Pulse 185 chine walks

[JW]

You have to be pretty handy to to change upper and lower motor mounts. The power head has to be pulled to access the top mounts...

Some people compromise by just changing the lower mounts. Just doing that will improve the handling somewhat.

Checkmates owned: 1995 Pulsare 2100BR/1995 Mercury Promax 225 2.5 EFI. 1995 Persuader 183/4.3 LX V6. 1992 Pulse 171/1992 Mercury XR6 150 hp 2.5 liter.

 

[175checkmate]

Boy do I feel lucky, When the power head was installed the soild mounts where installed. But I have to do the lowers.

1975 Checkmate Tri-mate 2, 2.4 200+ / Sky jacker 6" plate / 25p Laser 2 prop

 

[F150GT]

Changing the motor mounts are not a problem, I had the power head off to change the verticle steering bushings, should have changed them then
(it also helps that I'm a mechanic)

Thanks for the link to Dock Boy, Those are the articles I was looking for.
thanks F150GT

 

[Craig]

Jim, Re Sea Star steering wheel movement:

I checked and I actually have the same 3/4" movement in the wheel before the pump moves. I would bet this is normal. What did Sea Star tell you? If I grab the motor and move it though, the steering wheel will not move, that's the important thing.

-Craig

 

[C-mate 280]

I have a Pulse 185 and I run It consistantly in the mid 80,s gps with no chine walking- Its all in the set up!!!
-Get that engine up !!!! As high as you can and still have water pressure (get a water Pressure gauge-they're cheap and easy to install). Plug the 2 top holes of your water intake (Mercury sells a kit for this),which will allow you to run the motor considerably higher and still suck water and not air into the cooling system. The prop shaft center should be about 2 inches below the pad. I run mine even with the pad but I have a sportmaster lower unit with low water pickups.
-Get a jack plate with as much set back as your steering cables or hoses will allow. Mine is 11 inches but I wish I had 14 inches (don't we all). This will give you excellent bow lift.This will also allow you to adjust the engine height easily. A hydrolic lift is best because you can adjust while underway, (but they're spendy).don't worry about the transom being strong enough, It is built like a battle ship if water hasn't invaded the wood.
- Solid motor mounts are a plus but when I was running my 175 merc at 70 radar, with 5 1/2 inch set back and the motor about 1 1/2 inches below the pad I experienced little chine walk.
- Now my boat is set up with a 280 merc, 11 inches of set back and the prop shaft is even with the pad, solid motor mounts, and I experience no chine walking until I lower the motor. The lower It goes the more chine walking I have.
-A 25 inch tempest is a good prop for your boat but a better all around prop is a 25 inch trophy. It has a much better hole shot and lifts the bow better, the boat handels better in rough water with just a little sacrifice in speed.
-As my wife always says,"THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS,GET IT UP, IT'S THE KEY TO SUCCESS." !!!!

 

[Craig]

C-mate 280,

That is one heck of a boat you have there. Indeed it must be set up flawlessly. Although I have never actually owned a Pulse, I have to believe that is a rare example. In my experiences, driving/watching Checkmates, Hydrostreams, Allisons, I have never driven, or seen, a small v-bottom hull that did not chine walk (while holding the wheel still) when running that fast.

-Craig

 

[Bigmoss]

I to have a 1997 Pulse 186 with a 2004 Merc 200 HP Optimax, bought it this summer and tried it once with the dealer for a water test. I have been an inboard guy for years and was shocked when I got behind the wheel.

I to get a huge chine walk at anything over 60. It has from what I saw dual steering I guess and a 25p tempest prop as per Checkmates tech's, I also had the mechanic set the motor to the 3 inches from the pad as per checkmate.

The dealer rep drove with me in the boat and it is getting 87mph on the speedo and he gets no chine walk BUT looks like he is fighting the wheel all the time. I again tried it before we took it out and could get get over 60mph without bad chine walking

Like I said I owned a 18ft Glastron with an inboard 228hp and I could bounce, ride that boat to the edge. Now I know this new mate will take getting use to and as I said I only drove it for 30 minutes or so then it went away for the season but after seeing all these threads am now worried this won't be corrected and I will never be able to get peak performance out of my new baby.

BM

 

[JW]

Bigmoss, have the dealer install solid engine mounts and get that steering tightened up.....

Checkmates owned: 1995 Pulsare 2100BR/1995 Mercury Promax 225 2.5 EFI. 1995 Persuader 183/4.3 LX V6. 1992 Pulse 171/1992 Mercury XR6 150 hp 2.5 liter.

 

[Bigmoss]

Hey JW thanks for the reply the steering seemed really tight to me with no play, the motor mounts I will have to ask the dealer about.

BM

[This message was edited by Bigmoss on October 15, 2003 at 08:23 PM.]

[This message was edited by Bigmoss on October 15, 2003 at 08:24 PM.]

[This message was edited by Bigmoss on October 15, 2003 at 08:29 PM.]

[This message was edited by Bigmoss on October 15, 2003 at 08:30 PM.]

 

[F150GT]

That's gotta kill you to buy the boat and only run it for 30 min, then have to wait for spring. It's going to be a long winter.

The motor looks low, I'd rais it to the top and give it a try, ultimatly your going to want a jack plate. Looks sweet though.

 

[C-mate 280]

Bigmoss,
Looking at those pictures of your set up I see that you got to have the motor higher and more set back. When my jack plate is set that low I also get bad chine walking. That motor needs to get up. About the Merc factory speedo, when I had the 175 merc on mine it read 84 mph. A friend had a radar gun and after 5 passes I squeezed out 70 mph, a 14 mph difference!!!! Those factory speedos are notoriously bad, now I have a gps.
That optimax weighs 100 pounds more than my 2.5 so you probably don't need more than 8 inches of set back if you deceide to run a jack plate.

 

[Bubba]

I also hafe that chine problem and toolk the engine up. now it is mutch better, but i think just rising your engine would not be your only problem. the engine is very heavy and when you put the engine too high i think the weight is too mutch abov the boat and the boot chine's again, i think the optimax is too heavy, not in HP but in weight, too get a good set up.
very nice boat and engine!! good luck i hoop you get it running!

Sake From HOLLAND

 

[C-mate 280]

Bigmoss,I am sending a picture of my set up to Chris in hopes he might post it. The motor is tilted up but you can see the 11 inch set back, the, the prop (which is a 24 inch Ligtening ET which has been reworked to 25 inches), a sportmaster lower unit, which has low water pickup, and the motor jacked all the way up so the prop shaft is even with the pad. One thing I didn't mention in my last post, as the motor height goes up you will experience more and more torque steer with cable steering and perhaps a little with hydro steering,--to counter act this you may need to put a torque tab on the skeg.

 

[jkeiper]

Wow!

I haven't been able to be on here recently to read all the replies. Thanks!

Craig,

I talked to Marc at Sea Star and he's telling me that it is not bled completely and that there shouldn't be any play at the wheel. So I'm still working on that. It still looks like to me that the play is in the shaft and the pump when looking through the fill hole on the helm.

c-mate280,

That is the fastest Pulse that I have heard of, however, I don't know of any with a 280 on it. I wish it was mine.

Jim

Hot babes and cool boats.

 

[Chris]

Here is C-Mate's pic he sent over.

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[Bigmoss]

I spoke to the mechanic where I bought the boat and he is going to check the steering, but as far as lifting the motor up anymore they say no way as it is at the max now so that the engine does not over rev and the alarm go off. So I am not sure what to do now

BM

 

[C-mate 280]

Bigmoss,
Put a water pressure gauge on the motor, They're cheap and easy to install, raise the motor, and watch the gauge.If you have good pressure there is no danger of overheating the motor. If you are reving higher , that is good because there is less drag from the lower unit and your chine walking will diminish. Then to lower the higher revs try a higher pitched prop so over reving is eliminated.
c-mate 280