Outboard Changes

[Tdubya23]

Hey Folks,
Been a while since I posted on here.

I have upgraded my 5hp single cylinder mariner on my 2016 Frontier with a 9.9 merc long shaft.

I am looking to gain some additional top end speed on the machine. I know that argo's are not hydrodynamic; however, I do travel close to 3 miles on water to access my hunt camp, with a 1 mile long trail on land in between- nearly every weekend.

With the 9.9 I am toppping at 5mph, and I am really hoping to get 8 out of this motor. It might not seem like much to others, but when travelling every weekend - every mile per hour counts.

My question is this, I am looking to upgrade the prop to a 4 blade high thrust and have two options:
10' 7 pitch
or 9-1/4" 11 or 10 pitch

Any suggestions?

I understand how pitching works on a regular boat; but am looking for actual experience with anybody who has played around with it on their argo as I don't believe boat engineering and argo engineering shouldn't be compared.

Cheers!
and Thanks in advance!
TW

[philipatmaxfour]

Outboard changes

I sure hope that you get some good info. because there are lots of us who keep experimenting but don't learn much. Would duallies on the front lift the nose enough to help?

[pinepointer]

Of you are getting 5mph from a 5 hp motor you are already at max hull speed for a displacement hull. Using more power will just make the bow rise and stern fall as you create a higher bow wave with no gain in speed but a big rise in fuel burned.

[Gordy67]

Apologies for the hijack of this thread, on a similar vain I was offered an electric outboard motor, 68lb at a very reasonable price with only one day use. Would it be suitable for the Argo?
Many 5hanks

[jimsummit]

10x7 will work best but only up to hull speed, whick seems you are at already.

[trevorakm1]

Apologies for the hijack of this thread, on a similar vain I was offered an electric outboard motor, 68lb at a very reasonable price with only one day use. Would it be suitable for the Argo?
Many 5hanks

I would be very curious to see this electric motor in action or to hear about the performance of it. I have a 30 lb thrust trolling motor and at that size the tires alone are faster. I consider buying a larger thrust trolling motor 50-55 lb thrust, but if not going to make any difference then I don't want to spend the cash. I know others around here are also curious. I don't know anyone with a larger thrust trolling motor to borrow and test. The motor I have works and moves the argo but can it be faster? As it stands now tires are faster but the trolling motor is definitely good for making tight turns.

Let us know how the electric motor works out for you. Thanks.

[Tdubya23]

Thanks for the advice.

I am going to try the bigger 10x7 prop and as well brace the lower unit to an offset hitch to prevent the motor from flexing the bracket attached to the tub.

I will report back when completed!

[oz argo]

I have both a 8 hp 2 stroke with 4 blade push prop and a 6 hp 4 stroke with standard prop with the 8 hp fitted i can get 6.5 kph by gps with the 6 hp i get 5.6 by gps so not much difference in speed but weight saving by not carrying 2 stroke fuel with the 6 hp

[trevorakm1]

Very interesting, not much difference at all. Last time I had my bigfoot in the water just tires I was getting a bounce between 3 and 4 MPH on a rudimentary speedometer on the phone which is GPS derived. I'm glad I held off buying a motor. The hull shape is the determining/ limiting factor for water speed.

[oz argo]

Have a look on u tube down under argo and there are some vids of both motors in action

[oz argo]

the big difference between out boards and tires is push power with a strong wind or tide running against you the tires will not provide enough torque in the water, with a out board the propeller will perform better, you will never get speed out of the argo but the outboard is much more efficient at propulsion, tires are good if you are only going a short distance in good conditions but for long distance a 6 HP 4 stroke outboard will give you hull speed and the best power to weight performance .

[trevorakm1]

Thanks Oz. I use my argo in a river and I have video of running against current with the trolling motor and then switching back to tires. I'm interested in a bigger trolling motor due to the fact that I get more speed with the stock tires than that 30 lb thrust motor.
Now if I could figure out how to post video.

[scimanstev]

I have a 9.9 hp long shaft 4 prop outboard that I haven't even tested yet. I do have red and green boat lights on the bow of my Avenger, and a omnidirectional white light on the stern. Although I have had to work at my job much more this year than I had hoped, my goal is to finally get my Avenger registered as a boat. One thing that has been holding me back, is the motor mount is somewhat flimsy. My goal is to be able to drive 20 miles through anything an Argo can drive through, with the motor attached, then drive into a lake. My friend is helping me redesign the motor mount, with several frame supports and a longer mount in the back. The motor is plumed into the main gas tank and a separate electrical connection is right inside the back. It is electric start and tilt. I really want to try it out, and I will post when the modifications are completed and I get it registered. Also I have to get my boat license because the main Argo motor is over 25 hp. Everything will happen, it's just a matter of time.

[Pike]

Hi gents, I run a 55 lb thrust Minnkota on my 2012 HDi, works just fine on small lakes. It is a bit of a challenge to keep straight in windy conditions, but overall I am very pleased with it. It beats running the tires and the engine, lots of noise and splash with not much speed and a ton of heat coming out of the engine compartment. I do run a separate deep cycle battery, but the down side is running out of battery power.

[Tdubya23]

Just as an update to this old thread of mine,
the larger prop on the 9.9 gets around 4.6mph with the wheels running at 3mph.