I have a bass tracker pro team 170 tx and it has a merc 40 hp 4 stroke, i have a 13.5 x 26 standard prop and motor is rated to go at an rpm of 6000 max. i am looking to get up on plane quicker and pick up some speed without going over 6000 rpm's i am currently maxing out at 5700 trimmed all the way and about 31 mph tops , would like to run about 35mph. Can i achieve this by going to a 16 pitch prop stainless instead of my 13 aluminum??? or what else could i do that wont harm the motor but get me more speed

You are at about the optimum now with your current combo.  Too high or too low max RPM will damage the engine.  You could try a stainless prop with the same pitch as your current and pick up maybe 1 or 2 mph due to their better efficiency and cupped design.  A 16in prop if it would even fit would lug that motor down and potentially do a lot of damage IMO.

My first boat was a 40 merc on a basstracker.  13 was the right prop pitch.  If you are getting 31 you are doing good.

A hydrofoil stabilizer will get you out of the water faster but you're about maxed out of speed. 

Thanks for the help everyone

First off, a 40 four stroke is not much motor for that size boat.  Another one of those Tracker deals where then underpower the hull, just so they can keep the price down.

 

I would suggest working with your setup.  Yes, a stainless prop the same pitch as your aluminum will give you better peformance all the way around.  Also, something to look at is your motor height.  Almost everyone I've ever seen mounted to the transome is mounted too low.  Place a level on the bottom of the hull and level the boat with the tounge jack.  Then place the level on the anticavitation plate and adjust the trim until the motor is level.  Now, if you look down the bottom side of the anticav plate and it should be an inch or so above the bottom of the hull.  Now, you just don't have enough motor to see big gains but it may be possible to see a couple mph gain in speed and the hole shot will be better.  A good SS prop will almost always give a noticable increase in performance over an aluminum prop. 

First off, a 40 four stroke is not much motor for that size boat.  Another one of those Tracker deals where then underpower the hull, just so they can keep the price down.

 

I would suggest working with your setup.  Yes, a stainless prop the same pitch as your aluminum will give you better peformance all the way around.  Also, something to look at is your motor height.  Almost everyone I've ever seen mounted to the transome is mounted too low.  Place a level on the bottom of the hull and level the boat with the tounge jack.  Then place the level on the anticavitation plate and adjust the trim until the motor is level.  Now, if you look down the bottom side of the anticav plate and it should be an inch or so above the bottom of the hull.  Now, you just don't have enough motor to see big gains but it may be possible to see a couple mph gain in speed and the hole shot will be better.  A good SS prop will almost always give a noticable increase in performance over an aluminum prop. 

 

 

Yep, and before you do anything with the prop adjust the outboard height and look at the tach to make sure you are still in the correct rpm range for the outboard.  If you raise the motor the rpm will increase most of the time.