40 hp taking to long to plain with 2nd person onboard

[cvillebassn]

Plane that is,,,I have a 15ft bass boat with 40 hp outboard,,it runs great when im running alone,but when a second person boards it takes forever for it to plane,if it does at all,,,i have a standard aluminum prop that has been beat up a bit,,but does anyone know what else i might check please? Thanks

[WTL]

I dont know if I can say for sure, but the more info you can give the better, such as....the 2nd man in your boat sits...where? Nobody weighs 300+? Is the prop out of warp or just nicked? How long have you had the boat, and has this problem arisen since getting it, or has it always been like this? Is the cavitation plate even with the bottom of the hull? How old is the motor and does it sound right?

[cvillebassn]

motor sounds good,,,when i bought it a few months ago,i test ran it with 2 people in it,ran fine. i usually fish alone,but every now again have friend go,i weigh about 200,,and so does friend,,it seems like it just started recently,its older motor but has been maintained,,i just had full tune up before i started fishing,,,spark plug,impeller,etc,,boat rated at 500 lbs,,,do you think i might need a bigger prop for heavier load?

[WTL]

What you are saying is, you have some confidence that this problem arose and hasnt always just been - so that means it has to be something that has gone wrong. So what can go wrong? Especially considering A)you say it runs ok with one man and B) it doesnt with 2....

Prop could be a factor, yea. Of course it didn't just change pitch, but if you hit something (even if you didnt feel it) it could have knocked the prop out of whack and that could be it. I dont feel qualified in telling you what to do with the prop, whether you want larger or smaller, higher pitch or lower...but a reputable prop shop would know.

I'm not an expert, but there are a few guys on here who have had things gone wrong and perhaps if we all put our heads together we can get close to the issue...

[cvillebassn]

thanks,,may have hit something,,recent flooding in area,,but did not hear anything major,,,any help would do,,,thanks WTL

[WTL]

No problem.

[skeeter1804]

If the motor sounds to be running correctly I would have the prop reworked, if it is nicked up it needs it anyway. An aluminum prop doesn't have to be very bad to cause a problem.

[cvillebassn]

yeah im thinking thats what it is,,,the prop is pretty nicked up,and if i hit something unknown,it may be warped,,,ive tried adjusting trim and it still acts up,,,Thanks to all,,,if any other suggestions please leave.