Black Baja

iTrader: (2)

A 30' Activator with a single 525 will probably get you 80 if not really close and it will eat any water you can throw at it. 525's have alot better parts in them than a 496.

32hustlin

First off if you're looking to do 70 in a 30' boat 525's are way overkill. Unless you're looking at a sport cruiser? Most of the 37-39 footers are running mid 80's with them(v's). 525's are gonna be your most reliable of mercs blue motors, but you're gonna get more hours out of their black motors. A real good reliable setup to get you where you want to be, would be 496's, or 502 mags with a pair of bravo x drives. The x drives have the added beef of the steel tower in the uppers but still have the spiral cut gears which last longer.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

I think the helical cut gears are slightly faster as well. im really surprised the X drives haven't caught on more,

Rookie17

Maybe I'm an ignorant fool. Wouldn't be the first time.

But isn't how much HP (or really torque) any engine or drive can handle reliably relative to how many props are on the equivalent boat?

I'm no speed demon with a couple black motors in front of two Bravo 1 drives. They are built just like the old 425's with decent heads, Crane valvetrain etc and make pretty good torque and push the old girl along at around 75 ish with total reliability. The Bravo's have been bulletproof and I've put it down to each drive pushing around half the boat.

Seems to me if there was just one prop the drive would be working a lot harder, and I would need a lot more engine. So isn't reliability all relative to how much of the boat the engine and prop is pushing at the same speed?

Seems to me that torque breaks parts and hurts reliability, not horsepower. Whether engine created torque, or torque created by props re-entering the water etc. Does that make any sense?

Edit: Now watch my stuff blow up this summer after I just said it was reliable. Lol...

Orange quatro

No. I think the 496 Mag puts out 375. The 496 HO puts out 425 hp.

fountain27ho496

I have almost 800 hours on a 496 mag ho xz drive. My last boat had hp500 carb that was junk at 220 hours. It was taken care of just as this one. I went with the 496 because I wanted to turn the key and go. I have for 12 years now. The 4mph wasn't worth the possible headaches.

NautiNuff

But yet the blue motors have better stuff in them?

NautiNuff

So based on what has been said, 525's with X drives is what I'm really wanting. If I run in the 80's that would be fine with me. So how many ponies do the 525's put out?

So all twins have hydraulic steering right?

This is why I'm not keen on adding power to my current boat. More power means upgrading outdrive. Then when I run higher speeds I need hydraulic steering. If I am going to spend this kind of money, I just as well should get another boat me thinks. My plan is to run my little Baja for a couple of seasons and unload before anything needs refreshed.

NautiNuff

OK my bad, I currently have a 496 Mag with a Bravo I. Most likely I will be refreshing my outdrive at some time and should take it easy coming out of the water.

clovins

525 efis put out about 570 hp on a dyno. The main issue with the xr drives is the surfacing of the prop. Stay away from them. They are nicknamed explode and replace for a reason.


QUOTE=NautiNuff;4071670]So based on what has been said, 525's with X drives is what I'm really wanting. If I run in the 80's that would be fine with me. So how many ponies do the 525's put out?

So all twins have hydraulic steering right?

This is why I'm not keen on adding power to my current boat. More power means upgrading outdrive. Then when I run higher speeds I need hydraulic steering. If I am going to spend this kind of money, I just as well should get another boat me thinks. My plan is to run my little Baja for a couple of seasons and unload before anything needs refreshed.[/QUOTE]