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-   -   The complete 242 thread (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/formula/57227-complete-242-thread.html)

jafo 07-19-2010 12:32 PM


Originally Posted by twin242 (Post 1216049)
After reading various threads in the 242 section I thought I would give you a few test numbers acquired over the last two years with my 86 twin 242LS. Bought the boat with reworked 355's making 350HP each. The drives were alphas which rotated in the same clockwise direction. This setup would scoot right up to 65 mph on the GPS. From here the tabs had to be lowered and drive angle adjusted to get the boat to 69 and some change. The boat was very light at top speed. The props were old 25 pitch mirages. Next season the tired alphas were replaced with counter rotating Bravos. These drives just launch the boat out of the hole. Top speed was 70mph on glass smooth water. The cable steering was just too sloppy to push the boat any further. Bigger tabs and hydraulic steering are going on this winter to stabilize the top end speeds. This boat is extremely stable for it's size. The boat is run on the Bay of Green Bay.

I have very little doubt that this is the same '86 242LS that we owned for years- we had it for sale at Great Lakes in Muskegon for a summer and wound up wholesaling it to a high-performance marine dealer in Oshkosh. We saw no reason to keep holding on to it after buying the AT.
Never knew where it wound up, and now I know......
It would be nice to hear you give us an update, and a few pics.
Jim

Rdegeo4140 09-04-2010 11:45 PM

[QUOTE=R-Don;1153347]I have a 1990 242ss with a 454mag/330hp.

Finally a honest man. I have a 242SF with a 496MAG/375hp and I get 52 MPH (GPS) @ 4500rpm's with a 22" pitch Bravo1 prop. My boat has 133 gallons of gas. I get a kick out of the outrageous speeds claimed by some people. Do the math. 22" pitch x 4700 rpm's x 60 minutes. That gives you inches per mile. Divide that by 5280 ft x 12 x 1.5 ratio. Deduct at least 10% for drag and a max speed of 58 mph can be obtained. The horsepower only enables any given prop to spin at engines peak rpm. Unlike a car a boat needs 100hp to gain 10 - 15 mph. I went from a tired 260hp and 38 mph with a 16" pitch to 52 mph with 22" pitch.

Rdegeo4140 09-04-2010 11:46 PM

Finally a honest man!
 
[QUOTE=R-Don;1153347]I have a 1990 242ss with a 454mag/330hp.

Finally a honest man. I have a 242SF with a 496MAG/375hp and I get 52 MPH (GPS) @ 4500rpm's with a 22" pitch Bravo1 prop. My boat has 133 gallons of gas. I get a kick out of the outrageous speeds claimed by some people. Do the math. 22" pitch x 4700 rpm's x 60 minutes. That gives you inches per mile. Divide that by 5280 ft x 12 x 1.5 ratio. Deduct at least 10% for drag and a max speed of 58 mph can be obtained. The horsepower only enables any given prop to spin at engines peak rpm. Unlike a car a boat needs 100hp to gain 10 - 15 mph. I went from a tired 260hp and 38 mph with a 16" pitch to 52 mph with 22" pitch.

Rdegeo4140 09-04-2010 11:51 PM

Finally a honest man. I have a 242SF with a 496MAG/375hp and I get 52 MPH (GPS) @ 4500rpm's with a 22" pitch Bravo1 prop. My boat has 133 gallons of gas. I get a kick out of the outrageous speeds claimed by some people. Do the math. 22" pitch x 4700 rpm's x 60 minutes. That gives you inches per mile. Divide that by 5280 ft x 12 x 1.5 ratio. Deduct at least 10% for drag and a max speed of 58 mph can be obtained. The horsepower only enables any given prop to spin at engines peak rpm. Unlike a car a boat needs 100hp to gain 10 - 15 mph. I went from a tired 260hp and 38 mph with a 16" pitch to 52 mph with 22" pitch.

242LS 09-22-2010 09:52 PM


Originally Posted by Rdegeo4140 (Post 3200020)
Finally a honest man. I have a 242SF with a 496MAG/375hp and I get 52 MPH (GPS) @ 4500rpm's with a 22" pitch Bravo1 prop. My boat has 133 gallons of gas. I get a kick out of the outrageous speeds claimed by some people. Do the math. 22" pitch x 4700 rpm's x 60 minutes. That gives you inches per mile. Divide that by 5280 ft x 12 x 1.5 ratio. Deduct at least 10% for drag and a max speed of 58 mph can be obtained. The horsepower only enables any given prop to spin at engines peak rpm. Unlike a car a boat needs 100hp to gain 10 - 15 mph. I went from a tired 260hp and 38 mph with a 16" pitch to 52 mph with 22" pitch.

I'm amazed at how accurate that formula is. For me, I'm running 21P x ~4700 RPM and hit a high of 55.7 MPH on GPS a few weeks ago (54.7 last week with more fuel onboard). Factors that I don't understand how they're not considered/impactful:
- I have twins (350s, 2 barrel carbs)
- amount of weight (fuel, passengers)

242LS 09-22-2010 09:56 PM

And one more.....

- trim (maxed out worked best for me) - like a ~3 mph added.

Monaco20 09-23-2010 04:21 PM

My 242 SS 1988 454 330 HP Bravo 1
 
Hi Guys

After rebuilding my 1997 454 330 HP. and change from quicksilver 17 plus to quicksilver 21 pluss. I saw 50 mph
on the gps 1 person 1/2 thank of gas. Considering that there are several years of antifouling at the bottom, the number are
not so bad. According to the factsheet from Formula the ss had a topspeed of 52 mph back in 1988, do not know if that was radar or speedo.

What kind of power is needed to reach 70 mph with this boat??
How will it handle that kind of speed?

I love the combination of a true 24V offshore hull and the hugh space in the 242 SS. I think you need to go more than 35feet to have the same space in another offshore boat.
Of course the deck is not as loong as in th LS, but i do not spend a lot of time down below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLKPZub92oo
A clip of the boat, do not mind my comment in Norwegian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5wXZ229Iwo
Another clip from 2008

Regards
Oslo

ThirdBird 09-24-2010 05:53 AM

Monaco,
I had two SS's, one was a 223 the other a 242. You're right, the space in those boats is huge, even a present day 38 doesn't have that much space. And, as you said, you've got a decent 24 degree hull under you (at least in the 242, the 223 was a 22 degree). But, you give up the option of bolsters.

In any event, the SS series were very nice, useable, spacious boats.

aquaforce 09-26-2010 03:23 PM

Well on page #7 at post #61 is Chucks boat but that I bought a while back. http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...-thread-7.html

The engine lunched so Chuck dumped it and I have it all apart now. After a transom is done it will go back together a little different. :D:D:D

It is getting ready for a total repower and updating on some interior design. The black dash is going to be silver much like the current production and the cabin door with be in white. The dash will be some color of the boat graphics with updated guages and SmartCraft display for the Merc 525 B3 that will push it. I will have pics on formulaboatsforum and Speedwake for sure and here if I upgrade my membership.

aquaforce 09-26-2010 03:36 PM


Originally Posted by Monaco20 (Post 3215535)
What kind of power is needed to reach 70 mph with this boat??
How will it handle that kind of speed?

I love the combination of a true 24V offshore hull and the hugh space in the 242 SS. I think you need to go more than 35feet to have the same space in another offshore boat.
Of course the deck is not as loong as in th LS, but i do not spend a lot of time down below.


It will take a solid 500HP to see 70. That speed is fine with this hull but the Bennet tab design can't do over 35-40 so don't use them at that speed.

mopower has a friend with a 242 running over 70 from 535 HP so it is doable.

I am going to sell my SS but I too like all the space it has. Sometimes I wonder if I will regret getting rid of it.


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