, the 210 is different.

[BozBoarder]

RE: Re: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

Thanks guys, great advice... I think a prop is the next purchase, I do not want to run 2300lbs but to get a nice surf wake it is almost necessary on this boat. It is a year 2001 so the ballast control is limited and the time it takes to drain is too great, I like to switch off between surfing and wakeboarding and cant wait for the ballast pumps. I rarley go over 30mph so top speed is not an issue for me, I will slalom someone maybe once a year if that. Anyone have the discount code for the deltaprop.com? Thanks again! PS I always use the high octane just in case and always bring additive when filling at marinas...

[cmb]

RE: Re: Overweighting? Under Powered GT40?

Stop wasting money on high octane... seriously.

2300 is a very reasonable amont of weight. I run slightly higher than that, and even with a boat load of people come up on plane quickly. I have about 900 of that in the nose though.