Anybody ever experienced a "hop" in their twin step lightnings. Mine is an '01 and after a little engine work on the 500 efi's. A custom cam that is close to a Crane 741 and Vortech SC's. I should be a little over 700 HP per but the bow also seems very low for a boat at fairly high speed and there is a pronounced "hop". Tabs really don't help much. I am running Bravo props with an X dim of 18(according to the run sheet). I am prop testing and a 32 Bravo hit the limiter at 5500 and 76% throttle. I am trying 5bls today but still dialing in so any help would be great.

Any thoughts?

We had a 2000 35 twin step, with Whippled 540's making about the same hp. When is it hopping, WOT, is it chine walking from side to side or bow coming up and down. We ran some 5 blades, get on plane better, mid range cruising was 3-5 mph faster, lost 3 mph on top end. I changed to 1.36 gears and ran 29 4 blade Hydromotives. The hull was designed to run flat, thats what the steps do. We ran the tabs flat, and drives trimed to 3-3.5.

I had a chance for some seat time yesterday and we ran 98 at 5650 running 32" maximus props labbed by Merc. That is about 14% slip so that was great but I need bigger props. The "hop" was at 90+ and it also started to chine walk some as well but the water had a little chop. It always chine walked a little above 80 when you ran the drives up past 3. If you run the boat with the drives 2.5-3 it tends to hop but with the drives up past 3 it chine walks. I ran it pretty tight yesterday up to about 95 with not much issue. I have ran bravo and maximum props and both seem to be about the same. The drives were turning out and we changed the drives to turning in.

Even when I ran 98 the boat had a lot left. I think if I can get the boat to settle down it will run 105 but I am looking for options. Maybe a spacer to lower the drive just a little, prop change, nose cone, bottom blueprinted, bigger tabs.....

14% seems high for 5 blades. If you are running the stock bravo gearcase, with no nose cone, adding one will help reduce your slip at the speed you are running. We ran Imco Extreme SC lowers. We ran 104 mph, at 5800 with 1.36 and 4 blade 29 Hydromotives. It was a bear to get on plane, but ran pretty good after that. We had standard length drives, always wanted to run 2 inch shorties, and 5 blades. Sold the boat. The more gearcase you drag through the water the slower you will go, unless you are having very high slip #'s.

I have been in my single step 35 and experienced chime walking over 90. It depends a lot on the condition of the water. I went to shorties, but I was a lot deeper initially (16 3/8). When I ran in the shootout, it ran smooth.

I've been testing some different props on mine over the past few weeks, including the Max 5bs, and experienced the same hop chit. What diameter Maxes are you using?

do you have nose cones on the drives? also which way are your props turning?

They have been cut down to 15.25. They are also Merc labbed.

The props are turning in and the drives are stock. I am really thinking that an Imco or Sportmaster lower with the more hydrodynamic casting might help but I just want to hear from somebody who has done it before i stick another 6k in lowers.

The Maxes I tested were 15 5/8s with the full diffuser. The boat does not go thru this hop chit with the Bravos. I figure the larger diameter and diffusser are pushing the tail up causing the nose to drop creating an almost catamaran kind of porposing effect, Brett @ BBlades feels this is the case also. It can be tweeked out with a little more tab and less trim, but that scrubs some speed. Brett says there are changes he can make to the Maxes to correct the way the prop works and I have talked to some who swear by the Maxes he has done for them. So far I have not been real impressed with the Maxes in terms of handling, but I'm staying open minded about all this till I test some more props. I do have a set of somewhat experimental Precision Propeller 5 blades from Brett, plan to try these today, 15 1/4 dia. and no diffuser, with a completly different blade design, should be interesting. I like the idea of the 5 blades, my cruise went up 6 mph to 60 @ 3500 rpm, that wouldn't be hard to live with if the top end and handling can be improved to match the Bravos.

As a reference for you my boat is set up with standard Bravo XRs on 34" centers and a 19" X dimension with the props turing in. With the Bravos I run tabs @ 2 3/4, or parallel to the bottom, and 4 1/2 on the drives, my drives are parallel to the bottom @ 3. From what I have seen this hull likes to run fairly level, not a bow high attitude, and works its best that way. It is much different than my last single step 35 Lightning, with the twin step you constantly feel that the bow is down and needs more trim, which is not the case.