thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

Call Brian Orlandi. He is very familiar with these boats. He has straightened out more than one problem hull. Something's going on. This is a very stable and reliable boat at speed and I personally know of four that run over 100 mph. You don't need ballast. http://www.orlandiperformance.com/contact.html

VetteLT193

I agree with everyone else that something is wrong. Maybe air in the drive's trim lines? As you go faster and put more pressure on the drive it sounds like it is tucking in. Just something to think about... These boats don't like weight in the bow and don't need it. I'd also consider mounting a go pro back there so you can see exactly what the drive is doing. You can do it in a few spots on the transom, top looking down, mounted on the transom behind the drive, etc. to get a few different shots.

snave8

So last Friday I had a chance to really test things out with varying water conditions. I also was able to do a side by side comparison with 3 props, Rev 4 23P, Turbo 1 25P, and a recently acquired brand new Bravo 1 26P ( I sold the original to a friend as others had convinced me the Bravo 1 was the wrong prop).
The results were:

The Turbo 1 was the fastest at 67 MPH, but would blow out on acceleration out of the hole. With the tabs all the way up, the least little disturbance to the bow attitude would start the porpoise. I was only able to run wide open with the tabs up, with no boat wakes, and no more than 2" or 3" chop.

The Rev 4 ran 65 MPH and was a bit more stable than the Turbo 1. I could run it wide open with the tabs up until the waves picked up to about an 8" chop. Then I needed some down tab to keep from porpoising. It would also handle VERY small wakes without porpoising.

The Bravo 1 ran 65 MPH and was by far the most stable of the three props at speed. I was able to run wide open (tabs up) in a 12-18" chop without porpoising, and was able to go as fast as my comfort level allowed in boat wakes The only caveat is that I cannot raise the tabs all the way up until I get to somewhere in the 55-60 MPH range.......So with the Bravo 1, tabs are needed between 25 and 55 MPH.

The sand bags didn't really do much other than slow the boat down a little, so they were removed for the final tests.
The density altitude was 3800' the day of the testing, so I'm sure at closer to sea level, the boat would run 67-68 with the Bravo 1.
The original Bravo 1 that came with the boat, had some scuffs and minor dings in the blades, so I'm not sure if that effected the performance.
Also, I've gotten much proficient and comfortable driving the boat than when I had the original Bravo 1 on it. A lot of the "issues" I was experiencing, I've come to find out, are normal and just required more seat time to become comfortable with the handling characteristics of this hull.
Thanks to all for your input.

Mark

Pat McPherson

Mark, it's great to hear you are more comfortable driving your boat. I still believe there is something about the setup that is off. You should not need tabs above about 35 to keep the boat from porpoising... I also believe your boat should be a few tics faster with 375hp...

thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

Sounds good! I also run a Bravo 1 prop (30p). My boat is dialed in perfect. I always run a bit of port tab to correct listing except when running near top speed and I can raise the tab as I raise the drive. I only drop both tabs if I'm in really sloppy water on the Great Lakes.

snave8

If I recall, there have been quite a few others that have to use tabs in that speed range also. In addition I've received a few private messages to that effect.

snave8

Before I bought the boat, I posted the prior owners speed claim of 65-68 MPH, the general consensus I got was that was about right for a non-HO equipped boat....Maybe someone else with a similar non-HO boat could chime in here.

minxguy

Mark, if you make it to the 1K Islands, my offer stll stands.

Ken

snave8

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind

Mark

Pat McPherson

Cool Mark! every boat is a little different and testing different setup is a great way to learn out a boat. Good you found the prop that works best for you.

Are you still planning to try the short lower? I've only heard positive feedback from those that run them.

As for speed, my stock 502mag powered boat tops out at about 73GPS and there is a fellow in my town with a stock 454mag powered 22C that runs over 70. I've heard of 502mag powered boats hitting 75+ but that's running a 3 blade.
High 60s with a 375HP 8.1L is not that far off I guess...