And there shouldnt be any cooling problems with the drive being that high? Sorry about all the noob questions but im just trying to cover all the bases to see what the best option is! oh and what mph did your baja run?

No...you'll be fine

I'd definetely go the shorty route if I wanted to raise the x dim. You'll run into all kinds of problems raising the engine. As said, exahust, plumbing, fuel lines, linkage, and God only knows what else.

Blackhawk props are getting pretty rare, and very expensive.

Like was said earlier, get a shorty lower.

All the reasons are listed above. There are some used for sale once in a while.

As far as possible negatives, it could be harder to get on plane, prop slip could go up, or it may not carry the bow as well. With as deep as you say you are though, I don't think you'll have any problems. I can tell you that I lowered my drive 1" with a spacer and it made a big difference. I'm still only at about 4.5" though.

Ok sorry to drag this thread on a little longer but does anyone have any information about something called the X factor? I saw it on a couple boats over the weekend and it looks interesting...but i couldnt find anything on the web about it...thank everyone for the replies so far