Have my Stellings extension boxes off for re-finishing and was wondering if anyone has ever raised the X-dimension on a 382. I could raise the boxes 1" on re-install, but I'm afraid I would lose some bite on the props in the kind of water I usually run in. Plan to talk to Formula TAG about it when they re-open after the holidays.

My thoughts are don't do it. The 382 typically does not benefit from raised X. Even if you gain a slight top end increase(which I doubt) planing will suffer and you will have to drop the tabs and feather the throttles to get going. If you are running fine now,leave it alone,will be a lot of work to change it back.Just my 2 cents,

Thanks Robert. Kinda what I was thinking. I know Formula usually has their stuff pretty well dialed in when released to the public.

My boxes are blistering also. The boat was 6 months old and stellings said "It must have been in the water"! After a trip to Sanger, CA to show them the problem they informed there is NO WARRENTY on paint. WOW! what a stand up company. What are you going to do to refinish to try to make it last this time?

It says on the company web site that finish it not warrantied. They have apparrently used powdercoating in the past and anodizing with paint more recently.

I am currently investigating the best way to prep and paint. See my thread in GD section. Imron has been recommended, but it is actually old technology and I have been told there are newer/better products. Boxes are now off the boat ... I will post some pics in the coming days.

I did find a broken inner transom plate and will start a thread to see if anyone has ideas why this would happen.

This job requires the engines be removed and is a lot of work, but I had my engines out and figured it was time to fix this problem.

If you can raise the boxes an inch on installation without much additional cost I would try it.....if it doesn't perform as you wish you can always add 1 inch spacers to the drives to get back to the original location. (If you don't try it now, you'll never pull it back off to try it later)