I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

Anyone know of a clean 271 Fastech for sale?
I'm putting my 1994 303SR1 up for sale or trade soon.

Will a 271 pull a 175Lb. skier ok?

How about performance and top speed with a 454 Mag. or a 502 Mag?

What about top speed with a Procharger?

Ok, guys. Tell me what you think about your 271"s. Let's hear from some owners out there.

Toolman

PS. I love my 303SR1, just need something a little smaller for skiing.

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

175 skier, yes easily...

We have a 502 mag in ours and it hits top or mid 60s depending on water.

Not sure about speed with pro charger

I love are boat, its so fun and just enough speed for me, and plenty of upgrades you can do it.

Btw: Its my dads boat.

Haha thats funny, ive never seen someone ski behind a powerboat.

I have a 99 271 with a 502. I love the boat. Top end is about 62-63.

For pulling a skier, forget about it.(maybe I'm biased because I ski behind a Ski Nautique) Maybe on 2 skies, but never on a slalom. They take a looong while to get on plane. The skier will be VERY sore. Plus, about the slowest speed you are gonna run on plane with tabs down is 25-30 with a nasty wake. Thats fine for slalom, but a bit fast for 2 skies, and the boat really doesn't like to run much below 35 which is way to fast to be pulling anyone, unless the are good skiers. Pro's run 34 or 36. Even at that speed, the wake is HARD! My 94 271 had a ski eye. pretty funny. My 99 doesn't have it, and I don't think they even put one on any of the Fastech 271's

I don't know top end with a Procharger, but the twin to my boat with a Whipple runs 82.

Like I said, I love it, and its a great boat. Rides well, decent speed, but not for pulling a skier, IMHO.

Trenton Marine has a 99 502 for sale
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/8/0/40901880.htm

and there is one on Lake George with a Whipple in it already for sale (this is my twin that runs 82). This Whipple was put in my a top shop on Lake George, that Dustin Whipple can tell you about.

Both these dealers are Formula dealers.
http://www.boatsbygeorge.com/frame7.htm

Now, about that 303.... how's about some details? :)

I just purchased a new 353 and have a 2000 271 for sale. Its listed on boats.com and boattrader.com Its got the 502mpi, bravo one drive, lab finished prop, drive shower, ect, ect..., all the goodies. I'm incredibly anal when it comes to keeping my boat so its not an exaggeration when I tell you this boat is as clean as a new one. 217 hrs on the engine, no probs since I bought her in late 99. I can send you pics and all the specifics if your interested.

I just listed her in the classified sections of OSO - have a look. The 271 is a great boat!! You'll love it (even if you don't buy mine).

I had a 98 271 before I upgraded to an 03 353. The 271 was a great boat. I had a 502 and got low 60's. I totally agree with futz991 about skiing. It will get you up eventually, but the wake is huge and it is very difficult to find and maintain a good speed.

here's one
 

Check this one out. I know the owner and you could probably get it for quite a bit less than what it's listed for.... I will put you in touch with the owner directly if you are interested (save him the broker commission and you some money)


Chris

dockrocker,

Details: 1994 303SR1
-210 hours
-502 EFI's with bravo I drives
-all original cockpit in great condition
-cabin is perfect!
-GPS, power bolsters, K-planes, drive showers
-Runs 72 on GPS on a hot, humid summer day!
-aluminum trailer (2 years old, like new)
-$65,000 firm.

toolman,
I have a 99 271 that I use to ski behind. The wake is not too bad, my kids ski (my oldest son is 18 and weighs 170 pounds) and tube with no problems. This boat is for sale and is in excellent shape. It has all the options including drive shower, labbed prop by Houston Propeller, spare Bravo prop, K&N air filter, dual batteries, upgraded sterio with two amps, docking lights, VHF radio, Captains Call switchable exhaust, 502 MPI with 190 hours and Vanguard trailer. Top speed with the labbed prop is close to 70 on the speedo, so around 66-67 GPS. I really like this boat, I have had it since 8/01. I am looking to go bigger, somewhere in the 35 ft. size. Let me know if you're interested. My email address is : [email protected]

Toolman -

I have a 99 271 with a 502 MPI. Top speed is in the low 60's. I have never been skiing behind it but given the hole shot, I wouldn't want to. I agree with futz991. The 271 Fastech doesn't plane well at speeds below 35. Most recreational slalom skiers like speeds 26-30 mph. The late model Fastechs don't have ski tow hooks.....for good reason.

Dustin Whipple predicted low to mid 70's with a Whipplecharger on my boat. I would expect comparable top end from a Procharger.

Find a buddy with a runabout when you want to ski and have the best of both worlds.

My friend has a Whippled 502 mag '98 or '99 271 Fastech. On gaffrig speedo the boat ran 66-67 pre Whipple.....80+ after Whipple on speedo. We haven't gps the boat after the Whipple...but stock the speedo was 3mph happy....66-67 was really 63-64gps. The boat is heavy and slow to plan without the Whipple...now...it'll rip your arms off.

What drive did you switch to after you Whippled it that allowed you to hammer it getting onto plane?

Had to swap the stock 1.65 ratio to a 1.5 in order to spin a small enough prop...with the stock 1.65 drive we hit the rev limiter with a labbed 30 bravo.
We only hammered it once to see how the boat would do getting on plane....not done since...but you don't need to the boat has so much power/ torque down low. Now, with the hydromotive prop you can't hammer it as it blows out getting on plane. The bravo 1 prop would hold getting on plane.

BTW, the whipple system was installed 4 seasons ago. There has been no failures of the engine or drive caused by the whipple system...the engine was just checked at the end of this season and is still as strong as when the whipple was installed. I was a little skepical as to the long term effects the whipple would have...especially how my buddy drives the boat...wide open mostly...but I'm soundly convinced there is no better supercharger system...period.

Just wondering, as I am uping the HP on my 502, and wondering how the Bravo will take it. I have a 28p B1 now and we are figuring a 32p. Why did you go with the hydromotive over the Bravo 1 prop? and are you still running the prop left handed, or did you change it to right hand?

We first tried a right hand bravo 30 and it simply blew out while on plane...it would not go over about 50 it was wierd. I don't know if it was the prop but the boat didn't seem to like a right hand prop. Basically we couldn't find anything bigger at the time to try than a 30 bravo. So I called hydromotive for some guidance. They stated that a large blade prop on a single engine boat can cause too much stern lift...basically the prop blade is so flat that sometimes if will just slap the water and not bite. This seemed to be what we were experiencing. With the 1.65 drive it looked like we were going to need a 32 Bravo and Hydro claimed we would have problems getting it to hook up. So with that we changed to drive to a 1.5 which allowed smaller pitched props and hydro recommended their 28 which was equal to the Bravo 30. The prop is still a left handed prop and the boat turns right at 5000rpms. Were still not sure if its the best prop as we haven't found a large enough Bravo prop to try yet. As you may know the hydro we are using is a stern lift prop where the Bravo is more a bow lifing prop. A labbed left handed 30 bravo hit the rev limiter.
With the hydo the boat does ride more level, bow down attitude and it blows out as you come on plane...nothing super bad but you do have to watch it coming on plane. The good thing about the ride attitude with the hydro is it runs better in rough water, the bow is more planted down. In spring we will try one of the bow lifting hydro's to see if that works better, or a 31-32 bravo if we can locate one.
Basically hydro was selected because if it wasn't right you could exchange it where once you bought a Bravo and it was wrong you were stuck with it.

Oh yeah, I don't thing you'll have any problems with the drive, if it can stand up to the whipple you shouldn't have problems.. looks like you be making similar power...around 600hp or so.

Thanks for the info. Interesting about the right hand prop, as Formula says not to run it either. Strange what the step does, because the pre fastech 271's all had right hand props.

Yea, its a "bit" over 600 on the last dyno run.:D

Were you running a 26 or a 28p before the Whipple?

Before whipple, 26 left hand bravo.

I ran a 26p on mine, and bounced off the limiter at about 50 mph. Formula told me a 28p was the correct prop, and with it I ran at 5000 62 mph. But I've NEVER seen a 271 with a 502 1.65 drive running a 28p Bravo 1 (except mine)

That's weird!! Maybe your "X" is different or they changed the bottom? Your speed is the same...yet we were using a 26 with the 1.65 at 5000. It seems there's more slip on your boat for some reason.

Even weirder is the fact that the boat will turn a 30 Bravo left hand prop but not a right hand....that still has me baffled!!!

Mine is also a 1.65 drive and I run a 26p Bravo at 4900 rpm. I don't think I could turn a 28p.

My 271 started with a 1.65 26" Bravo and similar speeds. The drive got stolen while the boat was in the lift and ended up with a new 1.65 and 26" Bravo - couldn't get the speed back. Ended up lab finishing the 26" to make it perform like a 28" and everything went back to like it was - never did figure out why - weird huh?!?! btw - its a real SOB to get a boat out of a lift with no drive and the corresponding hole in your transom.

I've been confused by the 26 to 28 deal since the day I bought the boat. I measured on other new 271 at the dealer, and the drives are in the same place. Equally strange is why the guys at the Formula tech group told me to run a 28p

Chase910,

There was a letter someone wrote to Powerboat asking the same thing about right hand props. Teague didn't really give him an answer but the guy gave the reason that Formua said that the boat was more stable with the left hand prop. You didn't say you had a problem with the boat being stable, but you said you had prop blow out. When you say that the 30p just blew out while on plane, do you mean that you were just running along at say 50 mph, and the prop started to slip? That sounds wierd to me too.

when you put the new 1.65 drive and 26p on, and didn't get the speed, what was the reason? were you hitting the limiter at low speed or it wouldn't wind up to 5000 RPM or ???

Sounds like tons of fun getting a boat with no drive out of the water. That sucks.

I got part of the story wrong - we put a lab finished 26" on when we went back together and it bounced off the rev limiter and would only run 60 - 62 on the speedo (like everyone else mine is 3mph happy). Consensus was that because of the increased efficency of the lab finishing the prop was spinning up to fast and we needed to either go to a standard 26 or send it to Mercury Racing and have it "tuned" to a 28. "Tuning" the prop to a 28 ultimatley worked so I guess the advice I was getting was right - but I'm not a prop guy so it could have been a bunch of BS.

I can't imagine how the guys that stole that drive did it - they must have balls the size of boulders. We borrowed a drive, put three guys in a boat and tied off underneath the transom - it sucked!

futz991,
yeah, running along at 50, any more and nothing but slip...all you saw was water coming out sideways from the rear of the boat from the prop slip! There was literally a rooster being shot out the side of the boat everytime I accelerated past 50. It was like the prop was exiting the water!

If I understand labbing. (which I might not:crazy:) if you lab a 26, you gain RPM that the boat can run, so you can put a labbed 26 on a boat that wants to turn a 24 and get more speed. Sounds like you ended up with a labbed 28" from Mercury when you were done, which would equate to the speed from a 30p, with the pull of a 28. That would be a good thing. Plus its more in line at least with me running a 28p at 5000

Quote:

---

I can't imagine how the guys that stole that drive did it - they must have balls the size of boulders. We borrowed a drive, put three guys in a boat and tied off underneath the transom - it sucked!

---

I guess you can never figure out a thief, but there had to be an easier Bravo drive to steal than yours. But who said that crooks had brains:crazy:

That had to be the wierdest thing to see. Sounds like the B1 prop was giving you stern lift instead of bow lift. Did drive trim affect it in any way?

No, basically everytime you got into boost the prop blew out....yeah it was like excessive stern lift.
All I know is I fully understand the term "black magic" when it comes to props and prop matching on boats.

Toolman - did you ever buy a boat??

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

Toolman,
You still interested in a 271?

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

http://server1.offshoreonly.com/geoc...p?a=5&b=191&c=

Check the 1990 - the 271 to buy, 2 500's, looks real clean.

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

Anybody out there looking for a nice 1999 271? I have mine posted in the classified. Check it out. :chimp:

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

Nice boat, how fast with the power?

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

I know of a beautiful 2000 27 formula for sale if interested call me 215-852-6641

Tom Martin

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

CMG,
The boat runs around 68-69 with my labbed prop and around 66-67 with the stock Bravo 1. Let me know if you're interested.

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

Formula271,

I'm looking at other options at this time. Maybe a ski boat like a Mastercraft V-drive for the family.

Restabr,


No, I did not sell my boat yet. I haven't even listed it for sale anywhere else except OSO, but if you know someone who's interested, let me know.

Re: I'm thinking of downsizing to a 271
 

That can't be GPS speed! Its must be faster than 67 with the 500 EFIs. My 311 with 454 mags is that fast, what do you have for props?