looking for an extra 10 mph
 

which is the best way to obtain my goal?

boat: 2001 Checkmate Convincor 220, 350 Mag Mpi, 210 original hours, bravo 1, 22p 4 blade. would like to run 50-55 cruise and 70-75 WOT

would you tear down install a new cam and heads and exhaust?

put a Pro Charger on?

swap out for a big block?

or just sell and buy a different boat?

I have been in your shoes before and from what Ihave gone threw ,I would sell your boat and look for something else, you will be happy you went that way.

i think your way off on your numbers,,70-75 is way to fast for a single engine boat with a 300 hp 5.7 mpi small block..once you find out the true speed you will want to go 20 mph faster..you may want to find another boat that someone already poared money into..

thats the end goal, not saying that the 350 does that, just trying to see what i need to do to obtain that speed. one of the options i am thinking of is swapping to a big block and that is doable with a single big block for sure. my question is which would be the best route for me to reach this goal.

speed wax should be good for 7 or 9 mph

I have a friend that has a 216 convincor with a 385hp 454 mag and he runs a touch above 70. a stock 502 mag efi should put you where you want to be.

10 MPH is going to cost you some $, Sell boat and start over. JMO

My bad lol..just saw thease on facebook,,looks like a good deal..6500 fora complete hp500 less headers.. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

You will need at least an additional 150 hp to add 10 mph. While it is possible with the addition of a supercharger onto your existing engine, you can do it so much easier with a pullout BB. Your stock 350 Mag makes 325 hp. It will take almost 500 to reach your goal. We have done both Prochargers and Whipples on 350 Mags. While both kits have the ability to make near 500 hp, the Whipple kit is a much nicer piece. However, it does cost more.

A 502 Mag isn't going to get you where you want. You would either have to do some mods to it, or look for a 500 efi or a 525 efi. Either one will make the power that you want, but they won't come cheap. Bottom line is that you have to decide how much you like the boat. If you really like the boat and it's something that suits your boating needs, then go ahead and do what you need to do to make it run the speed you want. If you think you may want to step up in the near future to something larger, then just wait until you get the new boat since you won't get back the money you will spend on the engine swap/modifications.

What I'm trying to say is that it's a decision that only you can make, not anyone else. Do what you want to do. If you want to keep the boat, then by all means, go ahead and make it run. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Eddie

Sell it - Buy another boat that already goes the speed you want to run.

Its cheaper in the end.

Sell your boat and get one that does what you want. Best advice on here.

Agreed, sell it and get one that meets your needs and goals.

Well sound like its worth it to keep this one for the rest o the season and look into getting a ZT 244-280 then thank you for the help

You should wait until the end of the season then buy my Velocity 260 when I put it up for sale again (end of season). Turn key 70MPH GPS any day 74 on a great day. :boat:

My concern would be were are you going to use this 22' boat with 500hp in it, fifteen years ago I had 220 Baja that had a BB in it that was pumped up to almost that HP and it went mid 70s WOT, the problem was we boated at LOTO and very rarely could I ever open it up on the Summer weekends because it was to small, after the one time I opened her up mid day on a Saturday it scared the chit out of me, I put it up for sale the next week and bought a much heavier 312 Formula with twin 502s, now I have a 353, just be careful with whatever you do.

This was going to be my response.......you'll spend a fortune making the boat go faster and in months realize it's not big enough for what you want to do.

Buy a bigger/faster boat is nearly always the best route to follow.

go bigger and faster. By the time you upgrade the motor and steering you could have sold your boat and had a bigger boat for not a lot more. By keeping your boat stock it will also sell quicker. If you want to go bigger in a few years don't wast the money to upgrade that boat, you will never get it back.

As stated it depends on where you boat and how much you like the boat. I had a 19 foot boat(similar to a Donzi Classic 18) that came with a 250hp 5.7L Volvo Penta. I sold the engine complete and for $1500 more bought a 320hp 5.7 Volvo Penta complete. So, for $1500 I picked up a 6 year newer motor, MPI and 70 hp. The swap was a breeze and the boat went from 59mph to 65mph with much stronger acceleration.

Some of the folks on here are out right comical for saying ''sell the boat and start over''. :lolhit: If you like the boat then keep it, if your a regular on the bay, then a 22ft daily might not suit your needs. Does the boat have a alpha or B1 on it. You could pull the engine, build a nice sbc built for boost. Even a stroker sbc over the winter. Not sure what exhaust is on the engine now, but having a labbed prop done, a new exhaust, if the engine is efi, you could have a computer reflash done to start. That will def make more power, give you a few mph in it self.

John jr

There's a BIG difference between be ABLE to do 70, and WANTING to do 70! 70 in a 22 ft boat while exhilerating, can be scary! Even on relatively flat water, chine walk and steering problems can jump up and bite you quick. I had a Crownline 225LPX /496 and it would do 60-65 on a good day, but even that slow it wasn't the most stable boat. I decided that in order to do 70+ COMFORTABLY, I needed a bigger boat. So I did what any normal, rational guy would do, and got ten foot itis! LOL! Seriously, figure out what you want, and where you want to do it and reverse engineer the issue.

Comical is watching captain and crew holding on in that size boat when they hit a wake in the water at 70+

Take the windshield off and only use the boat in 2-4 ft waves, problem solved :D

It is called common sense. He asked for ways to get more mph, not why he should sell the boat, or why is it dangerous or yada yada. Can anybody answer a question any more ? Oh lawdy LOL

John jr

On the trailer, Turn on your GPS speed-o jump in the truck and haul a$$ down the interstate at 80. Take a photo of the speed-o on recall. Much cheaper and much safer. Just enjoy the boat for what it is.

looking for an extra 10 mph


Who isn't? Lol

I appreciate all the responses, i have decided to keep this one through the end of the season and sell it and get a newer bigger boat with a big block.

The best most cost effective way would be to sell the boat and use the cash he would have spent on upgrades and get a boat that does what he is looking for. As stated many times and o.p. agrees .

I don't blame you for asking the question. Checkmates are sweet boats and yours is pretty unique. Normally the best advice is to sell your boat and upgrade to another boat that better fits your requirements.

Like others have said if you love your boat then go for it. I think a stock 502 would get close, HP500 even closer, and 500EFI would make people drool over your little Go kart on water!

Just remember that speed cost money, more frequent maintence, engine, and drive rebuilds. No matter what the boat, the faster you go the more Cash you need saved up before hand to continue to enjoy boating.

A slower boat on the water is always better then a faster boat broke down at the dock!

Like I said he asked how to get some mph. I will make a mental note to address any further question to you :drink:

That is great he has decided to get a bigger, faster boat, but that wasn't his initial question

John jr

Someone already answered his original question. Another 150hp (however it is achieved) would put him in the speed he is looking for. All the other chatter was "advice".....

Hopefully by mid winter Checkmate will be back to producing boats so i can just order the ZT 244 the way I want it. or possibly by then the ZT 260

I see the question has already been answered. And I see you have something in mind already. I will just share my story.

I had an 86 Pachanga 22 with a SBC and an Alpha One. Blew the engine, replaced with a 4 bolt main, higher compression piston setup with Vortec Heads, Edelbrock Intake, Holley Carb, decent cam yada yada. It was fun, but wanted more speed. I GPSed at 64 with that setup on a 23p Mirage prop. Not too bad for that boat/power combo. But, like I said, I wanted more. The wife one day dropped a hint that she wanted a bigger boat, so BAM! Done. I upgraded to a bigger boat with a bigger engine. I got my wish of breaking 70mph, wife got a bigger boat and I fell in love with it. Nice thing about a bigger boat, with bigger engine is you have more room for improvement in my opinion. My Nordic handles like a dream compared to my Pachanga. I couldnt imagine the Sea Ray over 70mph... looking back, I think it would have been scary. I have personally been over 90 in a Nordic Heat and it felt more comfortable than the Pachanga did at 64. There is something to say for bigger boat and better handling. You can get any boat to go fast, just like any Honda Civic. But will it be comfortable and safe at those speeds? Good luck with your possible upgrade!!

Brining this one back out of the weeds. Hopefully someone can talk some sense into me. Heres why.


So this is my second season with my current boat. As most have seen I've been tossing around the idea of a bigger boat with more power. Recently while out with a few friends and their boats as well. As usual we get to talking about boat plans. so my situation comes up and its I'm thinking about a brand new 260 because it has everything, but it also comes with a big payment big block and much more fuel cost. Brought to my attention I won't be out doing nearly the playing I'm doing now due to the added costs.

That brought up my next reason for wanting a bigger boat. being able to handle rougher seas. again my buddies brought up a good point. if its rough out I'm not going to want to be out in any boat.

Then it turned to again keeping my current boat and getting more out of it. This brought up the idea of supercharging. the only one I think I would be comfortable with would be a pro charger, for a couple reasons. One I have had one on my old 6.0 silverado, also it is safer for the drive than the other superchargers by not making gobs of torque down low.

With all of this being said. for those who haven't seen my boat, It is a 2001 that is cleaner than most brand new boats. I wash and wax it every monday. it never stays in the water. always high and dry storage covered by my cockpit cover when I'm not in it. and completely covered during the winter.

So I'm asking for everyones input again.

Make sure the last 8 feet are straight & true. To ck use a straight edge.

A bunch of us run near 70 or more in smaller boats and decent sized lakes. Many had or have bigger boats. small boats can be fun.

Type/size of boat depends on you and where and how you want to run.

Just respect waves - especially confused ones.

So your boat currently runs 60-65? How much does it weigh?

Right now it will run 62 with this prop but at 4600 rpm. I'm sure I could get about 2-3mph with a prop that would allow 4900rpm. My boat weighs about 3300 lbs

Well, from real world experience I can tell you that an additional 10mph is going to mean ALOT things. I had a 2002 Crownline 225 w/496 mag and it would run 63-65 all day long. This was on relatively smooth water (nothing more than wind chop). At WOT, 65 it would get REAL squirrely. Not sure about the handling of your Checkmate, but with increased speed, you lose stability. Also, anything over 70 really benefits from hydraulic steering (mo money!). I eventually realized that I was never going to be happy running 75 in a 22 ft boat so bit the bullet and bought a 32 Advantage w/twin 496 HOs. I can cruise at 70 in MOST water (not LOTO during shootout though!) At WOT you can watch the gas guage drop! Just remember, just cause you CAN go fast, can you go fast SAFELY? Good luck with your endeavor and keep us posted.

From the post you made I would say stick with what you have, it sounds like you are leaning that way. What good is a bigger boat if you can't afford to use it?

As far as it being rougher out, a 260 is going to be safer than what you have. It is not a boat I would want to be on in 3ft waves, however it will handle boat traffic wakes and smaller waves better than what you have. Bigger will always be better in that aspect. It will also run the same speed with a 496 that you are running now, and really won't use that much more fuel than you are using.

Why new? There are so many checkmates out there on the used market, you could save 50-70 percent off the cost of new.

Some will say the procharger style is :"safer" I don't know if I agree with that. You can get any supercharged engine on plane and rolling without hitting boost if you are careful. The prochargers can be a pain to tune on a boat compared to a car. And the way a procharger is sold (just bolt on and go) for a boat is a sure way to blow your engine. A procharger needs much more than they recommend to be safe and tuned properly on a boat.

If your boat does 62 now, a 502 Mag MPI should get you to 70.

You can go the Procharger route, but IMO you should find someone that can tune it for you.