You are comparing Apples to Oranges on the 2 boats you mentioned in your post. I bet the Nordic will run into the 70's with a HO.

The Nordic is a lot closer to the crownline than the baja, that was my point. Maybe it will run in the 70's, I don't know. It would surprise me though. A friend of mine has a 17 foot jetboat with a 468 that makes ~450 hp that runs mid/high 70's. That kind of speed in a factory 21 foot bowrider just seems incredibly fast to me.

"Add in perfectly placed grab handles for running at speeds in excess of 60 mph with the stock 350 Magnum / Bravo One. "

Straight from the website.

22E weighs in at 3000lbs with 18 deadrise....It will easily do into the 70s. A few yrs ago, Nordic built a 21 Blaze with a 500 in it and it flew well past 80mph.

A better comparison is the Baja Hammer. close in lenght and weight. A hammer will run solid 70 gps with 7.4 310hp.

Well alright, I stand corrected. That's impressive :cool:

Well put, a LIGHT pad bottom bottom with not much deadrise, will run easily into the the 70's with a HO.

22' Nordic
 

Most all of us in this sport start out the same. We buy what we think we can afford and think will go faster than it ever does. You quickly tire of having " blue bayou" sickness and you start putting money into headers, cams, carbs and other things to go faster. Then you still have bass boats ripping by you on any given Sunday. So you start think about a bigger boat than a 22' and you trade up to maybe a twin engine boat that still doesn't get if for you. And so, you might think long and hard about what you really want in a boat. You seem to someone who likes to go fast and a V-hull will never do it without big bucks. Maybe look at some single engine cats if you want fast with your first boat. I don’t know how much you are getting ready to spend, but if you like speed, look around a little more. We blow by boats like you are looking at like they are sitting still in the water. And the people driving them never look happy about it. If speed isn't the major factor, fine. But don't try and make a slow boat fast, because it is very expensive and the motor you are considering is not a high performance platform you will ever want to hop up with aftermarket parts. It is probably the worst engine Merc has made if you want to speed it up. Stock they are great. IMHO

Hmm, I don't know about a solid 70. I had a 7.4 for over 12 years and i couldn't get it passed about 64.

However, on the topic of the 496 HO on the Nordic, I'd say 70+ for sure. I'm getting 70 now with the 383 Mag stroker, 350 HP. 496 HO has 425 HP, I see no reason why it shouldn't do at least 70.

The 496 listed on Nordic's site is the 375 HP mag

"If top speed is your concern, look elsewhere. How much do you want to spend?"

Thank you for all the feedback, I really appreciate it.

Let me provide a few additional comments that may help this thread.

Where I live, the usual boat makes on the lake (7 mile long...thats all) are Correct Craft, Master Craft, Glastron, Doral, and you have the rare Donzi, Baja and Eliminator but they are all relative short boats because of the size of the lake. There are very fe 25 footers on the lake. Where I am in Eastern Canada, we are not exposed at all to most of the makes that you have in the US (Nordic, Hallett, Fountain, etc.).

To start off, I have never seen a Nordic boat in my life. I currently live in the United Arab Emirates and spend my summers in Canada. Tomorrow, my brother will on my behalf visit a dealership in Montreal and give me his feedback on the Nordic 22E that they have available for sale. It is currently equipped with a standard 350 but the dealership will install a new 496HO for me. So apart of reading a lot on boats, seeing a video of the one I am planning to buy, I have never sat in a Nordic.

Top speed is not my first concern but I think I would be so pissed off if after spending 75K(after taxes) to own a killer looking boat that runs in the 60's. I do not expect to be the fastest but I want at least to be faster than those Sea Doo's :lolhit:

My concerns are boat styling, reliability, built quality, seating for at least 8 and Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.

Thank you again for your feedback, it is really helping.

JF

Nordic makes a great quality boat and you will be very pleased with the fit and finish of a Nordic. I know you were probably joking, but remember Sea Doo's will be beating you or at least be running right along side of you in this boat. Many of those little rockets will blow you away. There is nothing you can do about that. The fact that this boat has a 350 makes me ask about the drive. What is it? Be real careful on this boat unless it is a Bravo. You do not want anything else. For the kind of money you are spending, I just bought a 100mph Eliminator, 28' long with two 496HO Mag engines, a nice size cabin and a guaranteed Sea Doo beater. Have you thought about looking right here on OSO at used? A lot more bang for your buck. It is very easy to have a boat delivered to you. IMHO. Good Luck