On a 25 Outlaw with a 496 ho with X drive what would be the benifit of adding an extension box if any? Or just adding a shortie? Thank you.

I have only seen one 25 OL with an extension box. It was built because Baja had a box left over and decided to put it on a single. It went to Alton Blakley in Kentucky and a buddy down here on Lake Norman bought it.

I rode in it and drove it.

It was actually slower than a 25 without the box. They tried every prop under the sun. The boat was bought at a discount because of the box and reduced speed.

My opinion was that is sucked. Too much leverage and the bow was very lose. I thought it was especially squirelly over other wakes.

Save your $$$$$$

I cannot help you on the shortie but if I had to bet you would not be able to get on plan with one.

I've learned a valuable lesson about Baja. It takes HORSEPOWER for added speed. Everything else is snake oil.

Just my opinion.

Good luck

I was running with a 25OL last summer with a Stellings box stock drive 496HO he was next to me in 2-3' running 70mph on GPS I was IMPRESSED!!!! I recommend a extension box on the 25OL after seeing how it handled. It's all in the setup..

I also know of a 99 25OL with a -2 Imco Shorty on it running 81mph with 700hp and he's putting a Imco Neutral extension box on it this winter.

Start by measuring your x-dimension and prop shaft height. Jeff

+ 1

With a box, the propshaft height has to go up.

Where it is now will tell a lot in which combination
will work best.

There are 2 guys over at our favorite place
( TBM) that have 25 O/L's with an extension box,
they go by Wild card and Violator.

Wild card runs a 3" IMCO box and Violator runs
a Stellings box

Both of those guys seem happy with their results.

I've seen Steve's ( violator) boat run, and it runs
well.

You'll probably want to check with those guys
to find out where their propshaft height ended
up at.

If you don't have external steering, you'll
have to add that too.

I think my question would be, do they run well enough to justify the cost & labor on a 25 Outlaw?

Violator is the one that was running with me in 2-3' slop on Lake St.Clair last summer at 70mph...The boat runs a solid 70 on GPS and handles VERY well..It is again though in the setup. I believe his propshaft height is 4.75" He's spent ALOT of time perfecting it. Wildcard is the same way tried many things he's running well into the 80's with his although his power is a Merc 600sci. The 99 25OL I spoke of is at 5" now with a -2 Shorty on it and is adding a neutral box this fall.

Oh, I don't know.....I just love to spend other
peoples money......that's why I'm considering
running for congress

The word "justify" usually isn't found in the boating
vocabulary.

But seriously, we ran with Steve's boat last year
at the Hawkeye poker run.

He kept up with my loaner boat ( 33 O/L w/HO's )
and Thunderflash ( 40 O/L w 575's)

He's got that boat dialed in, and with stock power.

It seems to run like a boat that has blue power in
it, but, with better handling.

And, the way I look at it, we're kind of stuck with these
boats right now, and since we're stuck with them,
you might as well make them so you enjoy them.

I gotta say that the only way an extension box works on a Baja is to raise the x dimension. There are 3 ways to do that. Listed in my preference.
1) +3" Imco box
2) Stellings box with -2" shorty.
3) Neutral Imco box with a -2" shorty lower or -3" drive package.
I would suspect the 25 that Doc drove had a stock length lower with a deep x dimension. That combination would indeed make the boat slow & enable it to carry the nose to excess.
Setup is the key. You need to know where you are at on the x dimension 1st.

All the singles that Baja Marine put together were "too low" on the "x". That includes both the 25 OL, and the last 26 OL that was at the 2007 Dealer Meeting. It had no speed advantage, and the handling was poor. Lesson learned.

XT