Allen,
I will have to disagree one more time, 3-4 mph is not considerably faster to most people. I say that we both agree you have spent a lot more than I have to get your boat where it is now!

When you say i have spent more you are probably correct as I am sure I have spent more time testing props and setting my boat up correctly.
If you are talking money, I highly doubt it.
By the way, last time I had my boat out it ran 111.47 MPH.
Allen
P.S. you forgot to put the 1 in front of each the 3-4 in your earlier post. It should have read 13-14.

Well...aside from the petty sniping, this is EXACTLY the thread I was needing to start! The only difference my decision will have is that my boat has IMCO boxes. I am concerned about possible hook-up and handling issues, but my boat had IMCO shorties on it with the previous owner (which is why it has boxes, I'm guessing).

I would most likely just transfer the gearset over into some IMCO cases, which isn't terribly expensive.

Currently, I'm running stock 502s (415 hp) with Hydro Quad 4 26s and getting 73-75 mph on GPS...but I'm only spinning about 4850 for rpm. As of next spring, I'll be sitting on some new Wesseldyk 540s, estimating horsepower to be in the 550 range. I know I'll have a prop change coming for sure...just wondering if I should go all the way and do the shorties now, or hold off, find my baseline with the stock Bravos (with cones), and then add the shorties and have to go through prop testing all over again.

Any advice is appreciated.
-Mike

Mike,
I am assumming your boxs are nuetral meaning they have no up or down adjustment (thinking I am correct here due to you using QIV). If this is the case i think that you will need the shorties as generally when you go back you also have to go up as well. Do you happen to know your X deminsion. if you know your x deminsion or will find it out and post it, I will be glad to tell you which props should work well for you.
Allen

S

Not sure what the X is, Allen, and the drives are already off the boat and the hull is in storage up in MI, so I can't get it right away. I have heard the same, however, that if you go back, you are supposed to go up...I'm just wondering whether this will adversely affect the handling of the boat, especially getting on plane. Don't want to be any harder on the drives than I have to...

For the record...although it's somewhat contrary to the very soul of offshore boating...top speed isn't my main priority. I want a solid-running boat that gets where I want it to go relatively quickly without issue...

Indy27,
Im done arguing with you as I have nothing to prove to you. I wll not be responding to anything else you say on this thread. Have a good day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Allen

Mike if you will call Fountain with your serial number they will give you a run report that will have your x deminsion on it.
I suspect with your boxs that you have already adversely affected the handleing of your boat, but I do not believe it for the good. It would really help to know what Fountains says the boat run new versus what it runs now which the report i have spoken about earlier should tell you this.

Do you have any videos of your boat running down the water?

How does it carry the bow of the boat?

I will the first to admit I have no experience with extension boxs however it seems to me that with boxs and the stern lifting props the bow of the boat should really be planted hard which would not be good for top speed or a good handleing boat. These are just my thoughts.
Allen

The motors that are in the boat are not original to the boat, so the Fountain performance reports wouldn't really help, with the possible exception of the X dimension measurement. My boat runs VERY level...never really thought that it might be pushing the nose, but now that you mention it, I guess that makes sense... Might be a reason why it gets on plane so easily right now!