2011 H200 performance issues

Steph · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:08 pm

Hi all,

Finally finished my 20hr breaking and I’m a little disappointed in the performance. I’m suspecting the prop. According to Four Winn I’m supposed to hit 51mph and fastest I’ve hit is 40mph (according to GPS) and 44mph (according to speedometer) before my RPM alarm comes on at 5000RPM. I was planning getting a new SS prop and keep the original as a spare. Any suggestions? Here’s the test data that I have gathered.

Boat: 2011 FourWinns H200 with a 4.3L MPI, 220hp, Apha 1 GEN II with 1.62 gear. Prop is a Mercury, 3 blade aluminum #48-832832a45p21, 14 ¼ x 21. It was just me and the wife when I went out to get these readings.
Avg time to plane is 4.68 sec.

We mostly do cruising around and water sports (tubing, wakeboarding). I’m not really looking for top speed. Just wondering why I’m only getting 40mph and not 51mph and what new prop to get.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:16 pm

Are you sure that that boat is spec'd to hit 50 with the 4.3, because that would surprise me, I'd think you'd need more power to do that. Even my lighter older one was spec'd by FW to only hit 42 with the 4.3 4bbl carb. If you're hitting 5000 rpm with that prop, if you went up in pitch you might gain some top end but the boat would feel slower to get on plane. I'd rather give up some top end and feel a more responsive boat at normal speeds. I have a 15x17 prop on my '88 4.3....the gear ratio in the Cobra drive is 1.68:1 so that's pretty close to what you have.
I'd have them go over the boat to make sure there are no performance related difficulties that might lower the top end but based on my experience with a similar size boat I don't think it's going to hit 50 with a 4.3....

boater · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:11 pm

I think you should easily be around 50 mph.
Could the prop be bad? Are you sure of the size?
Something's wrong.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:12 pm

We have a similar size boat in dimensions and weight. Also have the same exact prop, outdrive and drive ratio. However we have the V8.
We easily hit 55 mph at WOT @ 5,000 RPM and no rev limiter.
Your boat should do about 45 mph with that prop and the V6. Below is an excerpt from a Four Winns brochure of the H200 I have.

Quote:

FOUR WINNS H200 (2011) Cost: Starting at $45,692 MSRP (w/ 4.3 Mercruiser sterndrive and custom matched Sureload trailer) Length: 20' Maximum speed: 44-52 mph (depending on engine specified) Capacity: 10 passengers Features: - Stereo, Sony, AM/FM/CD Player, MP3 port & 4 speakers - Stable-Vee Hull - Easy-to-access swim platform - Cockpit space of a 21' boat or larger - Generous sun pad w/ walk-through to cockpit - Proprietary aluminum high-styled windshield

**Note: WOT speed on the low end is with 4.3L V6 and high end is with 270 HP VP 5.0L V8 and SX drive

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:30 pm

44mph topping out for an H200 with 220hp is quite good for that heavy ass thing. That's a BIG boat and really should have the 5.0GXi in it.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:41 pm

Steph wrote:

I went to the Montreal boat show 2 weekends ago and came back with a new 2011 H200 4.3l with all the options. Got a really good deal. Now I caint wait for spring to come

.

Just curious, since you bought the boat this past February did you sea trial the boat before purchase, and verify that everything worked and boat performed as expected/advertised? Mighty cold in Canada in February.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:55 pm

The newer style 200s are about a foot shorter than my old boat (19'8" vs 20'9") and about 500 lbs heavier (3000 vs about 2500). 220 hp is not all that much, I find it odd that marine engines are not rated on torque, (well they are but it is never advertised) that to me is much more important for pulling that weight esp in view of the fact that the standard system is a one gear ratio set up. Low end torque becomes much more important than HP the less gear ratios you have.

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:01 pm

That H200 is about 100lb lighter then my Stingray, both the same size. I GPS'd my boat at 51mph with the 190hp 4.3GL and factory VP aluminum prop during seatrial with two people on board and a full tank. The hulls are 100% different. Four winns is for comfort (making it slower) while stingray is for speed (a 6in wind chop will rock you around).

Your boat is pretty much right on spec. The 4.3MPI is not enough power for that lake tank.

Flyindutchman · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:04 pm

We have a near new 2012 H200 with the 260hp Merc v8 and hit about 54mph consistently...except in February...

www.iFourWinns.com

2011 H200 performance issues

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