Originally Posted by
CraigP
Just “turn it down” by starting off with a small prop. Run it, check temps and speed, then work your way to larger props. I’m sensing a general misunderstanding with many boat enthusiasts. It’s not the higher voltage alone that makes the system pull more amps. As Terry said, the boat runs on Watts. The biggest contributor to the Watt draw is prop and boat type/ride. A given prop on a given hull, turning a given speed, will pull a given Watt value. So, smaller prop and turning less rpm are two ways to reduce Watts. Watts are Volts X Amps. Voltage is pretty much a given on a specific battery pack. So the variation in amps, up and down the load curve, by varying the throttle, is what varies the Watts. Simply, you keep out of trouble by keeping kv lower and starting with small props.
On all of my boats, I have a fast and slow motor combo. I know that sounds extravagant, but anything over 29” is potentially a real fast moving boat! I drove my 34” hydro foolishly on the fast motor before I, the driver, was ready and paid the price. I crashed my beautiful new boat, hard! Here’s my best advice, on a new boat, assume that YOU, the driver, is the weakest link! Set up and drive it with a slow setup. Usually just a small prop will suffice... Work up to full speed, into some turns, if the boat will handle it. If the boat feels like it’s moving farther down the course than your concentration (called “getting out ahead of you”) then you need to hang with that setup until it feels “slow” to you. Then move up to a faster setup. Nothing is worse that hearing that sickening “Thud” as your new boat, with all that work you put into it, hits something!
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