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Teaching An Old Dog Some New Tricks
By Jerry Puckett

September/October 1994

I didn't need to consult a doctor to know that I had been infected. Infected, hell! The disease had me by the throat and was choking the life out of me. And the classic symptoms were all there, shortness of breath, clammy hands, rapid pulse and a vacant look in my eyes that indicated I was long gone. You may have witnessed these symptoms in a friend or experienced them yourself. There I was at the kitchen table, surrounded by literature, in the midst of an all out attack of New Bass Boat Fever.

Yes, that most dreaded of maladies whereby you are forced to admit that the boat in your driveway is little more than a pile of junk. Visions of metal flake gel coat dance in your head as you envision yourself transported at incredible speeds to a honey hole where the fish of a lifetime await your arrival. You rise above mere mortals as you ascend to the lofty heights of your elevated and spacious flipping deck; graphite scepter in hand you make a career cast and are immediately gratified to see that all of your loyal, finny subjects have bowed to your brilliance and simply surrendered. As the sun sinks slowly in the west and the credits roll across the screen, your wife weeps quietly as she hugs your teenage children as they look on in awe. Yes, you and your magnificent 20-foot Whizbang Bass Getter make quite an impression.

So much for never-never land. Once you're back on earth you may be confronted by the harsh realities of budgetary constraints that simply will not tolerate biting off a new chunk of debt load. Just maybe you could breathe enough life into your old boat to satisfy both your budget as well as your desire for something finer.

Just such a scenario in my life led me to embark on a major face lift for my bass buggy. My starting place was my venerable old 390 Ranger. Although a veteran of some years of bassing, the basic hull was as sound as ever. Rough around the edges but no stress cracks and the transom had never taken a shot. The hull was dry and solid. The boat wasn't a screamer, but it wasn't a dog. Handling was fair to good and with a light tournament load, it would run in the high fifties with two up. That may not seem like much but at 4,000 feet above sea level here at Lake Powell, that's moving pretty good. But, I wanted more.

The steering cables were original but even with the upgraded stainless tilt tube in place, the system was a little tired. Some slight binding, creaking and popping. And a gruesome amount of torque steer.

The live-well cable controls and valves were pretty bad as was the upholstery on the bench seat. Ditto the butt seats and power pedestals.

The boat had always lifted and ridden well. For the most part this was due to a super-trick prop my Dad had built for me. But I knew without some setback I was using a lot of horsepower for lift that could be used for push. Well, time to see what we can do with the old girl.

Motor:

The trusty Black Max carburated 200 had just given up the ghost. A seeping head gasket had wet a cylinder with the end result being a scored piston and bore. My mechanic estimated a minimum rebuild cost of $3500 due to the chromed bore that would require boring and re-chroming. I should add that the motor was high on hours and a little tired all over. Another consideration was the fact that the old motor was a power-head rated 200, compared to the new prop rated motors. If I opted for a new one I would be realizing a big horsepower gain. That settled it.

After talking around, I settled on one of the new 2.5 liter fuel-injected 200 Mariners. The Mariner Gray matched the color scheme of the Ranger perfectly. The boat had earned the nickname "Silver Bullet" years earlier and the Mariner completed the package. By staying within the Mercury/Mariner family I could also use the good flush mount controls that were in the boat, and the oil tank and plumbing were the same.

Bracket

After talking to what seemed like half the population of the United States, I took the advice of Pro Staffer Ray Thurston. I called Chuck at Rite Hite Jack Plates in Purdy, Missouri, for a lengthy conversation and I was truly impressed with his knowledge of a wide range of hulls. His recommendation was to go with a 10" setback for the Bullet as that was perfect for 390s. Ray Thurston's experience echoed that so the result was an order for the 10" manual plate - painted Mariner Gray.

Steering

With the addition of a 10" plate I had to make a decision: longer cables or a new system. Again, taking a tip from Ray Thurston, I contacted Larry Locatis, sales rep for Marine Wholesale. Locatis was knowledgeable about what the market had to offer in state-of-the-art systems, and we finally settled on a Morse Controls hydraulic set-up. This zero-feedback system would be just the ticket for easing the strain on the long boat rides here at Lake Powell. Hydraulic helm, cylinder kit and a set of 14' hoses--my parts were on the way.

Controls & Upholstery

One call to Ranger Boats in Flippin, Arkansas, solved all my problems. They sent me a complete set of cable controls and cables for the livewells as well as a pair of live-well control valves. By motor freight they sent me a complete bench seat. New padding, new upholstery, new ride and a new outlook on life.

Putting the Pieces Together

I had all the parts delivered to Jerry's Marine here in Page. When everything arrived, Jerry Bellars and I laid it all out to check that everything was in place. All was well so I reluctantly left. Two days later I returned to be greeted by a Bullet with a whole new attitude. Man, it looked awesome and I could hardly wait to find out if it would run. To that end I postponed installation of upholstery and livewell upgrades in favor of getting the new beast put through its break-in paces.

During the break-in I noted several things about the new systems. First off, I found that over the years I had developed an unconscious habit of pulling the wheel left when I opened the throttle to counteract the torque steer. With hydraulic steering in place, this resulted in an immediate left turn--no torque steer.

Second, no matter how thoroughly you have bled air from the hydraulic system in the shop, you will have to refill the reservoir in the helm after only a few miles of operation. This is a simple operation requiring only the supplied funnel and some hydraulic fluid or Dextron II ATF which is an approved substitute. I had no leaks, nor have I had any since, but I filled it twice in the first day of operation. At that point the system was totally purged and has required nothing further in the ensuing months. Low fluid level causes a mushy feel to the steering; you have to turn the wheel further than normal to get the boat to react.

Third, zero torque steering takes a little getting used to. With this system you can turn the wheel loose at full throttle and trim, and the boat just goes in a straight line. Pull it over into a turn and release the wheel and it continues to turn at that same rate. After hanging on to the wheel for so many years, it took a little time to learn to just relax.

Fourth, hydraulic steering is not power steering. Although silky smooth in operation (cables never felt like this), the steering effort did not change. At full tilt and throttle the effort required to turn left is the same as with cables: steers easy to the right and hard to the left. The difference is you only encounter this pressure when you actually turn left. At all other times, the wheel pressure is zero.

Fifth, the 10" setback plate changed everything about this boat, and all for the better. The most amazing change is the amount of leverage that the motor now exerts on the hull. Unbelievable. With the motor mounted about halfway up on the plate and the plate in the full down position it generated too much lift. The boat was so far out of the water that even moderate trimming was out of the question at higher throttle settings. Lifting the hull means speed and a smooth ride. I could hardly wait for the break-in to be over and the dial-in to start. This bad boy is going to be a runner.

Sixth, whoever designed this EFI system for Mariner/Mercury is my brand new hero. You can't believe the difference between EFI and carbs. Smooth as silk. The Mariner would hold any throttle setting above 2,500 RPMs - On Plane! The efficiency of the injectors allows the motor to pull along like a John Deere tractor. No sputtering, no hesitation, no loading up, just smooth ignition of the perfect fuel mixture at all times. I love this motor.

Dialing It In

A day and a half later I had the bullet weaned off of double oil and with the break-in procedures followed to the letter, we were ready to let the big dog run. With buddy Ron Hall in tow, we headed to the lake with a load of propellers and necessary tools to adjust the plate. When Ron backed me in at Powell for the first trial, conditions were near perfect: only a very light breeze, low humidity and temperature about 60 degrees. Fuel tanks were full (52 gallons), both live wells full and a normal tournament load of gear on board. Mounted on the Mariner was my best low altitude customized prop. Tricked out for maximum lift and speed, this three blade was a runner, but I had never been able to pull it at Powell's altitude.

For the first run, we left everything in the starting position. Motor mounted midway on the plate, plate down fully. A two-mile upwind leg and the two mile downwind return showed an average speed of right at 65 MPH. Due to the excessive lift afforded by the combination of a 10" setback plate and propeller, I was uncomfortable at this speed. Absolutely no boat in the water and more than an acceptable amount of chine walk. Engine water pressure was high.

For the second run, we lifted the plate one inch. This requires two 3/4" end wrenches and a large crescent. Time required, about five minutes. We were careful in taking measurements to assure that the plate was up an equal amount on each side. That one inch made a big difference. At a lower trim angle, average speed increased to just a tick over 70 mph and the chine walk went away totally. The amount of lift was perfect with no spray leaving the side of the boat, everything was going straight back from the transom. Engine water pressure ran steady at 15 psi.

For run three, we lifted the plate another inch and gained 4 mph. Man, we're strolling now! But, a big part of my lift went away and took my water pressure with it. Running in a straight line the pressure gauge read 7 to 8 psi, but when I made a turn, the gauge showed a wide fluctuation in readings. To verify the readings I returned to the dock and had Ron accompany me for another pass. Lift was definitely off; the boat was up but running at a relatively level attitude. With two up we averaged about 72 mph. Now I should note that with the engine raised into the stratosphere we could not run the trim angle as high as normal. Over trimming immediately resulted in loss of water pressure and excessive prop ventilation. We had reached the point where our set-up yielded maximum straight-line speed. But, we had sacrificed water pressure and overall handling. Back to the dock.

For run four, we dropped the plate back down one inch and went for a pass with two up. At a normal trim angle that resulted in a long flat rooster tail (about four feet high), we regained our lift and water pressure. The gauge registered a steady 15 psi and only dropped a pound or so in a full throttle turn. In full tournament trim with a passenger and driver weight of 520 pounds (Ron and I are healthy children), we averaged just over 68 mph. That's moving at 4,000 feet above sea level. Since then I have bumped 70 mph at first light with my 130-pound team partner (my son Clayton) aboard and empty livewells.

Conclusion

I love this boat. All of the upgrades made a major change in handling and speed. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't un-spend a single dollar. I can honestly say that I got more than my money's worth in terms of ease of handling, speed and efficiency. Knowing what I know now, the only change I would make is that I would have done it a long time ago.

As far as the livewells and upholstery are concerned, one day's work for my buddy Chip and my son Clayton and everything works like brand new. The newer style controls work effortlessly and nothing leaks with the new valves installed. The new bench seat not only looks good, but it feels good too.

The results we achieved with the Bullet were not a fluke. Since upgrading my boat, there have been a rash of upgrades here at Lake Powell. All of my circle of close acquaintances have gone to Rite-Hite jack plates and Morse hydraulic steering. Each of the other four boats has improved its lift, handling and speed. The jack plate seems to add a solid 6 to 8 mph while contributing to a better ride angle and smoother ride. The steering just makes life safer and more pleasant.

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