She is christened

[dubob]

Okay, the first two hours of the break-in have been completed.  No problems with the Merc 115 Pro XS motor.  Top end it turns about 5 grand and does about 37 mph.  Ran the motor for an hour, fished for 3 hours, ran the motor for a second hour.  No fish were caught or harmed.  Bummer!

Anybody interested in lean?  No?  Well, here it is anyway.  I started with the motor trimmed at the bottom.  The boat was level until the rpm got to 3500.  There was a very slight lean to port and the boat was trying to turn left.  I countered by turning the steering to the right ever so slightly.  When I pushed the rpm to 4500, the lean was major, and the boat was pulling HARD to the left.  Scary lean.  My passenger moved to the starboard side of the boat to try to balance the weight with some success, but not enough.  The boat is still pulling hard to the left and required significant steering to the right to counter it.

Next, I started trimming the motor up and the boat leveled out and the pull to the left disappeared.  The boat was running straight and level with the motor trimmed upwards from dead bottom to a point just below where the boat would porpoise if trimmed any higher.

When I retrieved the boat, I checked the small trim tab (Part 31640T07 - Trim Tab) position and it appears to be pointing straight back.  It’s possible that pointing it more towards the starboard side of the motor might counteract the pull to the port with the motor trimmed all the way down.  But it might also introduce some steering to the right with the motor trimmed up.

My lesson learned from the first 2 hours of running the boat is this: 1. With the boat motor trimmed to dead bottom, the boat will develop a major lean to the port at any rpm above 3500.  2. With rpm above 3500, the motor must be trimmed up to a point where the lean goes away.

Elevation may be a factor on what rpm causes lean for me as the elevation differences for me can vary about 3400 ft.  My local lakes are 4200 ft MSL.  One lake I fish occasionally is at 7600 ft MSL.

Li Time batteries were down about 15% after trolling for 3 hours and the Ulterra Quest set at 1.7 mph cruise.  Prop speed varied between 4 and 7 due to wind.  The Merc slowest speed at idle is about 2.6 mph.  My crank battery never read below 12.7 with the Merc turned off.  I’m thinking I should be okay with the 2 DRs and the Garmin Echomap running off the crank battery for now.  More use of the DRs while fishing for trout and kokanee might dictate a swap to a separate battery for the sonar & DRs.  More on that later as I gain experience with that.  Well, that’s my report for the maiden voyage of my new Adventure Sport 1775; it’s definitely a keeper.

[Paddler]

  Mercury 115HP EFT Test.pdf (Size: 389.76 KB / Downloads: 4)

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Bob, if your max RPM is only 5000, and is not governed during the break-in period, your boat is way overpropped.  I can't find the max RPM range on the Mercury website but I'm pretty sure it's 5500-6000.  Switching props will give you a better hole shot and probably higher top end.  It may also help with your lean, which I find puzzling. 

I have the 115HP CT 2.1L engine on my 20' Hewescraft and have a top speed of almost 37MPH here also.  I repowered with this engine back in 2015, replacing the original 115HP YamaMerc 1.7L version.  No lean with the engine trimmed down, but I never run that way.  I trim my engine to achieve maximum fuel mileage, which comes well before porpoising occurs.  Do you have a trim gauge?  Mine helps me fine tune the trim.  Trim, in addition to affecting fuel efficiency and top end, also affects steering.  I just have cable steering in my boat and adjusting the trim can cause the steering effort to pull left or right, or I can balance it to the middle.

I tested the engine shortly after purchase at Jordanelle, see my attached results.  Your boat is both smaller and lighter than mine, I suspect it should be quite a bit faster.

[RockyRaab2]

Altitude does indeed affect prop choice. Mine is only a 50-hp Merc, but I did go to a slightly finer pitch than OEM based on Merc's online prop selector app.

[MSM1970]

Bob, If you have the factory prop it would work great at sea level, thats where they test them, some prop calculator are ok, merc has one, you RPMs should be between 5500 and 6k WOT, what ever pitch prop you have I would drop it 2 pitches, thats most likely the case for the selection you have available, advise stainless and 4 blade, better low end , waay better, I have one you could try depending on you pitch, I always run just below porpoise depending on waves, most efficient, Im guessing you have cable steering from you description, I bet you dont have all your fishing gear in yet either, more weight to slow you down, I like to have the low end more than top speed,

some shops might let you test drive a prop, not sure in your area, I would ask.

Mine is 2015 ranger vs1780 with a 115, I also have vessel view, Highly recommended, I can read fuel consumption, codes, time to empty, temps, its blue toothed to your phone,

[BYUHunter]

That motor should be operating between 5300 and 6300 RPM at WOT. Most recommend leaning towards the higher end of the range, particularly if you are at the lower elevation range of where you'll be fishing (you'll lose power/RPM as you go higher).

You should pick up about 200 RPM for every inch of prop pitch you reduce. I would drop the prop pitch 4" to 5" to hopefully get to around 6K RPM. This should also help with the prop torque or "lean" that you are experiencing. A clockwise rotating prop lifts the starboard side, lowering the port. I have a 300 HP outboard on a boat with a fairly deep vee. I get some prop torque or "lean" to the left at certain RPMs and trim positions, but it is not so bad that I feel the need for trim tabs. Just a function of single-outboard motors on boats with less horizontal stability (due to the deeper vee).

As for sharing "house" and "starting" batteries, your gut feeling that it won't work long term is probably correct. The new fish finders these days pull a lot of power, especially if you have FFS. Add to that radio, nav lights, electric downriggers, and any other draw, and the battery may not last very long. I have my starting battery on an isolator from my house battery, which means once the starting battery has 13.6v, it sends any additional power (via the alternator) to the house battery. This is a one-way relationship. This way, even if you run your house battery dead, you always have a fully charged starting battery.

[Paddler]

That motor should be operating between 5300 and 6300 RPM at WOT. Most recommend leaning towards the higher end of the range, particularly if you are at the lower elevation range of where you'll be fishing (you'll lose power/RPM as you go higher).

You should pick up about 200 RPM for every inch of prop pitch you reduce. I would drop the prop pitch 4" to 5" to hopefully get to around 6K RPM. This should also help with the prop torque or "lean" that you are experiencing.

As for sharing "house" and "starting" batteries, your gut feeling that it won't work long term is probably correct. The new fish finders these days pull a lot of power, especially if you have FFS. Add to that radio, nav lights, electric downriggers, and any other draw, and the battery may not last very long. I have my starting battery on an isolator from my house battery, which means once the starting battery has 13.6v, it sends any additional power (via the alternator) to the house battery. This is a one-way relationship. This way, even if you run your house battery dead, you always have a fully charged starting battery.

I agree, dropping 4" should be about right if your current WOT is only 5000RPM.  My boat and motor with gear probably weighs close to 2500-3000#, more with full ice (120qt plus 150qt coolers full) and fuel (52 gallons) on a 140 mile tuna trip.  I'm running a SS Mercury Enertia 16P prop and can hit at least 5500RPM.

I pretty much only troll and don't turn off my engine very often during a typical day of fishing.  I've always run just one battery and run my FF/GPS, downriggers, autopilot, radar, etc with no problems.  I don't have a bow mount, don't need one my my style of fishing.

[BYUHunter]

That motor should be operating between 5300 and 6300 RPM at WOT. Most recommend leaning towards the higher end of the range, particularly if you are at the lower elevation range of where you'll be fishing (you'll lose power/RPM as you go higher).

You should pick up about 200 RPM for every inch of prop pitch you reduce. I would drop the prop pitch 4" to 5" to hopefully get to around 6K RPM. This should also help with the prop torque or "lean" that you are experiencing.

As for sharing "house" and "starting" batteries, your gut feeling that it won't work long term is probably correct. The new fish finders these days pull a lot of power, especially if you have FFS. Add to that radio, nav lights, electric downriggers, and any other draw, and the battery may not last very long. I have my starting battery on an isolator from my house battery, which means once the starting battery has 13.6v, it sends any additional power (via the alternator) to the house battery. This is a one-way relationship. This way, even if you run your house battery dead, you always have a fully charged starting battery.

I agree, dropping 4" should be about right if your current WOT is only 5000RPM.  My boat and motor with gear probably weighs close to 2500-3000#, more with full ice (120qt plus 150qt coolers full) and fuel (52 gallons) on a 140 mile tuna trip.  I'm running a SS Mercury Enertia 16P prop and can hit at least 5500RPM.

I pretty much only troll and don't turn off my engine very often during a typical day of fishing.  I've always run just one battery and run my FF/GPS, downriggers, autopilot, radar, etc with no problems.  I don't have a bow mount, don't need one my my style of fishing.

A shared house-starting battery would work fine if you rarely turn off the main, and therefore have a fairly constant supply of alternator power.

I think for Dubob's application, where he shuts off the main and trolls with the bow-mount, and ostensibly runs off of battery power for hours at a time, it would make me nervous.

[Paddler]

Totally agree, especially given the current draw of now mounts nowadays.

[Mildog]

I think from what Bob told me he has crank battery and seperate lithiums for his Minnkota., livescope etc. draw lots of juice. You will get better performance if you use separate dedicated power for it. Bob you might be ok since your battery for your garmin is seperate from your trolling motor batteries but when running main or down-riggers that can cause interference. I have a 50 ah 12 v lithium for my 106 garmin. I ran out of juice at Powell after long day using sonar live scope GPS. I’m
Considering the new 16volt 70ah for my gishfinders ( I’m putting a second one on soon) apparently these units can run from 12 to 18 volts, I’ve been told you get much better signal on higher voltage, they run cooler and draw less amps at 16 than 12?? I’m bad with electricity so it’s all over my head but in reading about them that’s what I come up with.

As for PROP I agree you are over propped, you should be able at WOT WITH 115xs and CORRECT PROP for load and elevation, to hit MAX RPM which FOR YOUR MOTOR 6300. Many Recommended top RPM at 6000. DURING BREAK IN ONLY GO MAX FOR A MINUTE OR TWO EVERY 10 minutes as recommended in break in procedures. What prop did dealer put on ? Most often THE dealer chooses the prop they put on your boat. My dealer first recommended 17 inch stainless, but the rigging crew decided 18 stainless for our area/elevation and it appears to be perfect for elevation of local lakes and I did not over rev at Powell.
They do have a limiter I am told but you are not near that RPM level .
As far as lean I had a little of that in my new Crestliner. At lake Powell I had a slight lean that I could easily trim out for level running , but
I was able to redistribute heavy tackle bag ( yes it’s that heavy) and our cooler and it was pretty much not an issue. How does your boat sit in water while stopped? Are all the batteries on port side or center ? Also extra gear, anchors etc. are they balanced in storage?? Things to consider. I have a 9.9 kicker on my port side so I expected some lean but as mentioned even with passenger I was able to balance out load pretty easy. I also tell all the fish in livewell to stay on starboard side!!???
Sounds like lots of fishing and fun ahead for you!
See you on the water.

[BearLakeFishGuy]

I agree that you have too much prop (pitch). My boat is a 17.5' with a 115hp Merc. I'm running a 4-blade, 15 pitch prop. I'm making about 5800-6000rpms depending on whether I'm at Bear Lake or Willard Bay. I think the 115 XS is supposed to max out at 6300rpms? Have your boat dealer swap the prop. Also, after using a 4 blade on my new 175PG WT Tracker, compared to my 3 blade on my 1750 Lund Tyee.....I will never go back to a 3 blade prop. Anyway, just adjust that trim tab and it should straighten out your pulling problem with the trimmed-down motor. Oh, and I have my 10" Garmin hooked to my crank battery. I have trolled for 7-8 hrs without starting my main engine. There has never been an issue. Just look at the amp draw on your depth finder and they you can easily calculate how many hours it would take to drain a 12v battery by looking at how many amp-hours the battery is. I think people worry about this "drain" on your starting battery WAY TOO MUCH.

[Mildog]

Scott,
Are you trolling with electric or kicker? Kicker if electric start and connected to battery will charge as well. The big screens and live scopes are power eaters. As mentioned this last trip I ran out of power with 12 volt 50 amp after about 8 hours of use.

[Paddler]

I agree that you have too much prop (pitch).  My boat is a 17.5' with a 115hp Merc.  I'm running a 4-blade, 15 pitch prop.  I'm making about 5800-6000rpms depending on whether I'm at Bear Lake or Willard Bay.  I think the 115 XS is supposed to max out at 6000-6200rpms?  Have your boat dealer swap the prop.  Also, after using a 4 blade on my new 175PG WT Tracker, compared to my 3 blade on my 1750 Lund Tyee.....I will never go back to a 2 blade prop.  Anyway, just adjust that trim tab and it should straighten out your pulling problem with the trimmed-down motor.  Oh, and I have my 10" Garmin hooked to my crank battery.  I have trolled for 7-8 hrs without starting my main engine.  There has never been an issue.  Just look at the amp draw on your depth finder and they you can easily calculate how many hours it would take to drain a 12v battery by looking at how many amp-hours the battery is.  I think people worry about this "drain" on your starting battery WAY TOO MUCH.

A 4-blade prop will get you up on plane faster, but a 3-blade will be more fuel efficient and give you a higher top end.  I noticed going from the YamaMerc 115HP to the 2.1L 2-valve engine improved torque noticeably.  My 3-blade Enertia gives me plenty of responsiveness and really good fuel economy.  Heavily loaded for tuna I get 4.5MPG vs 4MPG with the old engine.  Lightly loaded I get 5.6MPG, and about 9MPG on the troll.

The Pro XS engine is tuned for higher max RPMs than the standard EFI, but the slightly increased top end and somewhat better hole shot comes at a cost.  You're talking an additional 300RPMs on top, while the price increase is about ~$500-$600.  The stock engine produces 120HP, the XS makes 126HP.  Worth it?

[Mildog]

Jon,
Pretty much spot on. Interesting stuff I’ve seen on boat forums is that the non pro XS 150 can actually achieve a higher top speed on some boats? The pros XS achieves higher rpm and a few more horsepower at least on the 150 models. But the pros XS has a different gear ratio, so it’s not always apples to apples? I chose the 150 pro XS maybe could have saved the money? But the deal I got I was super happy with and so far very happy with the 150 pro XS boat jumps up on plane very quickly, the top speed on GPS on my Crestliner 1750 fish hawk with 9.9 kicker, passenger and gear is 46.6. (Lake Powell) I’m not sure I’ve hit max rpm. The Tachometer on boat showed close to 6000 rpm, the max is listed by Merc at 6300, they do have a limiter I have been told. I have a Merc Stainless 14.2 by 18 inch pitch Stainless Mercury Enertia 3 blade.
I may be able to run a 19 pitch at Powell. But the 18 seems like it’s right for variety of situations elevations etc. I’m going to try it out soon at elevation and see how that goes.
The next thing I need to learn about is the prop plugs , I never heard of them my prop has them apparently you can change them or remove some or all and get change in performance?? My little brother has a ranger w 250 fishes tourneys and he thinks he needs every MPH he can get, he’s tried several different types of props pitches blades, plugs he’s the one that told me about them. Time to do some research on them. You can see the plastic plug on prop in this picture.

[dubob]

Bob,  If you have the factory prop it would work great at sea level, thats where they test them, some prop calculator are ok, merc has one, you RPMs should be between 5500 and 6k WOT,  what ever pitch prop you have I would drop it 2 pitches, thats most likely the case for the selection you have available, advise stainless and 4 blade, better low end , waay better, I have one you could try depending on you pitch, I always run just below porpoise depending on waves, most efficient, Im guessing you have cable steering from you description,  I bet you dont have all your fishing gear in yet either, more weight to slow you down, I like to have the low end more than top speed, some shops might let you test drive a prop, not sure in your area, I would ask.

My prop is a 12.8 X 17.  I will get a 12.8 X 15 installed and keep the 12.8 X 17 as a spare.  Stainless props are a no go for me for one reason - they don't give at all when contacting rocks and transfer all that energy directly to the lower unit internals.  I have been there, done that at least 3 times.  Repairing or replacing the lower unit is 4 to 10 ($3000) times more expensive than replacing an aluminum prop ($300).  Rebuilding an aluminum prop is about half the cost of buying a new one.

Mine is 2015 ranger vs1780 with a 115, I also have vessel view, Highly recommended, I can read fuel consumption, codes, time to empty, temps, its blue toothed to your phone,

Vessel View has been discontinued and replaced with SmartCraft Connect Module that Bluetooth's engine information to your phone and/or sonar display (if compatible).   I ordered the SmartCraft Connect Module and a 13 X 15 prop today.  Now I have to decide on which app to install on my phone to best access the data.

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I do not have a gas kicker and turn off the 115 when I'm trolling and using the Ulterra Quest for drive and steering.  My lithium's (two 12 v in series) have 140ah to play with and on the first trip used 15% of capacity to run for 3 hours at between 4 and 7 prop speed level maintaining 1.7 mph.

I have one crank battery for the 115 Merc.  I have 2 Cannon Mag 10s and a Garmin Echomap Ultra 2 106SV drawing power from the crank battery.  The sonar lets me monitor the crank battery voltage level.  The draw from just the sonar on my 3 hours of fishing the other day was very little and the monitored voltage level read 12.7 after 3 hours.  I'm guessing I could let that get as low as 12.0 v and still be able to start the 115.  I have a spare Gp 24 battery and a set of jumper cables in the boat just in case.  

I'm thinking also that maybe a jump starter kit might be another option to gain maximum protection will fishing and not running the 115.  Another cheap option would be to run the 115 at idle and slow the boat down with sea anchors thereby keeping the crank battery fully charged at all times.

[Paddler]

Bob,  If you have the factory prop it would work great at sea level, thats where they test them, some prop calculator are ok, merc has one, you RPMs should be between 5500 and 6k WOT,  what ever pitch prop you have I would drop it 2 pitches, thats most likely the case for the selection you have available, advise stainless and 4 blade, better low end , waay better, I have one you could try depending on you pitch, I always run just below porpoise depending on waves, most efficient, Im guessing you have cable steering from you description,  I bet you dont have all your fishing gear in yet either, more weight to slow you down, I like to have the low end more than top speed, some shops might let you test drive a prop, not sure in your area, I would ask.

My prop is a 12.8 X 17.  I will get a 12.8 X 15 installed and keep the 12.8 X 17 as a spare.  Stainless props are a no go for me for one reason - they don't give at all when contacting rocks and transfer all that energy directly to the lower unit internals.  I have been there, done that at least 3 times.  Repairing or replacing the lower unit is 4 to 10 ($3000) times more expensive than replacing an aluminum prop ($300).  Rebuilding an aluminum prop is about half the cost of buying a new one.

Mine is 2015 ranger vs1780 with a 115, I also have vessel view, Highly recommended, I can read fuel consumption, codes, time to empty, temps, its blue toothed to your phone,

Vessel View has been discontinued and replaced with SmartCraft Connect Module that Bluetooth's engine information to your phone and/or sonar display (if compatible).   I ordered the SmartCraft Connect Module and a 13 X 15 prop today.  Now I have to decide on which app to install on my phone to best access the data.

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I do not have a gas kicker and turn off the 115 when I'm trolling and using the Ulterra Quest for drive and steering.  My lithium's (two 12 v in series) have 140ah to play with and on the first trip used 15% of capacity to run for 3 hours at between 4 and 7 prop speed level maintaining 1.7 mph.

I have one crank battery for the 115 Merc.  I have 2 Cannon Mag 10s and a Garmin Echomap Ultra 2 106SV drawing power from the crank battery.  The sonar lets me monitor the crank battery voltage level.  The draw from just the sonar on my 3 hours of fishing the other day was very little and the monitored voltage level read 12.7 after 3 hours.  I'm guessing I could let that get as low as 12.0 v and still be able to start the 115.  I have a spare Gp 24 battery and a set of jumper cables in the boat just in case.  

I'm thinking also that maybe a jump starter kit might be another option to gain maximum protection will fishing and not running the 115.  Another cheap option would be to run the 115 at idle and slow the boat down with sea anchors thereby keeping the crank battery fully charges at all times.

That's what I do.  I rigged up a system to keep drift socks close to the hull amidships, so they don't affect steering.  If anything they help the AP stay on course into the wind.  I have two sets of socks, the smaller set slows the boat from 2.8MPH to about 2.1MPH.  I used them up at WB on Tuesday as the water was cooler, a bit less clear and it was just a day post-front.  Couldn't really tell a difference.  The larger set slows the boat to ~1.4MPH, so perfect for kokanee. 

Drift socks are much less expensive than a kicker, lighter as well and maintenance free.  Also less complicated, no tie bar to the main and my autopilot works perfectly at all speeds.  I can run to a way point on plane, the MFD and AP beep on arrival, I can then slow to trolling speed and set my gear.  Easy peasy.  My 115EFI Merc only burns 0.3GPH at idle, maybe a kicker would burn a bit less but I'm happy with the burn rate.

The only downside is it's difficult to bottom bounce, but I'm okay with that.  Nor can I maintain a stationary position, but not a big deal to me.

You can also just run your main at idle in neutral to keep your batteries charged, and troll with your bow mount.  You get a little bit of push due to the through hub exhaust, but it's negligible.

SS props are more efficient, I thought the rubber insert in the hub was supposed to give on contact with a submerged obstruction. 

[Mildog]

Bob, is your starter, rigger, funder battery a dual
Purpose… I read that regulars starters will not last as long if drained and recharged running big motor would keep it topped off and mitigate that. I replaced my starter battery that came with new boat, I put in dual purpose starter/deep cycle for start and riggers can use it as back up for garmin if I drain my dedicated finder battery they fit next to each other in same compartment.

[BYUHunter]

I think having a battery jump starter (in working condition) should work fine. I would also start up the main and idle it for a while if voltage on the cranking battery drops to 12.0 V. I just try not to run my main needlessly, since hours on your main heavily influences depreciation.

At least on my 300 ProXS, the prop is mounted via a rubber "Flo-Torq" hub that will "spin" inside the hub of the prop if it were to contact something solid. This was designed because of exactly what you said - in the old days when a stainless prop was installed straight onto steel splines, it was an expensive game of "what's going to break first?" if you hit something. The rubber prop hubs these days are similar to a shear pin on a snowblower - a designated failure point.

[Paddler]

I think having a battery jump starter (in working condition) should work fine. I would also start up the main and idle it for a while if voltage on the cranking battery drops to 12.0 V. I just try not to run my main needlessly, since hours on your main heavily influences depreciation.

I have not found that to be the case.  When I repowered and sold the old engine, hours were not a factor.  On a 300 Pro XS it probably matters, but it didn't on my original 115EFI.

At least on my 300 ProXS, the prop is mounted via a rubber "Flo-Torq" hub that will "spin" inside the hub of the prop if it were to contact something solid. This was designed because of exactly what you said - in the old days when a stainless prop was installed straight onto steel splines, it was an expensive game of "what's going to break first?" if you hit something. The rubber prop hubs these days are similar to a shear pin on a snowblower - a designated failure point.

That's what I was getting at.  There are several different versions of the rubberized Flo Torq hubs, it seems they would prevent lower unit damage in the event of a prop strike.  Of course, if you run the housing into an obstruction, all bets are off.

[BearLakeFishGuy]

Scott,
Are you trolling with electric or kicker? Kicker if electric start and connected to battery will charge as well. The big screens and live scopes are power eaters. As mentioned this last trip I ran out of power with 12 volt 50 amp after about 8 hours of use.

I troll with my 9.9 ProKicker and sometimes steer with the electric motor.  But you are correct, I think my ProKicker is indeed charging my crank battery.  I'm not a livescoper, but the big screen I have only draws 2.8amps.  So, a 50amp/hr batter would last 16 hrs or so with no charging from the kicker motor.   More than I will EVER fish in one day. I do run both of my 12V downriggers off my crank battery too. As far as a 4 blade prop, yes it definitely gets you out of the hole quicker but it sure seems to me to be more stable in turns and even at lower throttle speeds. I could care less about losing 1 or 2 mph top end speed. My boat with a regular 115hp, 4 stroke (not an ProXS) runs 37-38mph with 2 big guys and all their tackle, anchor, tool box, etc. That is perfect for me. If I wanted to go faster I could have opted for a 150, but the weight difference (about 100lbs) and better fuel economy on the 115 as well as about 3+ thousand $$ price hike sold me. I was worried about being underpowered, but that worry was dismissed after my first trip out.

[Mildog]

Scott,
Sounds great the Merc pro kickers have alternators that work at lower trolling speeds it will charge the battery faster than any drain finders or riggers will draw. You will never have power issues I would guess with that set up!
I got the 9.9 pro kicker and run my riggers and start off a dual purpose battery.
I have 12 v but only 50 amps life po4 and as mentioned I’ve run out on 2 different days, long days.
I can easily switch over to other battery it’s in same compartment donates are right there, and might consider always running it off the other battery it’s hooked to big motor and kicker so always being recharged. I’ve heard you get better images if you isolate battery. Yet for years we all ran them off same battery and many still do, apparently with no issues?
I got the Mercury 150 xs because I fish Powell and we run such  long distances to fish 30 plus miles much of the time, so cruising a bit faster makes more time to fish and if you need to get off quick you have that option. I still like to cruise a lower rpm and not often at WOT. But feels good to have it when needed.