Way2slow

Trim up in small increments until you get the feel of it. The faster the boat will run the lighter it will feel. You should feel the bow start lifting and the spray out the sides start moving back. The spray should get back behind the drivers seat if you are getting good lift and the boat will feel like its just skipping along on light chop. As you trim out watch the speed and tach and pay attention to the sound of the motor and feel of the steering wheel. If you get an increase in rpm and not in speed, you over trimmed. If the motor changes sound, usually a hallow sound, you are probably over trimmed and getting cavitation. If steering feels less sensitive, it's probably over trimmed. It's a by the seat of your pants learning experience based largely on your boats setup. Engine height and type prop and set-back make a huge difference in how you trim your motor

OK, figured I had better do a little homework and quite using what I know about my RC batteries. Here's what Optima says about their AGM batteries "Fully charged, engine not running, starting batteries (all REDTOP® or BLUETOP® 34M) should measure about 12.6 volts to 12.8 volts. Deep-cycle batteries, including all YELLOWTOP® and dual-purpose BLUETOP batteries, should measure approximately 13.0 to13.2 volts. " So, yes you are right, your deep cycle batteries are higher. I went to a web site for Lithium TM batteries and they said their 12V battery is 12.8 volts fully charged, so again, that's the same as the standard flooded cell battery. So, yes, you are right, your AGM deep cycles are probably putting out more voltage than the lithium batteries. Tell MK that and they may want to void your warranty

13+ volts on lead acid is just a surface charge, it drops very quickly to below 12.8 volts as soon as a load is placed on it, or it rest for 24 hours. Plus when loaded, it will drop to below 12.5 or more quickly. This is 0ne to two volts lower than the typical lithium battery and the lithium will maintain it's higher voltages for longer periods of time.

I think MK is just playing a little CYA I doubt there would be any problems with the bottom end ones that have the five presets. The upper end models with variable speed is where problems might arise. They have a lot of electronics in them that could be over voltaged by the higher lithium voltages.

I haven't done any research on them for TM use but a couple of things you might want to research. What does a charger of one that size cost, they take special chargers. Second, the safety aspect. I use tons of LiPo batteries in my RC stuff and you can actually burn you house down with them, a number of people had experienced that first hand. Unlike a lead acid battery, a defective cell in a lithium battery can catch fire. I know the technology has come a long way in the past several years, not too sure about the fire part.

Those seat clamps can hurt you and cause all kinds of bad things unless you run all-thread or bars through the seat to hold them. When you lean over sideways to get a fish, unhung or something they flip over to the side, causing you to start grabbing for something to keep from going over the side. If you have something like your rod in your hand, you can drop it in the lake while your trying to catch yourself. If you want something permanent, you can try rivnuts. Since I store my boat upside down on the trailer, I want mine removeable so I bent a piece of sheet metal about a foot wide that's bent to slide over the bench and has winged bolt that screws into a hole I drilled near the bottom of the bench to keep it firmly in place. For the rear bench, I installed the slide rails that let you move the seat to the side to run the motor. http://www.boatstoreusa.com/seating-pedistals/seats/chairs-stands/swivl-eze-by-attwood-sp15900-tilt-n-slide-jon-boat-seat-brk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_rnP05nJ3AIVmLjACh0i6QUWEAQYBSABEgKVPvD_BwE. The 15" are a little too short for my likings. I prefer the 30" slide rails, but they are a little harder to find. I turn the piece that goes to the back around and sit the mount on it rather than under it. Makes it a whole lot easier to move to the side and remove, and still holds the seat just fine. Academy usually has them and are about as cheap as anyone. It will also work for the center bench. One note I will mention. When drilling and mounting seats in the top of the bench that use a small area like those swivels under the seat, the aluminum is pretty thin and tends to crack or let the screws/inserts pull out from the constant flexing caused by the weight from sitting on them.

The only reason to give that one any concern would be the extra clearance it would give you in really shallow water. There would no such thing as a "performance" gain with that motor and for no more speed that you would be seeing, the extra drag caused by it being as low as it is would not be measurable. You could build you a 2" extension on the top of your transom to raise the motor but as small as that lower unit is, I'm not sure it would be worth the effort unless you spend a lot of time in some really shallow water. Then, if the extension is not supported real well, you could knock the whole motor off in the water. Adding a jack plate would not be very practical.

In Texas and Ga, I was able to use a legal affidavit from the seller saying he sold it to you, and explaining how he got the boat and why he can't produce a registration. Sometimes DMV or DNR may require a documented title search, usually by an attorney that does them. If that VIN comes back with someone else showing it was theirs (you just lost it), even if it's after you are allowed to register it, because they will usually only give a provisional title. It's all going to depend on your DMV/DNR will go along with.

Back in the early 70's I owned a 16' Bomber and it wasn't that heavy, so that leads me to believe you probably have water logged flotation foam. Back then, they used open cell foam and that stuff will absorb water like a sponge but does not turn loose if it. I took 285 pounds out of a 1989 Stratos 285 Pro I once owned. However, a lot of the really old boats didn't have flotation foam, so you would need to be sure yours even has any first.

Yep, I've seen 14' jons running over 40 mph with a 25 on them. I got passed one time like I was sitting still by a jon boat, while cruising along at 60. I had to get to 72 to match his speed. Found out at the ramp, his was a racing jon he was testing his new racing motor on. It had to 3cyl 70 probably running close to 150 hp.

I've never run into a boat I couldn't run the anti-cav plate a small amount above the bottom, how much depends on the setback. That's probably over 100 I've owned from the 60's to now (I used to do a little wheeling and dealing with them), and bunches I've helped others with along the way. It's very common for a properly set motor to cavitate if trimmed out/tilted out to far trying to compensate for too much load or over weighted bow. I should also mention, if you are having cavitation problems when you try to raise anti-cav plate a little above the off the hull, you probably have prop issue's. I've seen a lot of people running damaged props and wonder why they are having problems. A good prop with a little bit of cup can do wonders.

If a dealer was idiot enough to install the wrong shaft length motor on a boat and try selling the buyer on the idea it was fine, I would be taking him to small claims court to make him replace it, at his cost. It's amazing what some people will try pull. Under no circumstance should the anti-cav plate be below the bottom of the boat. It should be a couple of inches above the bottom on most boats.

go down a pitch size on the prop and add a hydrofoil.

Pop Revit. You can make it as complicated or simple as you want, A pop rivet is as simple as it gets.

Try it, if you get interference when running the TM, get a small 12V battery like for lawn mower, even one of the Game Feeder batteries will probably run it all day.

After reading, I was getting to far in left field so I deleted the content of this post.

No, what's too bad is you not know how to fix it yourself. Even with all new parts, it would cost me about a $500 to repair. If a used one can be found, it's about a $300 repair. A little mechanical knowledge is golden when you start messing with boats, well actually most anything when you have to pay the stupid high material cost and labor rates it cost to have some one else do repairs these days. It would give me cold chills to even think about having to have someone else fix anything for me.

I run a 25hp Merc on my 14' jon in bigger, cleaner rivers and open water. The SS prop on it makes a very noticeable difference in how fast it gets on plane and top speed, especially with two people, ice chest and gear. The blades on aluminum props just fold back and distort too much to maintain their pitch and contour. That's why they can't match the hole shot and performance of SS. People use all kinds of rational as to why they run aluminum props because of the difference in cost, but if they ever run a SS prop that's properly matched to their setup, they usually won't go back to aluminum. The key to it is the properly matched to their setup. If you just go out and buy a SS prop, knowing little about what you are doing, you are probably not going to be happy. Their are just too many variables to understand when matching a prop to a setup. That's why on my bass boat and flats boat, not only do I buy SS props, I have them custom tuned. Well, actually I just order them from Bob Lipton, I guess he's still around, haven't had to buy one for several years.

One thing to consider, if regularly fishing areas where prop damage is common, then it's smart to run aluminum. That greatly reduces the chance of LU damage and the cost to repair/ replace it is significantly less. My 9.9 and 4hp get aluminum because they are used in rivers that have tons of blowdowns and sub surface obstructions everything else is ss.

I would order a new prop on line and be done with it. If you look on your prop you will see the size and pitch cast into it. A dealer is going to charged you $100 or more just to say you need to repair or replace that prop. If the RPM was not right at max with normal load, with you current prop, this would be time get a prop that will correct that. One change in pitch size up or down changes the engine about 300 rpm I definitely would not run that prop and I would get a SS. Makes a big difference in how boat performs, but until you try one, you will never realize how much. I don't know how many people I've seen act like they would go in to financial ruin if the spent the money for a SS prop, until they tried one that was suited for their boat (all are not equal). Then you couldn't give them an aluminum. I always have to laugh when someone will spend thousands of dollars on a rig and won't spend a few hundred on the one critical item that transfers the power of the motor to the water. I do recommend you go to a dealer that will let you try before you buy when it comes to selecting the best SS prop, and not try to order your first one on line, thinking you are going to save a few bucks. That can get very expensive, and a good dealer/prop guy can give you valuable assistance.

Yea, most people think they need to make their, new to them, boats all pretty and shinny when they first get them, but they soon grow out of it.

Depends on who got there first. If I pull into an area a boat is already in and we end up crossing paths, I give him the right to keep fishing and move out of his way. If another boat come into an area I was in first, he's gonna be the one to quit and around. Now if his boat is wrapped and there a major tournament going, I will give him ample room to keep fishing, but for the club guys and weekend warriors, first one there keeps fishing. If there is no way of knowing who got to the area first, follow the same right of way rules that apply by law. The law applies to boats under power, be it a TM, gas motor or paddle and stipulates a safe distance that must be maintained, and that's a lot more than a few yards. If in a small area use common sense, and hope both parties have some.

Yep, just switch the two wires connecting them. It's not going to harm them. I just received some LED 1157 bulbs that the polarity was reversed in, plugged them in and no workee, swapped the positive and negative wires to light sockets, worked fine. May not be your problem, but I would think it is, since you say the other lights were working when you took them out. Might also make sure the paint in not insulating the ground wire, scrape the paint off to bare metal.

Try reversing the polarity. Incandescent bulbs work either way, LED's must have the proper polarity, and that may be reversed from what you have.

Counter rotating motors are normally only used with a twin motor setup to counteract the torque of the normal motor and not give you twice the torque you would get if you tried to run two clockwise rotating motors. I have never seen anyone run a counter rotating motor as a single, stand alone motor. I guess it could be done, but since I've never seen that type setup, I actually can't really say how it would react.