OK, finally got it on the water today. Did a little tuning with the new wideband O2 kit. The engine ran best at 13.5 at idle all the way up to 3400 RPM. The wife does not feel comfortable running the boat WOT. I will have to wait to tune that later. The boat was very smooth at ilel, planned off very well and was very responsive. I ran it for about 2 hours and it ran perfect. I will give an update when I get the top end tuned.:evilb:

I can't believe you didn't drop her off at the dock for a short while:eek:

Just kidding do what you gotta do. Next time take your buddies out and dial it in. Don't listen to me though, I've been married twice and divorced twice. The last one told me it was her or the toys.:lolhit:

I assume you chose the toys :evilb: My wife was the one driving the boat. She does not feel comfortable running hard with the river high and logs to dodge. I have to program the computer while she drives. We are going to Norfork Lake in Arkansas for Memorial day weekend. I will let it rip in clean smooth water all weekend. I will report back with the results.

OK, here are the results so far. I am going to give a brief history if anyone is interested. I started 10 years ago with a stock 330 HP 454, 55 MPH 21 pitch prop.
First upgrade, Holley MPI kit, very little top end upgrade 56 MPH, however all around better performance.
Second upgrade, Flat tappet Crane cam, port & polished penut port heads, 58 MPH. Did not live long however.
Third upgrade, bored and stroked to 489 stroker after blowup. Boat ran 62 MPH.
Forth upgrade, after learning about reversion issues I replace the exhaust with EMI long risers. Boat ran 64 to 65 consecutively.
Fifth upgrade, after loosing several lobes off the cam I added the aftermarket oil/ps cooler. Swaped out the heads with Large Oval 820's and a Lunati cam similar to the Crane. I lost top end 63 MPH.:confused:
OK this leads up to my last upgrade, here are the pelimilary results. Full tank of gas, 4 people, 2 full coolers. Top speed 68MPH at 4900 RPM, 25 pitch mirage lab finish with a few dings from a rock last year. I was hoping for at least 72 MPH. Before I make any more changes I am going to run the boat with a less weight, and more similar conditions to the other examples. It seems like a 24 pitch mirage would be a better fit but they do not make one. I have been using Mazco in St Louis on my prop work and there sugestion in the past to reduce the cup to increace RPM however that reduces the bow lift and kills the speed. My propshaft centerline is 8" and I am planning on putting a 2" shorty on next year, this may help my setup issues. What do you guys think?

Is that a Mirage Plus prop. Before going down in size I would call Brett at BBLADES and get what you have tuned. It sounds to me like you are right there. After he labbed my 25p I gained about 150-200 RPMS. I have about the same setup as you do, before I sold the boat last week It would run 72-75 GPS all day.

I have a hydromative turbo 3 blade 24p, which ran 200rpm higher than my 25p mirage looking for 250.00 for it

It is a plus with additional cup. When I first had it labbed it gained me RPM but lost speed. I took it back and they added more cup I went back to the original RPM but gained speed. It does concern me with the dings in the prop may be dropping speed and RPM.

Is that a stern
lifter or bow lifter?

Oh, by the way If anyone is looking for a Mirage 21 pitch (solid hub/pre-plus) I have one in great shape for $250.

I just dropped my prop off at Mazco. Five years ago I had the prop balanced and blueprinted the pitch changed to 24 and the amount of cup was doubled which brought it back to a 25. He said the prop was damaged enough to drop 200 RPM's off and a few MPH. He thought with the boat at normal weight I should be at about 5200 RPM. I plan on doing a couple more upgrades this winter that should put me at 5400. I will have the prop back in one week and I will post the new results when I get them.

Hey Jeff,
Sounds like your getting close. What RPM did RMBuilder dial your cam in for? (Your max running RPM) Also regarding your dings in your prop. Some may disagree however in the past when wanting to gain 150 ot 200 Rs I would take a file to the cutting edge on the prop. Depending on the severity of your dings this may take them out also.
Don't be affraid to put a relatively sharp edge on it. If this didn't work for me I would never mention it however it has. The only down fall is the prop will nic/ding easier.
Good luck,
John

He said to prop for 5400 RPM. I was hitting 4900 with a heavy load and a dinged up prop. The damage was a little worse than it looked. They are actually going to have to weld a little metal back on the prop and set it back to spec. After blueprinting the props have a sharp edge and a mirror finish. I gained about 1.5 MPH over stock Mirage Plus. He thinks I had at least a 3MPH loss with the damage. Next time I test I will have 2 people and 1/2 tank of gas. That should put me a little closer to 5400.

I would guess that would put you near 5100.
Keep us posted.

With a light load I should get about 5200. It is fun to speculate. Testing on the water is better!:evilb:

My 25 plus is in the shop and I will not get it back until thrursday. I took the boat out with my spair prop this weekend. The 21 Mirage was so quick out of the hole I was blowing away bass boats out of the hole. I had the rev limiter set at 5600 and ran 66 MPH. It got to top speed in a matter of seconds. Not good for top end but what a rush! I will try the 25 next weekend.

I tried the 25 Mirage yesterday and here are the results. I had about 30 gallons of fuel and just the wife and I in the boat. I got 69 MPH GPS at 4900-5000 RPM. I must have had a tail wind or a false reading when I hit 68 with a heavy load and damaged prop. The debate now is should I try a 23 Mirage? The 21 is way too small and the 25 is a little to big.

Definately try a 23. Jeff, with a single engine and normal load you will like it much better and put you closer to the RPM meant to be at. It's been a while however back when I ran my 24 Challenger I use to swap between a 23 and 25 Mirage and always like the pull and all around fun with the 23. I can assure you that this will be a good test and well worth the time and or expense. Of course try and borrow or test one first. Given your cam specs I would say you'll pick up 2 MPH / 300 - 400 RPM. Be sure and let us know.
John

I have asked around and none of my friends have a spair 23 Mirage. I don't want to ask somone for thier daily use prop. I would like to trade the 21 Mirage for a 23. I have it for sale on craigslist for $200. I was trying to recoupe the money for the repair on the 25. My outdrive is 8" deep, I am thinking about a Imco -2 Shortie for next winters project. Before I spend more money on props does anyone know if the Mirage will still perform well at 6"? I will also be custom fabricating a Ram air kit with (2) 4" inlets. This will also be a winter project.

If you can't come up with one locally (23P) be sure and let me know. I'm pretty sure I have one in GR. If you pay the shipping charges from and to I would be more than happy to ship you it. Otherwise I know many people that drive up almost every weekend from your area. Just let me know what you come up with.
John