I have a 16 foot Arima with a DF 70 Suzuki on it and it will barely climb out of the hole and get on plane with three guys in it. Anyone else have or know anyone with this combo? I can get 30 mph on flat water, but expected better? I want to see what prop/pitch they are using. Mine uses a 13X15.
Thanx
Bill

Will, I finally fixed my Suzuki by buying a Yamaha Only way I could figure out how to fix the problem

If you are having trouble getting out of the hole, AND your top end is lower than it ought to be, then the problem is probably not your propeller, unless the prop is all dinged up. The prop you listed sounds about right. With that near-flat Arima bottom, you should be getting out of the hole pretty easily. At WOT, are you working the trim? Are you getting only 30 MPH with just you in the boat? Arima's website claims 37 MPH out of an Explorer 16 with a Mercury 75 HP.

Maybe you need to get your motor tuned up and/or checked out. Is it running rough? Did you used to get better performance, and only lately is it acting tired?

Regards.

Finegrain
Woodinville

My Suzukis eat plugs. I clean or replace plugs every three outings or so. Once I figured that out, things were fine. Got the boat for a great deal, so $4. 00 a trip seems like a decent price to pay for good performance, kind like using 2-cycle oil every trip.

It is a lot cheaper than buying a new engine, but I am making do with what I have.

Andy

A buddy of mine had a similar problem--his stern-heavy SeaRay would wallow before getting up on step. He considered replacing the prop but first slapped a pair of Dolfins on it and it pops up out of the hole much quicker now. Just a thought...

I have considered the Doel fin for the engine, it is a new 4 stroke (49 hours on it), and it has never been one to jump out of the hole. It runs real nice, and gets good economy as far as I can tell. I put a used stainless prop on it with no change. So far the best it has done is 31 MPH on flat water with just me in it. I'm not after speed, but I would like to get on plane w/o plowing for what feels like forever.
Re-powering up looks expensive...
Bill

Check your trim. Try adjusting the pin closer to the boat. Then when you get up on a plane you can adjust your trim to gain speed. I don't know if you already have tried this. But, this is what I do.

If you don't mind losing a couple mph,try a prop with less pitch. A prop with less pitch will get moving faster,and that should help with accleration. Just be careful going to less pitch,if you go too small you may over-rev the engine if you run WOT. Anyways, how often is the sound smooth enough to run that fast ?

Does your boat have a tach? if so, it should top out at 5500 rpm WOT (+/- 200) if its in this range then its not the prop.
If your rpm's are higher, move up an inch or 2 in pitch
If the rpm's are lower, move down an inch or 2 in pitch.

There are several things to check first before you lay out the bucks for a new prop. First, make sure the motor is set at the right height. The cavitation plate on the motor should be about a half inch below the keel of the boat. Too much motor in the water will keep you from getting the hole shot you need.

Secondly, I would find a really good prop shop-- ideally one that services bass boats and other performance craft. Talk to them about your problems. It's quite possible they can fix your hole-shot problems by tweaking the prop a bit-- giving it a bit more cup or taking the cup out or whatever the problem is. I had the same type of difficulty with a Suzuki on a smaller boat, and after a few bucks getting my prop adjusted a bit, the boat screamed.

When and if you do select a new prop, buy stainless steel. The performance differences are often very notable... especially when you are working on a boat that is just on the edge of being underpowered.

If there is nothing physically wrong with your outboard and you don't have a ton of weight in your boat, then you are looking at propping problems. I know one guy who specializes in buying used boats that had performance problems like your boat's. The majority of the time, a prop would give him a new boat.

Good luck.

Keith

I have a 15' Arima Seahunter with a 70hp Johnson(want a Yamaha!). I played around with the exact problem you are describing. Tried everything. New prop, tuneup, another tuneup, adjusted the trim, etc... Finally discovered that I could really help things out by moving some weight forward. I suspect you have the same problem with that 4-stroke back there. Let me guess... motor -400lbs, plus a 9hp kicker, 15gals gas for 70hp, another 5 gals for kicker, probably two batteries, downriggers with two 15lb balls.... Sound about right?

I ended up moving my two batteries up front. Doesn't sound like much but the difference was unbelievable. Then discovered that I could plane at a much lower speed which made rough water much more bearable. When I repower my Arima, I plan on going with a two-stroke 75hp Yamaha(220lbs!!) and a four stroke 6hp Yamaha kicker. My little Arima will fly!

I moved my 70 hp eveinrude from a 16 ft starcraft to a 18 ft starcraft and the parformance went to **** in a hurry. the weight differnce in the two boats was enough to make me change to a new prop. after looking at all the high price props i decided on a 4 bladed composite prop. I love the damm thing. Not only does my boat pop out of the water now it will stay on plane with a whole lot less power. I have had it on plane with 3 people in the boat all the way down to 10 mph. I get better fuel economy to and all from a prop that cost half as much as the stock one. I was worried about buying a compossite plastic prop but now I can not say enough about it. give it a try. I had to come down 2inchs in pitch. I bought mine from west marine. I hope this helps you. if you want to look at my prop just send me a email I am off work for a few weeks and have the time.

This probably isn't the case, but some guys run their boat with the kicker down all the time. This can create a lot of drag, especially if you have a prop guard...

I demo'd a 16' Arima and noticed the same thing...this one was powered with a 70 YAMAHA 2stroke. It just did not want to come out of the hole with two people and gear.
I seriously doubt that the motor is your prob. That motor is probably the best 4stroke out there. EFI and proven technology make the more popular (or so it seems) motors seem like dinosaurs.
Arima is not the most efficient hull out there but I think you'll figure it out with trim.
Nice boat, good luck.