5 fishing trips on 7.5 gals of gas

[Rod Martin]

love going fishing now, Used to burn 30 to 40 gals a trip, now thanks to my new ranger tr177 I just finished my 5th trip[ 2 of them club events] on 7.5 gals of gas
Bring on them high gas prices

[JustinD]

Is that one of the new retro styling boats?

[SloppySeconds]

What sort of motor are you running?
I've got a 17' Ranger that is pretty easy on gas - even for being an old carbed Mercury 2-stroke 115. Even still - it's nothing compared to 5 trips over 7.5 gallons!!!

Those are nice little boats with lots of room for their size. They've got a great layout.

[phill strader]

not sure which motor Rod has, but the tr177 coupled with the 115 e-tec is tough to beat....puts a lot of distance between gas stations. Low maintenance and cheap to run, what a concept!!!

phil strader

[SloppySeconds]

I agree. With the way things are going, I would not be surprised to see a big increase in demand for the smaller 16-18' boats with lower horsepower. You can barely find a used one these days as it is. For the non-tournament angler, it sure makes a lot of sense. Of course, there's always some big advantages to a larger boat in terms of sea worthiness. But - if you fish the smaller water, these rigs make a lot of sense. Besides, lots of guys are claiming 50+ mph with 115hp engines on various 17' bass boats, so they are not exactly slouches either.

[Rod Martin]

yes its the retro style with a square front, and a 115 merc opti.has almost as much room as my old 20' champion and I would take it anywhere , that I took my Champion 20'er

[twister]

I agree. With the way things are going, I would not be surprised to see a big increase in demand for the smaller 16-18' boats with lower horsepower. You can barely find a used one these days as it is. For the non-tournament angler, it sure makes a lot of sense. Of course, there's always some big advantages to a larger boat in terms of sea worthiness. But - if you fish the smaller water, these rigs make a lot of sense. Besides, lots of guys are claiming 50+ mph with 115hp engines on various 17' bass boats, so they are not exactly slouches either.

115hp moving a 17 ft bass boat 50++ mph is unlikely. I had an Astro before that had the same configuration. My max speed was no more than 50 mph. And that was measure on the dash not GPS. People make claims on high speeds but don't believe them unless its verified on GPS. I have a 200hp 2.5 Litere EFI on my Ranger and it can only move 67 mph (gps). "BASS" had recently printed an artical making claims reaching 70.9 mph on a 170 VS powered by a heavy 115 hp 4 stoke Yamy. What a joke. There is no possible way this is true! And the prop used was only an 18 pitch. Enter that value into any prop slip formula and you will see that its not even possible.

17 Ft boats are great to fish docks, and save gas if you have the right motor. Your lucky if you can get 3 mpg if you have an old 2 stroke 115 hp.

[albumimg]414[/albumimg]

[fish_food]

115hp moving a 17 ft bass boat 50++ mph is unlikely.

My mid-1990s 17' Ranger with 115 hp Fast Strike tops out at 53 mph @5800 RPM and is very comfortable between 46-50 mph (GPS). Stock motor, no jackplate, Raker prop...

That speed with this particular boat, motor and prop combination is actually very common.

[twister]

Did you know that the faststrike motors actually put out more horse power than claimed? This is not uncommon with Evinrude. Another example is a 225 hp HO actually puts out 245 hp at the shaft. What RPM was on your tach when moving 53 mph? My Merc on my Astro was running top speed at 5700 rpm on a fresh rebuild. I think I had a 22p SS prop on it.

[SloppySeconds]

Well, mid-50's might be a bit of an exageration, but mid/upper 40s is common - at least according to the performance bulletins published by Yamaha. Either way, 70mph on a Ranger with a 115 is pretty unlikely. I don't even think the Allison's do speeds like that without a 150hp.

My 1997 17' Ranger w/ Merc 115 (21P Trophy plus) will do 43-44mph on the GPS at sea level, but only 42 at 2500' elevation. Other guys running the 125's see better speeds. Otherwise, I pretty much cruise around at 3500-4000 rpm most of the day, which is usually 30-32mph. At those cruise speeds, its getting about 3.5-4.5mpg. It is certainly no Opti or 4-stroke, but it's cheaper than a repower!

I could see myself eventually upgrading to an 18.5' rig w/ a 150 Opti or 4-stroke of sorts. It would be nice to be able to get decent mileage and still cruise in the mid-40s.

[twister]

Fish food


Here is some more info on your sleeper motor. It never fails give a motor-head an engine an he will some how make it go like hell!


http://www.bwbmag.com/output.cfm?id=942967

[twister]

Well, mid-50's might be a bit of an exageration, but mid/upper 40s is common - at least according to the performance bulletins published by Yamaha. Either way, 70mph on a Ranger with a 115 is pretty unlikely. I don't even think the Allison's do speeds like that without a 150hp.

My 1997 17' Ranger w/ Merc 115 (21P Trophy plus) will do 43-44mph on the GPS at sea level, but only 42 at 2500' elevation. Other guys running the 125's see better speeds. Otherwise, I pretty much cruise around at 3500-4000 rpm most of the day, which is usually 30-32mph. At those cruise speeds, its getting about 3.5-4.5mpg. It is certainly no Opti or 4-stroke, but it's cheaper than a repower!

I could see myself eventually upgrading to an 18.5' rig w/ a 150 Opti or 4-stroke of sorts. It would be nice to be able to get decent mileage and still cruise in the mid-40s.

No worries for now with the price of gas dropping! Heck its fun to go fast every once in a while. Can't wait to change my prop this weekend to a larger one. How fast would a Stoker go with a 29p prop power by a 225 HO DI? BBC guys claim mid 80's! Thats probably with a little chine walking.

[Rod Martin]

Well I wasnt looking for speed when I bought this boat, The retro layout gave me more room and easier for me at 300 lbs with bad back and nees to get out from under the steering wheel & up on the front deck.
That said with stock everything, no jackplate, 2 300 lbs fishermen and tackle I hit 43mph on a GPS.
I moved from a 20' champion down to a 16' champion , then into this Ranger. It was hard at first to go from high 70's and 20' down to 17' and 40's but well worth it for me.

[biteme]

The 115's are great motors! I have a Merc on my 18ft Triton, sips the gas. The fastest Ive had my 18ft Triton is 49.7 GPS on the Delta. I had it up to 48.3 on Oroville today. 50mph is fast enough. I hope to win a Tournament with the new rig so I can show these guys you dont always need that big motor,lol

[Greg_Cornish]

I hate you Rod. I use that much getting from Nice to the Narrows.

[Rod Martin]

well Greg with everything going on in the basement I thought going , frugel would be a good thing for the next few years

[Greg_Cornish]

well Greg with everything going on in the basement I thought going , frugel would be a good thing for the next few years

I gotta pay down some cards, then copy you.

[Rod Martin]

Good luck, you should take me fishing next time I'm up there, I'll pay for gas

[Cesar L]

I have a 2007 ranger 170vs with a 115 opti and average 43-47 mph on GPS...The only time that boat has seen 70mph is on the trailer going to clear lake. I love my boat it handles rough water and has plenty of storage. I fill up the 25 gallon tank every 3 or 4 trips running all over the place.

[XMAN]

hey rod, i like your style, lets see, a 300 lb guy ,a 17 ft boat, 115 opti, 45-50mph, can move around easily, plenty of room, had a 20 footer, now loves the 17, motor sips gas, easy to tow and store, man i think you made my mind up--what stops me is with these 188s used, the price is near the price of a 177, but new is new and aint nothin like it huh,--i had a 79 178v ranger and totally loved it, the two 20 gal live wells is what i dont even see in the 20 footers, was great for stripers in the front, the only thing i didnt like was it was a narrow boat, 72in---hmmm, lets see, red or silver---xman

[biteme]

Try the Triton explorer! Its a 18 and does close to 50 and has a 36 gallon livewell. Call Ryan at Galaxy he'll give ya a heck of a deal! We're talking low 20's for a new boat.

[Sacto John]

To address the Bassmaster article. If you look at Ranger Z20 or maybe its a Z520) chart on the same page you will see it is the same one as the 170VX, it is a misprint simple as that.

I have no doubt that these newer 17 footers with 115 on the back will touch 50. Hell my old heavy 16 footer with a carbed 85 on the back will run 40MPH (GPS) with me a buddy and all our gear.

[Rod Martin]

XMAN I bought mine at C&C in modesto, they have a new one in .

If you would like a ride , you can show me some of your spots on the Delta
I would be happy to take you out & let you try mine out.

[Barry Watson]

My fishing pard bought a new Z520 with a 250 optimax and a jackplate at C& C in Modesto this year. Now that motor gets great gas mileage. Much better than his old Merc 115. It is fast as well. When we get up around 60 or over, all the old loose skin on my face quits flapping and moves to the back of my head. Look like I have had a face lift. LOL