DrFeelgood

Lots more displacement in the 300R (4.6L vs 3.2L). SO even though peak power is similar, there's a lot of area under the curve that gives the 300R an advantage.

NWfreerider

Regarding the midsections, this decision could allow the aftermarket some time to engineer a 15" mid for next season. Merc Racing could also make them available from the planned F1 360R platform.

Brad Zastrow

Agreed. Horsepower will dictate how fast they will go. The torque is how quick they get to that speed. I feel bad for these racers as they keep changing the rules. On the other hand I think Mercury is no longer making the 300XS. It wasn't that long ago the outboard class were all running the 2.5L Mercs that were discontinued years ago. The newer engines are certainly a big improvement in power and reliability.

flat rate

iTrader: (3)

I don’t know why they would. The whole idea of the current 750 class was to get away from mercury.

Ryan Beckley

The class voted to allow the new engine , it was unanimous from the nine owners in the meeting. The 300r will be run as a 20" ,STOCK, unit. There will be no 15" until (if/when) Mercury comes out with it. Aftermarket mids are not allowed.

Skater30

Hey Ryan, has anyone tested a set of 300Rs on a Super Stock boat? I've never seen dissimilar engine packages work in any class, so I can't imagine it's going to work now. As close as the class is currently, if one setup has even just a slight advantage over the other, it's going to force every boat in the class to go that direction to stay competitive. I understand why you guys voted it in (300XS has been out of production for years now), but I think it's going to separate the class out more than it is now, which makes the racing not as good imo. You guys are still the biggest, closest-racing class out there, so I wish the best of luck to all you guys! With the Supercat Class boat count dwindling, the outboard cat classes will probably soon be the only cats out on the water at the races.

Lake rat Skater

Thanks Ryan a couple quick questions: Do you know what teams are going to the 300r next year and are the CNC props any faster than the Dewald and Herring through hub 5 blades? Thanks!

Ryan Beckley

No one has tested a true race boat with 300r yet. There are no less than 5 new boats being built currently for NEW racers. Asking them to cobble together an old motor now, while we know the 300r is the next motor, was not fair. The lack of parts and availability is what let to this decision. There are some racers that have run both motors on similar boats and "most" said the difference is not as big as you would think. Also the weight difference of the 300r is added to the equation.

The prop rule is from the same current availability issues with getting new props. Everyone has a different opinion on which prop works best on there own rig.....