Thread: X18pfc performance with 115sho vs 150sho

Sharing some data because there's very little about this boat coupled with a 150.
Last year I bought an x18pfc with the pre-packaged 115 Yamaha SHO. The boat had a PowerTech 19 pitch prop and ran 46mph with just me. With two people (370 pounds) and full live wells it ran 42-44mph. 470 pounds of people, it ran 40-41mph. Anytime the front livewell was full it would drop off pad, causing me to trim down and lose speed.
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This week, I repowered to a 150 Yamaha SHO and 6" hydraulic jackplate. Today, I ran a Mercury Tempest prop 24 pitch. Fully loaded, but just me (200#), it ran 5600rpm and 56-58mph. It didn't seem to matter if the livewells were full or empty. The boat ran best about 5" prop to pad and slightly above neutral instead of at full trim. The boat handled extremely well, steered great and had no chine walk.

Different boat but I had an experience I’d like to tell of. I owned an 18’ Bumble Bee glass bass boat. Got it used with a 2 liter 150 Mariner. Over the years I met several people that had the same hull with different motors. The one that had a 115 said he was wanting more ponies from day one, and not for the speed. He said his wouldn’t get up out of the water and scoot but seemed to be working hard all the time. Met another man that had the original motor die and replaced it with a 90 Honda, but he was happy just getting to fish and didn’t care about performance. Good thing, I never saw the nose rise, very underpowered. The last one I’ll speak of had a 2.5 liter 150 on my exact hull. Mine would run 63 with a 25 pitch laserII prop with a turned edge, great bow lift. His walked away from me easily and had the same prop pitch. Said his ran 70 but he never ran it that fast once he found out what it would do. My point; middle sized motors don’t give the performance the boat was designed for. Far better to have the extra power in reserve and not use it. Hole shots are also easier with the extra power. I owned my boat for 10 years and had no major mechanical issues with it and ran it like I stole it at least once every time out. Had it been a smaller motor like some of the others I spoke of, I don’t believe that would have been the case. That motor was not working at its max capacity just to make the boat move. Once it was on plane it settled in and didn’t have to work as hard to keep it there.

Glad the new motor is working well for you. Always nice to spend a day in a boat that does what it should and your mind can focus on other things, like fish.