650 Hp in Cafe
 

The Key West run was awsome. It would have even been better if i would have made it all the way down there. The C group was suppose to be between 50 and 60. It was more like 60+. I had to run at about 60 to keep boats in sight so i would know where i was going. Got to holiday isle and heard a lifter ratling so that was the end of the trip for the cafe. We jumped in the boat with Ron ( he had the new 42X ) and ran 90 the rest of the way down there. That was awsome. I spoke with an engine builder and i am considering stroking my 502s to 540. He said i could get 650 hp with the right cam and carb setup. Is there anybody out there that is running 650 in a cafe and what is top speed and cruising speed. I would appreciate any advice on reliability and HP.

Hey Jeff, sorry to hear the boat didn't make the trip. We saw it at the Marriott in Miami. Looked great!!

I would assume you'll get mid to upper 70's out of 650's.

the c group pace boat was running 60..... i know the boat we were on only ran 62 WOT... c group also went to gilberts not holiday...

C group passed holiday when b group was leaving. We stopped at Gilberts and had lunch.

700's
 

I'm putting 700's in mine as we speak, we are estimating mid80's based on HP and weight. Have some guy guy by the name of Art F***ing Lilly putting it together for me. That's his estimate and that's good enough for me. More power more speed, the hull can handle it.

JeffC
I am sorry to hear that the boat did not make it.
I was in the 38TG running near the back with you early on.
I did not want to push my boat because I had not run it in 2 years.

Your boat looks great I hope you get it together.
Darren

JC,

I followed your restore and saw all the pics you posted. Once again, your boat is beatiful!

You could stroke them to 572" and get huge torque also. Costs about the same from the right supplier. I have a very very small cam in mine and was making 650 torque at 4500. Cam wias only .560 flat tappet.

Just imagine what they would do with a mild roller and a little head work.

I just happn to have a couple 582" engines for sale. Not advertised yet. Could have them modified for your app.

how fast did the B group run ? i have 02 38 top gun that runs 82

The B group ran fast. I was running 80 and losing the group now and then, and had to run up to 90 or 95 to catch up with them all. Have to say, was surprised at how fast they were running in the "middle group". Sure got there quick though.

Thanks Darren.. I will get it back together for sure.. I was wondering why you were hanging back with us because it was very obvious that your boat could have ran in the b class..Very nice boat.. I will have a step bottom one day.
I will definetly be back there next year...Awsome Poker Run..

so i guess i would have to run in the C class than

The b class was for boats that run 70 to 90. So if you want to finish with everybody you better be able to run 90....

Saw your boat on the trailer on the drive back up on Monday (Islemorada maybe?) and figured you must have engine trouble. Hope you get it straitened out soon. Looked sweet sittiing there in the parking lot.

What was the c group speeds? Is there a length limit for this run, What was the smallest boats?

Hey JeffC do you have bravos or trs?

Bravo drives. I spoke with mercury and they said that 525s would probably get me running at about 74 to 75. So with 650 hp i am thinking that i might get in the low 80s. I am sure that i will have to go to xr drives soon after..

With the large pulleys, I have a little over 700HP aside (28" props w/ XR shorties). With light fuel, good air, and some chop, I get mid-80's on my speedo, but my GPS says low 80's.

How much gas is in the boat makes a BIG difference.

http://www.hotboat.com/image_center/...00/engines.jpg

Hey Havasu did you put the shorties on or did the boat come like that? If you put them on what kind of gains did you get with them? How short are they? Thanks Scott

You might do a little more checking with Merc, but I think 525's actually make close to 600 hp all ready. They make 525 at the prop. Just a little food for thought.

Stroke those 502's into 582's. It costs the same in parts. If you have them apart anyway, then you should go big. :drink: You can run smaller cams and have less wear on your drivetrain for a longer lifespan.

You sure about that? The 500 efi's were 470 at the prop. When did Merc Racing stop rating them at the crank?

JeffC, I saw your boat at the Marriot and I love the paint! I have seen so many white Cafe's it was a very cool change of pace for that boat. Sorry you had motor trouble. Good luck with your engine rework.


DK

I was lucky. It had the 2" shorties on, but with 2" spacers installed, so I got to drive the boat with both X's.

I feel I did pick up a couple MPH on the top end, and the boat seems to take a better set above 75MPH.

The only downside was quite a bit of blowout getting out of the hole, but if I want the drives to live, I really don't want them hooking up hard out of the hole, anyway.

Thanks for the info. I've been thinking about shorties and didn't know what to expect!!

I actually just read that on one of the insurance threads here. Ihave never seen dyno sheets on one.

I know the hp500 was 470hp though. You are correct on that.

I also read about the prop rating hp on the 525 from a tech on the tech forum. Don't remember where though.

I thought that the most you could get was a 540 or 550 out of a 502 block!

A 5.25 inch crank gets you a 540 with a 4.50 inch bore. Standard 502 is 4" crank with a 4.5" bore. A 4.25 inch crank with a 4.60 bore gets you a 565.

A 4.375 or 4 3/8 crank gets you a 572. if you bore it to 4.60 you get a 582". I have a couple of them in my shop right now.
I have one going out in a couple of weeks.

If you use a standard bow tie block or a later model gen V or Vi it requires the machine shop to grind out some extra clearance for the crankshaft so it can rotate. The 2 I built out of Dart blocks required crank clearancing also.

When I was at Mercury racing they were dynoing a few 525's, the pull I saw made 543hp. The dyno operator said they make a consitent 540 plus hp. I think at some point they started to under rate the power on all the "blue" motors.

Id go with making them 540s.Our 650 engine package is a Injected 540 with AFR heads. Very Reliable and tourqey,perfect for your bat.

650 HP in A cafe
 

Does a boat go faster in salt water or fresh?

Faster in Salt Water!

SALT! Salt water is more dense and therefore provides more buoyancy. More buoyancy = more speed. When we used to race tunnel boats it was almost like running on concrete. Granted, air is providing way more buoyancy than the water in a tunnel boat environment but it was still faster in salt.

On the 525 vs. 500HP issue, I was also told by a Merc rep that the new 525s were comparable in power to the old 575sci. From boats I've ridden in they are noticeably stronger than 500s.

I'm not doubting how much horsepower the 525s put out. Its well known how strong they are. Just saying I throught they were RATED at 525 hp at the crank, not the prop. Doesn't matter though, I can't afford anything with blue motors right now anyway.:D

My understanding is the 525s are rated at the prop. When the standard changed from crank to prop rating I don't know. That's how Yamaha got over on everyone in the 80's when they were first introduced. I had a Hydrostream with a 115 Yamaha that would run with quite a few 150s.

When I was having my Top Gun motors freshened in September, my buddy had a pair of low-hour 525 take-outs sitting on the shop floor. For the measly sum of $24K (and my motors) I could have left there with them! Decided it was better (read: cheaper) to freshen the old 500s!:D Maybe a couple Whipples next year!

OOPS

Nah, no oops. Can't drop $24 large at the present time. Getting a new business started and need the extra coin badly. Or was the oops about the Whipple comment?:cool-smiley-011:

No, it just sounded like you were regrettingg not picking up the 525's

Good luck with the biz. I know what you mean about the coin.

:cool-smiley-011:

Wasn't necessarily regretting it as much as pissed off that I couldn't pull the trigger when I needed to. Typical situation for me is a deal comes along and I'm not quite in a position to act on it. Oh well, if the biz does what it should, this won't be a problem in the next year or so, hence the Whipple statement. Or, could just start working on the wife about picking up a 39 Unlimited!!!

Sorry for hi-jacking this thread JeffC. Hope you get all of your engine woes worked out. Look forward to seeing you again in Destin next year. In fact, if you want to make the tow over here for the Tickfaw 200 in May, let me know and we'll get you some help with logistics.

Ahh the ole TF200. Is it time to start making plans for that again all ready. What a blast that was.

if the 525 Hp is prop rated whats the rating if mated to a six drive like sum of the race boats