New (to me) XB2003 learning and setup

[ntxwaterfowl]

Hi all, I saw my first Allison when I was about 10 at a boat show and I have wanted one ever since. 23 years later I have been fortunate enough to purchase a 1999 xb03 with a Johnson Venom 200. I won't really ask about the chine walking, I know it's been discussed ad nauseum on this site and others and I know there will be no replacement for seat time. That said I wanted to describe my setup and get some suggestions on the best way to prioritize/approach changes.

So setup... 1997 model Johnson 200 (60 degree V6) on the factory Allison manual jackplate I measured at 9" setback. The prop is a 24P Raker with a stock gearcase (top water inlet filled in)

I drove it Tuesday and it would max out around 5000 rpm. At around 58-60 I thought it was trying to get on the pad, it would chine walk but the rear would also swing (kind of like fishtailing) back and forth. My first (and second, and third) thoughts were of surprise. I had read about chine walk, read the red book, and thought I would be able to kinda at least get a feel for it. It was discouraging because everything felt sluggish and impossible to even get a reaction. But at 50 the thing was quiet and handled waves great.

Last night I measured the propshaft height, figured it was 3 inches below the pad or so, but it ended up being 6.5! So I raised it to 2.75" below and ran it again today. Completely different animal. Much more responsive to trim and today I was not only able to feel only chinewalk but also I could feel and hear the "pop" as it tried to come up on pad and it kept hitting 6000 rpm, but not at speed. I managed 65.7 gps before I bumped the trim back down and slowly backed out of it. I'm excited and ready to get more seat time. Sadly the motor got a lot louder, apparently the exhaust was buried before.

One thing I did notice is that I've been warned and read not to overtrim. As a result I've been very slow to raise the trim and it takes a lot of lake to even hit 60, I feel like it should accelerate quicker than taking a couple minutes and over a mile to touch 60. Also, the trim gauge shows to be like 3/4 high when I finally get enough speed to get on pad, I know that you can't rely on the trim gauge but that still seemed high. The steering torque was also greatly multiplied from the original setup, very hard to hold (cable, not hydraulic)

Sorry for the long intro, I really would love opinions on the best things to prioritize in my setup this winter. I know I should put a Merc on it but the only reason I was able to purchase this boat was the price and the OMC will have to do for a while.

Projects (in no particular order)
Solid Mounts
Nose Cone
Pin Carrier
Prop
4" setback plate (to raise the motor more and a bit more setback for the 200) I'm a big guy and will usually have my family in the boat with me.

Any recommendations on if I'm on the right track, overthinking it, getting ahead of myself or whatever would be appreciated. Also prop suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I've looked and seems that I haven't seen many people running a 24 Raker on and xb03.

Thanks in advance, this boat is a dream come true and I'm already enjoying it. (I've also learned the other side to Ally ownership, I've been stopped 3 times to look at the boat lol!)

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

Thanks! My “goal” is to learn to drive above 75 by May so I can make sure my uncle’s Ranger doesn’t pass me at our annual family fishing trip lol. I guess I should of put a picture up too huh?

 

[XB03AllyProud]

Welcome aboard. There are others on here in N TX area that have or had 2003's that hopefully you can hook up with to gain some personal help from as well sometime. As stated above, get the solid mounts and LWP for safety and performance. After you get them and feel comfortable with driving top end of the Raker try a 25-27 SRX or other overhub prop if someone has one to try close by and you will likely have another learning curve thrill with the OMC. I'm not expert on the Venom's but don't hold it too long above 6000 I would think.

 

[RiverRat71]

Thanks! My “goal” is to learn to drive above 75 by May so I can make sure my uncle’s Ranger doesn’t pass me at our annual family fishing trip lol. I guess I should of put a picture up too huh?

Nice! You get that baby set up & learn it & you wont have to worry about a Ranger period. RR

 

[SLOmofo]

As said solid mounts tight steering, this goes with any motor. I learned to drive my XB2003 with a sorta stock 200 Johnson. I did have a low water pick up lower unit. Loud?

 

[BigRWater]

Thanks! My “goal” is to learn to drive above 75 by May so I can make sure my uncle’s Ranger doesn’t pass me at our annual family fishing trip lol. I guess I should of put a picture up too huh?

Congratulations! What a beauty. I like the color.
I recently bought an XB 2003. I have not had her in the water yet.
By the time I get mine going, you'll probably have some advice for me, from all you learn in the mean time.
Have fun.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

As said solid mounts tight steering, this goes with any motor. I learned to drive my XB2003 with a sorta stock 200 Johnson. I did have a low water pick up lower unit. Loud?

It was surprisingly quiet when I first drove it, then after I raised it a few inches it was very loud. Now you almost have to shout to your passenger at 50+.
What sort of speeds did you get out of your motor?

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

Congratulations! What a beauty. I like the color.
I recently bought an XB 2003. I have not had her in the water yet.
By the time I get mine going, you'll probably have some advice for me, from all you learn in the mean time.
Have fun.

Thanks! I’m trying to get all the seat time I can before hunting season when I inevitably will boat less. That’s probably when I’ll pull the lower unit.
XB03ALLYPROUD, That’s good advice on the 6k rpm, I was kinda wondering about that. Between that and the noise it might be a long wait for that Merc lol.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

I spent the morning driving. I drove over 80 miles on the lake and kinda made progress. For a while I was just randomly sawing on the wheel then it felt like I kinda got a rhythm down. For a while 63 was chinewalk and had to trim down and slow until I was in the 40's before trying again. By the end of the morning I hit 66.5 and would start to lose it but would be able to trim down only and drop to about 62 and gain control again. From looking at prop calculators I may be at the top of what this prop will do? 5900 rpm, 66.5, 24p, 1.86 gears shows like 8% slip so I'm guessing this setup should max out at under 70?

 

[SLOmofo]

It was surprisingly quiet when I first drove it, then after I raised it a few inches it was very loud. Now you almost have to shout to your passenger at 50+.
What sort of speeds did you get out of your motor?

The higher the prop-shaft the noisier it will get. If the water that originally gets dumped into the exhaust is diverted away it gets louder yet. When the inner can is removed...... I'm sure you get what I'm saying.
"Almost shout" You could be screaming bloody murder in my boat, but I wouldn't hear you. I'm half deaf and always use ear plugs anyway.
I think, suggest everyone wear hearing protection when running. Just the wind will cause hearing loss over time.
Speeds from the stock ish engine... It's been many years and I've slept since then... but I'd guess in the 80s.
At the lakes I haunt everyone knew when I put the SackOCats on plane. At my first WAR (Western Allison Rally) we were all floating together watching the members during "Prop Testing" I over heard Lars comment, when first hearing a boat(mine) coming down the lake "It sounded like a sack of cats." People either love it or hate it.

 

[SLOmofo]

I spent the morning driving. I drove over 80 miles on the lake and kinda made progress. For a while I was just randomly sawing on the wheel then it felt like I kinda got a rhythm down. For a while 63 was chine walk and had to trim down and slow until I was in the 40's before trying again. By the end of the morning I hit 66.5 and would start to lose it but would be able to trim down only and drop to about 62 and gain control again. From looking at prop calculators I may be at the top of what this prop will do? 5900 rpm, 66.5, 24p, 1.86 gears shows like 8% slip so I'm guessing this setup should max out at under 70?

Always....Life jacket on and zipped, I think leg straps are necessary. The Kill lanyard clipped to the jacket. I never remove the lanyard from the jacket.

When I was learning. Balance the boat. Look at it from the rear while tied at the dock and make it level. I bought a RV curved level and glued it to the lip of the dash so it is always in easy view. Now you can sit and see if it's close with you in the seat. Rearrange the stuff you will always carry to get it level. Put the boat on plane and play with the trim at low speeds.. you'll see/feel the boat lean to each side as you trim "in" and "out".
I started at around 50 mph and drove around the lake thru and over all the different conditions I could encounter. Trim in and out "getting a/the feel for what happens". Increase speed 5 mph and do it all over again. Increase 5 mph again and again. At some point the boat will start to chine walk at the trim and speed you are going. Just back out of the throttle and ease back up to that speed.
At this point you will have to learn to drive by your senses, sight and inner ear balance. I do not look at the bow of the boat, I concentrate on the far shore or horizon. As soon as the boat leans, horizon tilts give the steering wheel a small bump to counteract the walk. Looking ahead gives you a larger scope. If you watch the bow your reaction(input) is way to late and you already way behind in reacting to the lean.
Trim it in...trim it out. Bump..bump. Back out and do it again.
Wax on wax off little grasshopper.
The time you put in now will make you an Allison boat driver. Trying to bull your way thru will make you an Ex Allison owner.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

SLOmofo, thanks for the advice. I have definitly been wearing life jacket and kill lanyard though I'm going to shorten my lanyard I think. I noticed today that there was way to much stretch there. I've run about 60 gallons of gas this week running it and learning and I'm starting to feel quite a bit more comfortable at 55-60 but at one point I did have a rogue wake surprise me at about 62 and that was interesting. I'm guessing it all comes with time but so far it has been exciting.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

OK, what am I missing here? The steering has a ton of play as this bracket doesn’t seem to do anything. It would seem you would run the nut on each side of the threads to tighten it in the bracket but the unthreaded part is wider than the bracket. Washers needed? Am I missing something obvious or is this setup wrong?

 

[dubmoney]

Welcome to the family!! My story is much like yours. I purchased my boat from AllyProud (Roy, super nice guy and spent a ton of time with me getting me headed in the right direction). And, unfortanalty see SloMO (Gary) once a year at the Western Allison Rally. (Gary is a good guy and super smart) Wish I could help with the duel apposed cable stear, but I have only really spent time with the newer Hydraulic system. I would think that would be another, task on your list. Although some say the feedback from the cable system helps you understand what the boat, motor, and prop are doing, the Hydraulic system takes almost all the torque feedback away, witch reduces the amount of strength required to steer. Also, I think cables and helms are no longer available for the cable systems anymore, (I could be wrong.) Sounds like you are on the right path. I would say Solid mounts, then nose cone the lower, then a different prop, I suggest 26 chopper, I had the 27SRX and it was OK, might be good for you because it may have the hub you need. I think BBlades blaster is priced right, and they have a demo program, it is much like a Pro ET. My favorite prop is the ET but it is spendy. I have no idea, if you can get any of these props hubbed for your application. Keep us updated, I love to hear how people progress. I have had mine almost three years now and I am still climbing that mountain. I love every minute of it, in fact I am headed out to the garage to tackle my list of updates, maintenance, tuning, cleaning, drinking, etc.. Cheers

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

The cables need to be in a bind so that tube needs to move .

So that tube is supposed to slide back and forth? That whole steering cable moves when I push on the engine.

Edit- I put 2 washers in between those nuts on the tube and cranked all of the slack out of it. Now I can shake the whole boat by pushing on the motor whereas before the motor had almost 2” of play at the prop before the steering wheel even moved. I’m assuming this is right, if so I bet it’s even easier to drive next time.

DUBMONEY, thanks for the encouragement and prop advice. Something tells me a lot of my future extra income is going to be going towards new props.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

There ya go ! If the whole boat moves , it’s tight . The wheel will be harder to turn till your up and running as well !

Thanks! I was trying to make sure I interpreted it correctly. I’ve worked on single cable steering but not this and I was shocked at the play till I saw that tube sliding. Now I can’t wait to get back on the water!

 

[SLOmofo]

I think you found a problem. Make sure the steering doesn't bind anywhere as you trim the engine in and out also.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

I think you found a problem. Make sure the steering doesn't bind anywhere as you trim the engine in and out also.

Steering seems good, still smooth with no catching anywhere at any trim far as I can tell. If the weather cooperates I’m going to take it out tomorrow afternoon and see what kind of difference it makes driving.

 

[ntxwaterfowl]

Still haven't had a chance to get her on pad after the steering fix but we did take couple friends fishing last night which was the first time I've had her loaded down with 4 adults, fishing gear, cooler full of water, and a full livewell. I could not be happier, cruising around at 50-55 was like riding in a Cadillac, smooth as could be. Only ran into one issue, boat has a water temp not pressure gauge and at one point I trimmed up a couple times watching RPM and MPH not the trim gauge or temp, we hit about 58 then warning buzzer goes off and she shuts down. I had over trimmed and my gearcase wasn't getting any water. Obviously I'm planning on doing the nose cone but is this where a prop with more lift would be helpful? Admittedly we were loaded down but it was floored and doing 55, when I trimmed up and hit 58 the motor was way up on the trim gauge and acted like it still needed and wanted more trim.

 

[SLOmofo]

Don't endanger your engine, get a pressure gauge and the low water pick up. "but is this where a prop with more lift would be helpful?" Yes and no. Yes if it lifted the entire boat, no if you ran out of cooling water and fried your engine. I little tid bit about heat sensors. If the sensor is screwed into, attached to, the metal it takes time to transfer the heat build up thru and into the sensor. If the senser is in direct contact with the water at the first hottest point = sooner.
I have a digital temp gauge with a exposed tip pyro sender. It also has a bright red LED that comes on to tell me things are hot.
Put the boat in the lake and ran it on plane but a slow speed to put heat in the engine before romping on it. I traveled maybe 1/4 mile when the LED started flashing. Shut the engine off and came off plane and to a stop. Restarted the engine and noted No water pressure. Walked back to the transom and trimmed out the engine. A small Fritos bag floated to the surface. The gauge paid for itself.