socalstone

Wow, that's good speed. What did it run before you did the extension box?
Does it still get up on plane well with the raised x? Is your 525 100% stock?

Wild Card 09

The 525 is completely stock, out of the box, april ī06 built. It has the can bus digital software (which all blue motors now use), but I donīt think that makes it any faster than previous ones.
I did the whole conversion in one shot, last may, so can only tell you that before my boat with the stock 496HO ran 67 mph @ 4900 on a merc labbed 25 Bravo prop.
So I got between 11 and 14 mph by going from black 425 hp to blue 525 hp (but there are thread loads of discussions about THAT 100hp difference).
My opinion is that Ron, at Imco, who sold me the box, was right about the fact that on certain boats the raised x and the box can bring 3 - 5 mph.
The box has hardly influenced the hole shot at all, although I should be faster out of the hole than with the 496, the boat feels about the same. 25OLīs are slow out of the hole because of the notched transom but it doesnīt cavitate and rev its nuts off before hooking up like some of the bigger boats that run higher pitch props. "You could still use the boat for waterskiing if you wanted to" were Ronīs words, and he was right.

Wild Card 09

Chriswithaboat"That is the boat I want. I was going to trade my 277 until M.M. offered 71K trade in for a 07 boat with 5 hours on it."
Early trade-ins are always expensive. A 26 with a blue motor will be worthwhile waiting for!

socalstone

Those are great numbers you're getting. That is a huge difference from the 496. -must've put a big smile on your face and totally justified any costs involved when you made those first test runs!

I ordered a blue motored 26 OL last month. Supposed to be deliver early april. I'll let the warranty expire before I make any big changes, but I'm already thinking about that extension box... may be at the top of the list, since your boat responds so well to it. I'd guess the 25 and the 26 are almost identical to the water.

I had an outboard river rocket about 15 years ago. I set the hydraulic jack plate up so that fully raised the propshaft was dead even with the bottom of the hull. At speed you could raise the motor and just watch the speedo climb. It was good for 5+ mph in that boat.

Chriswithaboat

Maybe, but anything that loses 30% of its value that quickly is just overpriced....

Wild Card 09

Socalstone, well good choice, sir! You are going to have a great time with that boat. Latham steering and Kplanes and a nice new blue motor! Having had the 26 and 25 next to each other on the trailers, there are alot of visible differences to the hulls. However they both follow Bajaīs classic principles and differ very little in their standard (conservative) x dimensions. I would guess that the 3" raised x box will work on the 26, as well.
The 25 was supposedly good for 75 mph with the 525, I was told. Does Baja quote any figures for the 26 with the blue motor options?

Dock Holiday

Way to go SoCal. Keep us posted.

WildCard, your boat is awesome.

socalstone

I think mine may be the only one (call me crazy) with a 600 so no gps numbers yet. I know bajas take a lot to move so I'm keeping my expectations down. Nice to know that the raised x works well on your 25. great photos.

Wild Card 09

And I was too polite to ask!
A 600 in your 26!
That is gonna be one very cool boat. you will not be disappointed.

A quote Howard Custom Boats owner, Gene Willen in Feb ī07 hot boat "where else can you get a motor that idles like a 496 and has the punch to push a 28 foot 5000 pound boat to 90 mph under warrenty. My feeling at this point is that anybody who is considering a different aftermarket motor might want to reconsider. Itīs the most impressive motor Iīve seen"

he convinced me.

The Howard 28 Bullet and the 28" Sport Deck ran 80 mph with the 525, and BOTH gained 10 mph top end with the 600. 90.6 mph is what the Sport deck ran.
It ran only 86 mph with the Taylor Performance TPI 700 EFi, the motor manufacturer that Howard normally recommends.

My 25 runs 80 mph. Now. go figure.........


My 600 should be here by April, as well.

Dock Holiday

Get your 600 SC while you can.

Rumor has it that with the success of the 700 SC that the 600 SC will be discontinued next year. They say that the 525 will be replaced with a N/A 600 HP and then you will have the 700 SC , the 850, 1075 and the new 1250.

Makes you wonder what the 496HO might become? If they would put the better internals in it that could be the new 500 or 525.