Wax it or not???
 

I have read a couple of threads mentioning waxing the bottom of your boat is not good. Whats the overall consensus?

I think my boat is way too slow for what power I have. 26 foot Baja Force with twin 350 mags, only stock difference is the cams. Running 63 on Gps, 66 on speedo. The props are 23 pitched mirage's. 4750 Rpms. Does that sound right or too slow?

Thanks for all your input.

I ran the numbers thru the mercruiser site, it came up with 68 top speed. I'm not sure if they take slip into account. You may want to run the numbers yourself, you have a better idea of the weight of the boat.
http://www.mercurymarine.com/cgi-bin...UseBVCookie=no

you can also run the numbers at
http://www.go-fast.com/Prop_Slip_Calculator.htm

Sounds to me that you are right about where it should be.

cuda

what do you think about the wax?

Do not wax the bottom, it will slow you down!

I just recently blasted bottom paint off the hull. It is a little rough right now. I have some more testing to do with it the way it is, then I am going to wax the hull or put some kind of speed coating on it and see if it makes any difference. If the wax slows it down, I don't figure it will be too hard to remove it. I will keep you posted. Hopefully, I will have most of the tweaking done this weekend. I will keep you posted.

RPM's are too low your engines are struggling. Worst case should be no lower than 4800-4850. Of course I'm assuming their MAG'S which are rated at 46-5000.

Either that boat is super heavy or you need to bump down the pitch. Try 21's or 22 Bravo's...

As far as wax goes, there's two schools on thisone. One sez wax it and it will increase speed. The other sez take high grit sand paper and rough up the surface and it will increase speed. Personally I don't think either would be noticible if they did work...

On a good day, 2 people 1/4 tank. it will hit 4850. on a bad day, full tank 8 people 45-4600. On the engines, its stamped max rpm 4600 wot. I think a sbc should rev higher. I used to have 21p props on the boat, and I could get 4900, but same top speed. They also blew out real easy. The 23 pitch mirages have great hole shot and same top end. They also have a better midrange.

I would just expect this thing to go a little faster, and I am trying to figure out what might be holding it back. I guess there may not be that fix that makes it break 70's. It just seems like a short boat (26 feet) with twin mags should be faster.

BajaRunner, I have 24' Liberator with twin 260HP SBC's. I had 21P Mirage's on it and was hitting 4700 @ 59.6 on GPS, low fuel and 2 people. I just got 2 new drives and one is a counter rotating alpha and I got 21P Mirage +'s. I have no idea how this will perform but you seem like you are running pretty quick to me for the setup.

What kind of HP does the 350 Mag make?

That makes me feel better...I hear all these people running 75-85 and I am thinking whats the deal. The hp on the 350 mag is not much more..270hp. Keep me updated on the counter rotating as mine are spinning in the same direction. I have heard you dont gain much speed wise but you get much better steering.

BajaRunner, I'll let you what it's like when I get to splash it. How heavy is your Baja? I figure completely loaded with crew and fuel I'm into the mid 6000 range. Dry is around 5100 or so.

I have no idea what it weighs. I would actually be curious to find out

Bajarunner all those people who are 75-85 mph are lying! Figure most people add at least 10% to actual speed. Never believe them untill you run against em.

I think the speed lost when the gps comes out is a similar ratio to weight loss of fish due to "cooler shrinkage" when they go from the cooler to the scale, something in the order of 10-15%.

As far as waxing goes, it can do two things for sure (proven to me!!) It does make the bottom stay cleaner & easier to clean of any water stains. That's the positive side!

The negative side is:
It's a pain to keep it waxed as it comes off due to constant emersion.
It increases side slip tremendously in some boat (watch out for sharp turns- you may just "chine walk" (sideways) yourself out of the boat in a sharp turn at speed.
Iif it did increase your speed, it would be so small as to not be visible on the speedo....probable 10th's of a mile per hour.
Overall, not worth the effort. Just keep the bottom clean & your OK!:D

LMAO! No doubt about it! :D

Don't wax the bottom. It slows most boats down. I met a guy that lost 5mph from waxing his 38 Special. He thought he was having engine trouble it had slowed down so much.
When I bought my Fountain I was told not to wax that it would cost speed. Water beads on wax, which means its sticking to the surface. A friend coated an 18-foot Stingray with Rain-x. The boat picked up some MPH but was extremely slippery in tight turns. It wore off after a few weeks.
Dan

To get an accurate weight of your exact boat; take it to your local dump or recycling center, and have them weight just the boat/trailer on the scale, (drop the tongue wheel and lift the weight off of your hitch). Even a truck-stop may can do this for you. Then return with just the trailer and do the same thing.

You can also use this technique to get an accurate tongue weight. Weight your boat/trailer as described above, and then hitch back up to your truck, and roll the rear tires of your truck just off the scale. What is left on the scale should just be your trailer wheels and the rest of the boat's weight. Subtract this and you have your tongue weight.

Re: Wax it or not???
 

There has to be something out there that will make you boat go faster. I've also heard that wax slows you down. You see the coating on the back 3 feet of the offshore cats what are they puttin on their bottoms?? Does anyone know?

Re: Wax it or not???
 

DOH!!! This being a 3 year old thread, I don't think any kind of wax or coating will catch up to it! Not even the "lilduce speed wax"!! :evilb: It's gone.................

Re: Wax it or not???
 

LOL I don't think we did enough research on this. Its back from the dead.

Re: Wax it or not???
 

Ding..Ding...Ding We have a winner!!! :D :D I wax the botton of my hull a few times a year....Helps to keep the river scum line off!

Re: Wax it or not???
 

There is.
It's called horsepower.

Whatever helps you keep your bottom clean. Wax or not wax.

You don't want a furry green beard. :D