Just curious. Anyone know how many 38EC's were built?

not enough... I want one with 525's

Only HP500's in mine, but I sure love it!

What kind of cruise/top speeds do you see with the 500's? My wife and I have been thinking about getting into a 38 ec and we'd like to have blue motors, 500's/525's.

My original test sheet shows Reggie clocked my 38EC at 70mph with its HP500's. I'm the 2nd owner and during it's pre-purchase sea test it ran 67 with full tanks and five people onboard. I don't push my engines hard so top speed wasn't a major priority for purchase. I normally cruise at 45 mph which provides a comfortable and economical trip speed, but it is nice to know that if I were to have a medical emergency, or had quickly approaching weather event, that my 38EC has a decent top speed capability. From what I've read (and I have no proof of this) the 525's aren't quite as reliable as HP500's, the spacing of the 525's fit tighter in the 38EC than the HP500's (and the HP500's are already pretty tight), and the more expensive 525's drink more fuel and only provide a minimal performance gain. The Merc XR drives can handle HP500's or 525's, but when it comes time to replace my engines I'll be going with HP500's again. The 38EC is a fantastic blend between decent performance and comfort, and because of its 10' beam, its one of the few cruisers this size that can be fairly easily towed.