5 1/2 hp Johnson on 14/36 Polar Craft

[Eddie Mullins]

Just got my first aluminum boat, 14/36 polar craft john boat. It has a 70ish 5 1/2 hp Johnson motor on it. Motor seems to be running great, and looks like it turning lots of water, but moves the boat SLOOOOWWW.

Maybe I'm expecting too much. Is this motor just too small for this boat? What should I expect from this set up? I'm expecting to win any races, but I have a larger fiberglass boat and I actually think the trolling motor on it moves it faster than Johnson is pushing this little guy.

Could a different prop help? or is this combo only gonna move at a snails pace?

[JKCCKC2002]

May have to adjust the trim if the is an adjustment. Should move it well, but very fast.

[Barnacle Bill]

Also how deep is the prop? The anti cavitation plate should be close to being even with the bottom of the boat.

[skeetbum]

Bill may have a point. If it's a long shaft motor(20" vs 16") it will do weird things and not go too fast. If it isn't getting on plane with you alone in the boat, and the shaft length is right, slide forward a little off the back seat and kneel with your butt on the very front of, or just in front of the seat, This moves the weight forward enough to allow the boat to achieve plane. I has worked for me on several smaller jons in the past. I took a 6 gallon milk crate and put a lid on it and mounted a swivel seat to it and placed it right in front of the rear seat. My 14' and 6hp would do about 12 mph. Had the hinge on the front of the crate and used it for tackle and such, and by tilting it forward to get in it, it didn't blow open on the trailer.

[Eddie Mullins]

Thanks, I'll take a look at how low its setting and try shifting weight around a little. 12 mph I could live with, I'm now where near getting on plane. I'm not exagerating when I say my larger/heavier fiberglass will go faster with its trolling motor, and it just didn't make any sense to me. It does have I think 4 spots for trim adjustment. I tried a couple , lowest / highest and didn't see much difference.

Would a pic help?

The prop seems to be a little bent to me. Could that be part of it? As you can tell I'm a rookie when it comes to boats : ) .

[Eddie Mullins]

Just watched a couple of youtube vidoes of teh same / similar motor and they were easliy moving twice the speed I achieved. I also saw they created more of a defined wake where as I was just seeing water boil up behind the boat.

[Il Duckshewterzdad]

In addition to all of the above, another possibility is the rubber bushing in the prop is worn out or slipping badly. An indication of this would be the motor rev's as the throttle is increased, but the boat doesn't gain speed accordingly. You'd need to take the prop to an outboard repair shop to have it replaced. Hope you get your problem resolved soon!

[Barnacle Bill]

Also if you do in fact have a bent blade that will not only affect performance, it is bad for the seals in the lower unit. A prop shop can make it like new including the hub.

[Eddie Mullins]

If I can I'll post a pic, it looks bent to me.

[Eddie Mullins]

Here's a pic of the motor. How does the mounting placement look?