vandal setup

[rooster]

i have a vandal with 200 hp merc with low water pickup 5inch setback any tips on
setup for top speed ?

[RussF]

yeah on my knees praying alot

[Rut311969]

I think that might be beyond praying time more like kissing time Bye bye .

[77viper]

Welcome to the forum.

I am all for overpowreing a hydrostream but take it easy, and get to know how everything works together before you end up wet. That can be a deadly combination, but I'm running over 300 hp on a viper. I will say I don't want to know what my viper is capable of in the top end because it's faster than the hull will allow and that is the same as your hull, I quit at 101.

YOU WILL GET WET before you run out of power.
Make sure you have all the best of safety equipment and use it. Your boat must also be rigged top notch because I can't stress enough it can be deadly.

Now what I would start with is around a 27 to 29 srx, chopper or yamaha drag prop. It will be a blast for all around riding and should put you into the upper 80's to low 90's. If you can get with a couple guys and try as many props as you can it will help to find what works best for what you want to do with it. In the end you will probably end up with two or three props for different applications. Heck I buy any prop I can afford and have accumulated about 20 of different designs and pitches from 22 to 30 for my hydrostreams.

5" is too much setback for such a short, light hull Bobs machine shop sells a convertible JP that can be used at 2.5" or 5" use the 2.5" setting and it will handle a lot better.

Be careful, have fun, and post a picture I want to see this thing.

[Sonik]

There reaches a point where " hang enough horsepower on it, and it'll go" becomes a moot point. A Vandal with a 200 will flirt with the century mark if its right and healthy. The question you need to ask yourself is.....is it worth a stuff or blowover??? Don't get me wrong, I'm all about borderline ridiculous stuff but I'm pretty sure I'd go a different route if I really wanted to wring out a small boat...I'm close to my comfort limit running mine in the low to mid 80's honestly. If you drive it long enough, and hard enough, bad things can happen.

I'd look long and hard at the core and transom before I'd even think about attempting to do what you're after....after all, you ARE putting your life in the hands of the boat. If you decide to go for it, safety gear and kill switch are a must, and a chase boat or a buddy close by is always a good idea.

[Sonik]

As usual, Chet beat me to the punch again...lol....by minutes.

[rooster]

Thanks guys for the advise. I think the set back is probably the answer. If I survive the blow over I know i went to far. Thanks

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[rooster]

I put the 21/2 jackplate on handling is worse. How far above the pad should I be. It torques real hard can't even put the power to it can't go more then 45 without it walking any tips

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Hippie459MN]

Put a smaller motor on it. 200hp is alot of motor for a 14' boat. Seeing as the coast guard approved maximum HP for that boat is only 80hp. Try a smaller lighter motor say in the 115hp rang and see what happens. I have never seen anyone bolt anything bigger then a 135 V-4 on a vandal and that seen close to 80mph if I wasnt mistaken but off hand I cant remember.

I would think the weight of a V-6 would just be to much for that little boat.

Here is a pic of it. This belongs to one of the mombers on S&F

100_4590.jpg (250.56 KiB) Viewed 4413 times

Now thats some driving right there.

[Surface Scratcher]

Chine walking, that's part of the fun.

Yep, you're way overpowered but I wouldn't want to put a smaller motor on either. You'll probably never be able to open it up for very long.

From what I've read, you really have two issues setup and balance. Pad boats have to be balanced to perform. Since yours is so out of balance you'll have to compensate with sand bags or something in the bow. I'll bet it porpoises when it's not chine walking. Fuel tank in back? Leave it there.

As far as the chine walking, you'll need tight steering, solid mounts, a surfacing prop, and seat time. For engine height I would start a little below the pad and dial up from there, but your rig is unique, so nobody is going to be able to hand you the perfect set up.

Safety lecture time: Blah, blah, blah, blah, Oh.. you might wanna add a chase boat with a paramedic.