drksuroo

Sorry, cleared out my inbox.

Nate5.0

You will not be disappointed by 496 HO's at all in a package like that. It will still be plenty fast, loud, fun, and low upkeep. Just remember though, you need to keep up on preventative maintenance to get the hrs out of the 496. You do that and you should be able to be turn key for a long time.

tf2ttt

What speed do you think a twin step 35 would run with 496 HOs? My friend has an Advantage 32 MCOB with 496 HOs and it runs about 75. Of course my boat has to be faster than that. Hahaha. But seriously, I would like to have something faster but I really want something turn key even more. That is why I keep going back and forth from blues and blacks.

rak rua

A single step Executioner claims 78 mph by the factory. From what I've read, factory test speeds are not far off the mark, allowing for a very light load of fuel and gear so a twin step must be a bit faster.

Twin step 33's are supposed to do 82 with 496 ho's so I think a 35 lightning should still beat your buddy!!

Black motors in a 35 would be my absolute choice if I could only sell my current rig!

RR

VoodooRob

If you do 80 to 100hrs a year you should be in the engines every 3 seasons if you are doing proper maintenance for 525s. That's something to consider if budget is tight. 525s over 496 h.o. add $10-$20K to a boat on the used market, good for selling tool also. I cant add about the boats your considering but I can about the engines. I chose the 525 packages because it fit what I wanted out of the boat and what I wanted it to do. I would maintain the engines and drives the same way if I chose blue or black, so that cost would be the same for me. The 525s require more attention internally for proper performance and maintenance schedule.

jbdykes

iTrader: (1)

Can't comment on either of the boats, I have a Donzi. But, I did go through the ordeal of changing from the 496 HO to the 525. I'd give this a lot of thought upfront! The engine switch wasn't bad at all. I was able to find a 525 with headers and only 19 hours on it on OSO for a great price and sold my 496 HO/ Bravo 1X outdrive as soon as it was out of the boat. But then I had to buy a new outdrive. Got one with an IMCO lower and it's great, but it's always that "extra" expense that goes with moving up from 425 to 525 HP. Gotta change the outdrive, new HP gimble ect. Keep that in mind as you make your choice. If you think you're EVER going to want to go faster, go with the blue motor and the XR outdrive.
By the way, I am not finding the 525 to have any more maintenance issues that the 496. But it does use a little more gas. But both were very good to me.
One other thought, you won't be able to use a quick/ quiet exhaust on the 525 like you can on the 496 HO. While I love the extra speed and sound from the 525, I kind of miss the quiet function I had with the 496 at times.
Make your choice and don't look back!

AJ POWERPLAY

iTrader: (1)

I'm sorry but the "Sunsation Customer Service" would not be worth a whole lot to me when buying a boat. How many times do you need to call the factory on something? If you're needing to call them all the time that means you're not on the water. They aren't the engine builder, interior builder, or controls/gauges manufacturer so I'm having a hard time seeing the need. Not to mention.. hustler, nor-tech, outerlimits, cigarette, AT, mystic, mti, statement, skater...etc ALL HAVE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE... Who is still building boats that doesn't?

My money would be hooking to a 35 fountain if it were me buying and looking at those two. Not to mention the sunny's are grossly overpriced, you can get 35 lightnings with blue power for what people ask for the newer dominators with HO's. I'm not sure what warrants a high price on them.

tf2ttt

I'm for sure going to keep up with normal maintenance on whatever motor I get but I was worried that the 525 takes a lot more maintenance over what the 496 HO requires. It sounds like from what you guys are saying it doesn't. Thing that keeps sticking in my mind is 500 hour mark you need to "refresh" the 525. Is that the case with the 496 as well? I haven't heard or read many posts that people had to do that on the 496. I've been looking and the "refresh" can cost anywhere from $2k to $5k so that isn't that huge in my mind but it is a minus vs 496 if you don't have to do that to it. I just don't want to have to drop $1,000+ every/every other season just to keep it running above and beyond the normal maintenance. If you guys aren't seeing that then I think that helps me move towards a blue motor vs black. Other thing I've read is the header issues on the 525s. Seems like people suggest getting them pressure tested every so often. Is this seasonal or something you just do every few years? What is the cost to do something like that?

Nate5.0

The general upkeep maintenance is pretty much the same..... yes. Like you pointed out is the upper end rebuild that at times has to be done with Blue motors (usually 500hr mark area) compared to many Black motors with 1000 hrs still sealed. Also keep in mind that if something does unfortunately break on the Blue, parts can at times be a bigger hit on the wallet.


However resale will be more and generally faster with a Blue motor boat. You are the only person who can really tell you what motor fits for you. Both have ups and downs and with either boat you pick the speeds should be in or near that 80mph mark with black motors and well over with Blue.

VoodooRob

525s need top end done 250-300 hr mark and FULL rebuild at 500 hr mark. This is from Merc Racing