[/QUOTE]
over $10k more for a pair of its assemblies, then rerig the steering

over $10k more for a pair of its assemblies, then rerig the steering[/QUOTE]

Totally out of my budget.......And I'm over it now!

What is this Budget thing you're talking about?

Totally out of my budget.......And I'm over it now![/QUOTE]

You haven't skimped anywhere on this build, your boat will be one of the nicest around, gonna be sweet.....

When I 1st thought about buying this 17 year boat From Joe I planned how I was going rig it.
When Joe was kind enough to deliver it to me I then saw how really nice & original it was.

Originally going to put a rebuilt set of 500 efi's from F2 Speedy that he rebuilt personally.
A rebuilt set of XR's..The used CMI's big tube headers I got with the boat, since they were fresh water use.
The original interior looked great, but 17 years old and showed it's age in spots.

After assessing what I actually had & the condition of the boat, I figured it deserved to have better equipment
So I raised my sights.
Decided on a set of fresh water use 525 efi's with original low hrs.... A lot more $.... And Brand new CMI Gen X headers
Brand new XR's instead of rebuilt. New transom assemblies were a after thought once I receiver the drives.

One night when I couldn't get to sleep thinking how great this boat was going to come out (like every night)
I then thought what else can I do to make this Gladiator like perfect.
I then decided to replace the Interior and make it 2 tone instead of all white.
I'm going to have a new cover with a bow cover made also.

Now you can understand why I'm over my original budget.

HAHAHA....."Budget".....That's a good one. I never even considered a number. Not because I'm some baller or anything (far from it) but because I know whatever number I came up with would go out the window. It always does. No point in even having a budget.

One day of boating makes it worth every penny, have fun with it and keep the pictures coming.

This is how you calculate a budget...
What number you think its going to take...

$XX,000.oo X 2.5 = $$$

Subtract the 0.5 there, I came in under budget...
Don't look at the receipts until the WHOLE project is done !!!

Great set up by the way...I love my Gladiator !!!

Someone asked me a long time ago how much money it cost to fill up my boat. I told him I had no idea.

I always looked to verify the gallons on the pump matched the gallons on the receipt. After that guys comment, I looked at the cost. Didn't like it. Never looked again! ...and now we're talking 500 to 1k+ gallons each fill-up! LOL

Tale of 2 friends:

One guy had a new 38 TG/525s - would fill 50 gallon drums with fuel (2-3) in the bed of a Ford Ranger, then drive 2 miles home and siphon fuel with a garden hose from the truck to the boat down on a lift...........to save money!

Other friend new 38 Powerplay (also 525s).............would pull into local marina and fill. Didn't even shop prices, just hit the closest marina to his house.

Can you figure out which friend had more fun on their 38 ft go fast boat?