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Superwide evaluation

crowhater

Well-known member
Before I went to a super wide I ran a 82" 3b Falcon on a 1.7 reduction. The Falcon was a great prop and I did not have any complaints. My motor had to work to hard with a 1.7 when I had the Falcon blades. I was going to move to a 2.1 reduction and stay with the Falcon blades but you guys turned me on to the 2.68 and the super wide blades.

I now have a 2.68 with a 4b 82" pitched at the second setteing
At first I was not 100% sold on this set up but it has proven to be the better perfomer. I can run my 18x7 Panther with 5 guys, 10dz decoys, 50 gals of fuel, dog, guns, tools, extra parts, hunting gear and my 30 mph cruise speed is 36-3800rpm. The boat also has a 3' alum grass rake. Even when I buck a 25mph head wind and 1-3' chop on open bay it will hold 30mph between 3800-4000rpm. I tried the 3B SW set up and I did not like it for my boat at all because when I went from shallow to deep water you could feel the back of the boat drop down. The 4b holds the boat so well that you really can't feel a diffrence between shallow water and deep. The 4b is much quiter then the 3b and it feels smoother.

When you nailed the gas with the falcon you get the snap feel and without a doubt more top end. The SW set up is like compairing a Honda pulling a trailer up hill vs a Powerstoke pulling the same load. The SW fools you because it does not make all that noise but it pushes like a John deer. Guys I have run some weather this season that has broke welds all over my boat and almost sunk it once and if I did not have the thrust I have now I would lost the boat. Also when I use to run my other prop and a big gust of wind would catch me it would push the boat around on the water.


This is not a knock on anyones Product at all because I am compairing apples to oranges. I said when I started this trip I would give a fair evaluation of what I learned. If I had a smaller boat I am sure the Falcon would have been the ticket but if you are a coastal hunter and you drive a barge I would really take a look at this set up.

One more thing! running an airboat on cold days always sucks but one of the biggest complaints is gettering your headphones to work with a face mask and coat hood over them, with the SW you can run without headphones and the sound is not that bad.

oops, I got another one. Pulling your boat with a big 4B SW will effect how much gas your tow rig burns. Hey I said I would tell it like it is.
 
The superwide has many pluses to it but their not all pluses that everybody likes. What's your max RPM's right now!
 
my max rpm is between 4600-4800 but this is my fault. When I had the motor built I asked for it to make peak torque at 4200rpm and Potter did just that, so the motor starts falling off after 4500rpm. In the off season I will change the cam and intake so it will bring my power up a little higher. I could add a little more pitch if I wanted and it will still pull to 4500rpm but you can tell you are really loading the hell out of the motor.

When I had him build it I had the 1.7 reduction and the Falcon.
 
Just think two years ago everybody would have told you a 2.68 would have to turn 7,000RPM so I take it your Caddy with a 2.68 turning 4,800 pushes the boat OK.
 
Waterthunder":636a8nz7 said:
Just think two years ago everybody would have told you a 2.68 would have to turn 7,000RPM so I take it your Caddy with a 2.68 turning 4,800 pushes the boat OK.

The day I ran it to 4800rpm it was 38deg out and I was in skinny water, the boat hit 62mph on the gps. I had myself , two guys, 10dz decoys, etc.
 
No lie, I can vouch for every statement made I was one of the guys in the boat. This setup is no joke but you forgot one thing, boy did we suck that "other guys" boat up when he tried to cut us off. I bet he was wondering what the hell you were running.

:D

Jeff
 
62 mph gps. Big and heavy boat.. That is impressive. TOOOOOOO Fast though.

How are your brakes??

Happy New Year Crow--
 
I could only imagine how she'd run if it had a 2.38 with that torque monster, or the motor made it's power a few hundred RPM higher.....I better be quiet, I don't need any of my guys gettin beat up by a Caddy! LOL

Felber
 
FELBER632":30op5qga said:
I could only imagine how she'd run if it had a 2.38 with that torque monster, or the motor made it's power a few hundred RPM higher.....I better be quiet, I don't need any of my guys gettin beat up by a Caddy! LOL

Felber

I have been at the coast for a week hunting everyday. My standard load was 6 guys 12dz decoys 2 dogs and gear, my rpm avg was 3800-4100 with a cruise speed of 30-34mph. The boat burned 217 gals of fuel, ran 215 miles, and killed ducks like the bird flue.

As far as power goes I pulled two diffrent airboats off the sand this weekend, ( airranger w/502 @ Panther 454) both 16' rigs.


As soon as the season is over I will be taking the boat apart again to freashen everything up and to buy a new hull. I have had my fill of this 18x7 hull. I have also had my fill of this carbon steel cage and rigging. OK I like my prop, motor, and HID lights, the rest is for sale. :D
 
Crow
I have the oppurtunity to drive a lot of boats. Actually most all of the aluminum boats made by major manufacturers. This hull design is incredible. Deep water cruise on this hull 32" deep, loaded, with 3 guys and gear on a 16' length w/ 383 and 3 blade prop with a 2.3 to 1 reduction is 24-2500RPM in deep water. Unbelieveable low RPM deep water cruise and on just a 16' boat. I was told the boat would run 67mph???

This hull has a 8' bottom with the flat part of the bottom 72" wide. Also, the bottom has a 1/2" radius and runs ground like a beast. Amazing how high this hull sits in deep water at the rear. Drafts like maybe 6".
Nothing special about the little small block motor that was on this design. Sweet ride!!!

I ran her for about 20ish miles. Boat was some kind of sweet. The cruiseRPM 300RPM lower that my cruise RPM. Unbelievable. MaxRPM 4800. 3 blade 78" Falcon pitched 1/8" below parting line.

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Redriver-
Now owned by Travis.
Here is the finished product. I helped sell this boat twice in 6 months. First to a nut for 26K, whom decided he needed a lake boat. Second to my veterinarian buddy in Dallas for 26.5K who had a 220 GPU fiberglass boat. he loves his new ride. This hull design is------ well you just would have to drive to believe the RPM at cruise. Planes as soon as you hit the gas.
RRboat.jpg
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Redriver/ Silver Dollar same boat new owner and local.

Just not familiar enough with them to know how they hold up. Also not a fan of Aluminum rigging under that much stress.

What type of aluminum do they build their hulls with, 50 or 60 series that means alot when pounding ground.
 
Well I have 9 ribs in my 18x7 and the boat suffers stress fractures from time to time. When you run wth the load I do and you hit ruff water it just beats the hull to death. his is nothing against Pather, I just have an old style hull. The hulls people are building these days are leaps ahead.

A friend called me after reading my last post and told me I need to just sell the whole rig and buy a new boat. The more I think about it the better it is starting to sound.
 
lil_armond":3nihpw5v said:
Redriver/ Silver Dollar same boat new owner and local.

Just not familiar enough with them to know how they hold up. Also not a fan of Aluminum rigging under that much stress.

What type of aluminum do they build their hulls with, 50 or 60 series that means alot when pounding ground.
Thats a negative on the same owner. Silver Dollar is owned by Harold Speed and Redriver was purchased last fall I believe by a guy name Travis, both boats are similar and both made in OK, but no affilated with each other.
 
I said it was under new ownership, and it is in a new location in OK. It is the same boat just a name change, the old owner sold the hull design ect. to the new owner. There is nothing new about this boat, this is very common in the manufacturing industry. If I bought Diamondback the boats would be the same just new name.
Innovation and design come later in the maturity of the product line if you care to be an innovator and push the envelope. Most people just buy it and go with what works instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
 
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