86 baja 220 force

any one know what prop i need to run to get the best speed and hole shot , motor is a new 454 with alpha 1 drive
thru hull exhaust and what speed should i expect to see

[Kidnova]

pcgarret - You say your motor is a 454. Is it a mag or 7.4 330 hp?? Either way, I don't know if an Alpha drive and a BB is a real good combination if you're looking for all out performance. I'm not an expert, but it might be a good idea to post a question about your Alpha drive and 454 combination. There's allot of knowledgeable guys here at OSO that would be able to give you some good information on the subject.

Regardless, to give you some insight on performance, I have a Nova 23 that had a 7.4 330hp with a Bravo 1 drive. With that motor the best prop seemed to be the older style 23" Mirage, not the Mirage Plus. With that prop it was up on plane pretty quick. Top speed was about 58 on gps. The Nova is probably heavier than your Baja, so I expect you'll be faster than that. In fact, as your boat is probably lighter than a 23 Nova, a Mirage 23 Plus may be a good prop to try.

With the current 500hp 502 my Nova seems to like a 25 inch. Hole shots and top end are much improved

[glassdave]

with care the alpha should be OK with the big block(stock) , the 220 is a much lighter boat than the nova and also has a much shallower freeboard and dead rise.

kidnova what kind of speeds are you seeing with the 500hp 502. sounds like a nice setup. i always liked the novas.

[batty]

23' Nova Thinking about T- 350's W/ Alphas
T-4.3 V6's Now

Or possibly selling all together. Not sure what to do its been sittin for about 4 years. ran it for about 2 weeks last summer when my excalibur was not running

[Kidnova]

glassdave - did'nt mean to run off at the mouth about pcgarret's BB/Alpha set up. Like I said, I'm no expert on the subject. But have read some less than pleasant things happening when lots of power being put to an Alpha. I'm sure you're right about the weight. I don't have any original paper/info on my 1995 Nova but believe it weighs about 4200 lbs. Seems very solid, built like a little tank.

She'll do an honest 70 to 71 mph on gps with the old style Mirage 25. And about 68.5 with the Mirage 25 Plus. I had Throttle Up lab the 25 Plus for me and just got it back a few days ago. Looks great they did a nice job. Also plan on getting rid of the stock Merc exhaust and putting on a set of Revolution Marine manifolds. Hoping between the labbed prop and better exhaust to see a little more rpm and top end

batty - didn't know there was such a thing as twins in a 23 Nova. What year is it?? Seems like plenty of room under the hatch for a pair of SB's. Mines rock solid at speed with up to a 1+ foot chop but starts to chine walk in bigger water. Have been told I've maxed the hull out speed wise, at least in 1.5+ water.

[batty]

I believe that its a 1986
we actually measured inside the hatch.. It has room for big blocks ! But were afraid it would break the transom

[batty]

there were only a few of these made but I have never seen one like it It was ordered custom from wellcraft

[Kidnova]

Could be wrong but I think the beam is the same on the Nova 23 as it is on the 26. 26s came with BBs. Think a 23 with either BBs or SBs with any kind of hp would be a really wild ride!!

[glassdave]

kidnova- actually when i wrote my reply i was thinkin to myself "hope the new guy dosent think im try'n to overshadow his coments" . . just throw'n in my 2 cents ya know . you are right though. i have heard similar stories about the alphas. usually asscociated with poor driving habits and high HP though. with care they can survive hooked to a BBC. i've been told they are good to about 400hp. i have a pair behind my Scorpion and so far so good. would rather have brovos but isnt cost feasable for this boat. i also see you had some props done at throttleup. i was thinking of having them lab my mirage's also. from what i have seen on the board here they do nice work.

batty- what part of toledo are you in and where do you boat out of. what marina? i live in holland and dock at rossford and lost peninsula

[glassdave]

by the way . . .welcome to the board guys. i see all you guys are new. this forum is a great place for tech help. lots of knowledge here.


the general discussion board is kinda loopy sometimes though