What’s power got to do with it? You be the judge

What’s power got to do
with it? You be the judge
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN TIGER, JR.
MIKE ENGELMEYER
W
e had a chance to double
up on Nitro’s midsized 591
bass boat when two models
showed up for testing, so naturally
we made the most of the situation.
Nitro offers the 591 with a choice of
175 and 200 Mercury outboards, and
the upgrade cost is just under three
grand (including the hydraulic setback jackplate). Since we had two
boats with different power options,
we decided to see what the hull could
really do, and what difference the
added ponies make.
FAST AND FASTER
Our 175-equipped Nitro was set up
conservatively, with no setback
jackplate or ability to change engine
height. With a 25-inch-pitch Mercury
Tempest Plus propeller spinning at
5400 rpm, our best top speed was
63.6 mph. Handling at this speed was
easy and secure, with no tendencies to
chinewalk. With little effort we drove
this rig at its maximum speed. If you
pay some attention to the setup, a few
more mph is easily within reach.
Our 200-powered rig was an entirely
different animal. This one was rigged
and set up by Jaco’s Marine of
Lawrenceburg, Tennessee (931/7626710; jacosmarine.com), a dealership
with a penchant for wringing the most
out of a bass boat. Equipped with a
CMC hydraulic jackplate and swinging
a 27-inch-pitch Mercury Trophy
propeller, we maxed out at 76 mph
(5700 rpm). Getting to 76 mph was
one thing; keeping the Nitro there in
changing water conditions was another. Up on the pad, with the jackplate
raised and the trim extended, the
Nitro’s driving characteristics asked
for constant attention. The boat rides
high on the pad so it’s easy for crossing waves, boat wakes or wind gusts to
push it around. The boat is not unsafe
by any means, but it did require a fair
amount of skill to maintain top speed
given our conditions.
Nitro I591
Up front, the foot control for
the Minn Kota trolling motor
is recessed, a feature that is
becoming common on many
bass boats.
Acceleration, as expected, was
much more authoritative with the
larger Mercury on the transom. Even
with the larger prop, the 200 pushed
the Nitro’s 19-foot hull to 30 mph in
6 seconds, which is more than
2 seconds quicker than with the 175.
Midrange launch was stronger too;
the 200 punched from 40 to 60 mph
in 5 seconds, more than a second
quicker than its little brother. The
extra power and added setback really
made the Nitro come alive.
Fuel economy was very good on
both rigs, though it’s no surprise the
175 is stingier. Both rigs hit their
best stride in this department at 2500
rpm, where the 175 managed 6.9
mpg and 25.7 mph. The 200 cruised
at 28.9 mph while obtaining 6.1
mpg, which is still excellent. Average
52 IBWBmag.com I October 2007
mileage across the entire operating
range was 5.1 mpg for the 175 versus
4.5 mpg for the 200. In my book, the
extra speed, acceleration and power
of the 200 more than outweigh the
loss in economy, even with fuel at
three bucks per gallon. I’ll give up
half a mile per gallon average to gain
almost 13 mph any day of the week!
When it comes to handling, this is
one cool Nitro. It planes effortlessly
with both power options. With the
trim level, we noticed that the ride
was smooth and secure, even when
pounding across boat wakes. This
Nitro turned well, too; we carved
tight-radius turns with confidence
and had a lot of fun testing the boat’s
capabilities. It’s an exciting ride that
gives excellent wheel feedback at all
speeds. Upon full power-off, the
Nitro doesn’t take on backwash over
the transom. I hate it when the aft
deck gets soaked every time the boat
comes off plane. Even with the extra
weight of the 200 and the added
setback, the aft deck stays dry.
The difference between the engines
isn’t just the 25 ponies. Merc uses its
3.0L block for the 200 and the 2.5L
powerhead for the 175. This change
means the centersection and gearcase
are also different, as are the gear
ratios (1.75:1 for the 200 and 1.87:1
for the 175). The extra heft (exaggerated by the setback) of the 200 is felt
on the Nitro’s transom; the boat
settles slightly deeper in the water
while at rest. With the 200-powered
Nitro, we had to adjust the trim, jack
and throttle positions to obtain the
best balance of speed, ride and
control—it was worth the effort.
WHAT IT’LL COST YOU
Both Nitros retail for right around
$30,000 complete with trailer and
propeller, and for the money, it’s a
lot of boat. This Nitro, like the Z-9
we recently tested (“Nitro on
Nitrous,” April), is built very well,
based on the observations we made
at the test site.
It also comes packed with handy
features and details. The hulls and
decks are hand-laid and there’s no
wood to rot because the transom
and stringers are foam-filled fiberglass. The seats are fully padded and
cushioned—without being too soft.
The livewell and storage locker lids
are all very firm and fit well together.
The helm on the Nitro 591 is pretty conventional; everything is within the driver’s site and
reach. Note the trim switch located on the steering wheel column, a nice safety feature.
The rubrail is installed perfectly,
with no dips or gaps between it and
the deck and hull joint. The gelcoat
on both boats is nicely applied, the
color schemes are distinctive and
striking without being gaudy, and
the in-gel metalflake graphics and
striping are straight, true and
without sags or fuzzy edges.
Design-wise, the Nitro offers a hull
capable of very strong rough-water
performance and good top speed. For
a 19-footer, it’s fast enough to stay
with many of the larger hulls, and
cuts through the wind chop and boat
wakes with a V-pad, multiple-straked
hull that features a reverse angle
transom (which helps keep the aforementioned backwash to a minimum).
FOR ANGLERS ONLY
The foredeck on this Nitro is large
and flat, without anything to trip up
or crowd anglers. There’s enough
room for two to fish up front and still
remain friends. A plethora of trolling
motor options is available, but the
standard 24-volt MotorGuide
(motorguide.com) is probably enough
for most anglers. There’s a standardissue bow panel with all the necessary
controls, and the deck layout includes
a long, deep rod locker on the port
side and a matching carpeted dry
storage compartment to starboard.
The center compartment features
more dry storage, and there’s a dualcooler compartment that’s covered by
a nifty step up to the foredeck.
The 591’s driver console is
modular and bolts in after the boat
is assembled. You can also add a
passenger console. The console felt
solid when we used it to pull
ourselves up and out from the
driver’s seat, using the steering wheel
for leverage.
The dash is equipped with all the
requisite gauges, which are placed in
good view of drivers of average
height. Our 200-powered model was
also equipped with a T-H Marine Hot
Foot throttle (thmarine.com) and a
Teleflex Pro Trim switch for the
power trim. If you like to go fast,
consider a Dual Pro Trim switch
assembly (teleflexmarine.com) so you
Nitro 591 (175 hp)
Nitro 591 (200 hp)
Base Price:
$27,195
Price As Tested:
$27,195
Top Speed:
63.6 mph
0-to-30 mph:
8.2 seconds
Engine Tested: Mercury OptiMax 175
Type:
Two-cycle spark DFI
Displacement:
2.5L (153 cid)
Weight (per mfg.):
431 lbs.
Recommended WOT RPM: 5250-5750
Gear Ratio:
1.87:1
Propeller:
145⁄8x25” Mercury Tempest
Plus through-hub 3-blade SS w/ 1⁄2” vent
plugs in two holes
Jackplate:
None
Setback:
None
Base Price:
$28,820
Price As Tested:
$30,720
Top Speed:
76.0 mph
0-to-30 mph:
6.0 seconds
Engine Tested: Mercury OptiMax 200
Type:
Two-cycle spark DFI
Displacement:
3.0L (186 cid)
Weight (per mfg.):
497 lbs.
Recommended WOT RPM: 5000-5750
Gear Ratio:
1.75:1
Propeller: 143⁄8x27” Mercury Trophy Plus
through-hub 4-blade SS
WEATHER CONDITIONS:
WEATHER CONDITIONS:
Air Temperature:
Water Temperature:
Wind:
Water Conditions:
Air Temperature:
Water Temperature:
Wind:
Water Conditions:
62F
62F
10 mph
4-6 inch hcop
Jackplate:
Setback:
CMC hydraulic
51⁄2”
62F
62F
10 mph
4-6 inch hcop
TEST RESULTS
TEST RESULTS
Engine
Speed
Fuel
Range1
(rpm)
(mph)
(gph) (mpg) (miles)
1000
5.7
0.9 6.0
234
1500
6.7
1.9 3.6
138
2000
7.3
3.6 2.0
78
25002
25.7
3.8 6.9
265
3000
34.2
5.1 6.7
257
3500
40.5
6.1 6.6
257
4000
46.7
7.5 6.2
241
4500
53.4
12.9 4.2
161
5000
59.5
12.9 4.6
179
5400
63.6
15.7 4.1
157
1
Based on 90% fuel capacity
2
Optimum cruise speed
Engine
Speed
Fuel
Range1
(rpm)
(mph)
(gph) (mpg) (miles)
1000
5.3
0.9 5.9
228
1500
6.3
2.1 3.0
116
2000
7.2
4.8 1.5
58
25002
28.9
4.7 6.1
238
3000
34.5
6.8 5.1
196
3500
43.8
7.6 5.8
223
4000
50.6
10.3 4.9
190
4500
58.9
11.0 5.4
207
5000
66.7
15.1 4.4
171
5500
75.1
19.5 3.9
149
5700
76.0
19.9 3.8
148
1
Based on 90% fuel capacity
2
Optimum cruise speed
October 2007 IBass & Walleye Boats I53
Nitro I591
opening of all the compartments to
keep water out. The rear access
compartment houses the oil reservoir
and batteries, and allows access to the
fuel tank, pumps and all the hoses,
wires and cables. The above-deck
rigging is tidy and orderly. The jack,
hydraulic steering and engine cables
and wiring are neatly routed from the
deck cap to the engine cowl, and
covered with plastic sheathing.
AND THE DECISION
GOES TO...
If you’re stuck being the back-seater, you’ll
appreciate the lids over the 34-gallon divided
livewells. They’re solid and don’t flex when you
walk on them.
can adjust the jack and trim without
removing your hands from the wheel.
The aft deck is also laid out in
traditional fashion, with a 34-gallon
divided livewell positioned just behind
the cockpit. Behind the livewell, the
dry storage compartments are nicely
finished and the lids close tightly.
There’s a thick rubber seal around the
I’m partial to power and speed. So, for
the extra three bills, the Jaco’s-rigged
hull and added juice is worth every
penny. It’s hard to beat the extra speed
and increased power; jumping from the
low 60s to the mid 70s and adding the
convenience and safety factors of the
jackplate, foot throttle and hydraulic
steering turn this sub-20 footer into a
real performance machine. For
experienced drivers who can handle the
excitement, the 200-hp package is the
only way to fly. BWB
Nitro 591
Construction:
Console Type:
Length:
Beam:
Hull Weight:.
Rigged Weight: .
Trailered Weight:
Fuel Capacity:
Livewell Capacity:
Maximum Horsepower:
Fiberglass
Single
18’ 7”
7’ 10”
1550 lbs.
2050 lbs.
3180 lbs.
43 gals.
34 gals.
200
Standard Equipment as Tested: 24-volt
MotorGuide trolling motor; fire extinguisher;
multifunction gauges; dual-cable steering;
Lowrance X86 fishfinder; 34-gallon livewell
Nitro Boats
Dept. BWB
2500 E. Kearney St.
Springfield, MO 65803
417/873-4555
nitroboats.com