boater31

Anybody here have any experience w/ these. mine is an 89 model w/ bravos 1.5 and 454's stroked and bored to 496 w/ merlin heads , 250 blowers&1280 nickerson carbs. i am currently turning a bravo 1 28p at about 5200 and getting aroun 75-77mph gps. this props seems to cruise great but tends to keep the boat flat as speed increases. i am wondering if anyone has tried the hydromotives on these and did it seem to give more bow lift? i had a pair of hydromotives when it was normally aspirated and they seemed to work well but dont remember how they carried the bow. it only ran mid 60 then. everyone i talk to says i should be in mid 80's w/ this setup. i believe i need to turn thes motors around 5600 and am debating labbing my 28's or trying hydromotives. any help would be appreciated. p.s. the motors are pretty new and i am only running around 4 lbs boost at 5200. i am looking to change pulleys and get 5-6lbs when i am done.

Bruce

Does your boat have the notched transom? Some 89's did, some didn't. In general if it's flat with Bravo 1 props, the Hydromotive's will lift harder thus the boat will be even flater. Are the props turning in or out?

boater31

i do have the notched transom and my props are turning out. i talked to someone at hydromotive a cpl weeks ago and he mentioned something about me torque loading the prop. he said that if a prop is torque loaded it will give the sensation of pushing the bow down when you accelerate. i had a smaller boat w/ a cleaver on it and when i would jam it, i could feel the bow take a downward turn. it is similar in my boat now. it cruises great but 55 at 3500 but it feels as if there is almost a downforce on the bow when you try to get up in speed. my hull is straight w/ no hooks. HELP

Bruce

More black box smoke and mirror magic, I dunno. Your slip numbers are high, something is not working to its full potential. First thing I would try is a set of 27 Mirage Plus props. The feel of the reduced lift and added rpm is what I'm after. The two Bullet's I've been involved with liked three blades. Spinning the props out is the best way, in my opinion. Finally, do you have a nosecone on the drive. The 89 gearcase is not happy above 70 without a nosecone.

turbo73

We have a 1992 bullet that we are completely re-rigging. The boat currently has 500 hp 502's on Imco Xtreme's. We ran 72MPH without the Imco's. When added, the boat picked up to 78MPH with 28P Bravo I's. All speeds were on GPS. The boat will soon have 540C.I./800HP supercharged engines, and new style Imco's. Total Marine in Louisiana 985-649-9888 is Building the engines and rigging the boat. You can call these guys with any questions, as they know my bullet better than anyone.

boater31

Bruce: when i got the boat it had 21p 3 blades on it and seemed to run pretty good. everybody said you would get better allround perf from a 4 blade so i tried them. guess they are alright cruising but now w/ the engine package i have, its all new ballgame! i havent dynoed the motors but everybody says i should get 650hp easy w/ 6 lbs boost but they also estimate mid to upper 80's too. you are right, something isnt right here! i dont have nosecones but am redoing the drives now. will it make that much difference? what brand did you have the best response with? i heard the hydromotives are good?? thanks for your input. we are repainting the boat now but should be done by 1st week in march so i am trying to get everything set now!!

boater31

Turbo: what props were you turning at 72mph and at what rpm? i have 28p bravo1's now but as i said they arent doing too good. how does yours do w/ them? i have a tendency to porpoise in flat water if i bring the drives up very much and get over 65 or so. i am not using any tab at all. how does yours do? thanks for the input!

Bruce

Russ, the porpoising is normal with that hull. I would start another thread just on the topic off nose cones. I think the majority of your problem is the fact that you dont have the cones on a 89 gearcase. Hydromotive, Warlock Performance Marine, and Bob's (Marine or Outboards or something) all manufacture nose cones that are good. You should find out what others have installed and what works the best. Turbo73 was using IMCO Extreme drives, these are the newer gearcase, and the short units he is installing now have nose cones as part of the casting. For an FYI, I ran the boat without the cuddy interior once, it was ALOT faster, like 9 mph, this tells me the boat has a forward center of gravity and will not like stern lift or high X dimension. You need to make the drives efficient while moving through the water.

birdog

Im glad to find this thread, I've been leaning towards a bullet for my next boat but I thought better than 72 with 500's I bout to many hours a year to go to wild power I need reliable!!! I always thought mid 70's with 500's ?? also does the notch help this hull at all ?? {I didn't even know they built both ways} It's pretty much between bullet and Formula 311'292 any comments?? Thanx

turbo73

Bruce,

While your thoughts on the forward lean in the bullet hull are interesting, I found that to be very incorrect. The cabin interior is very heavy, this probably contributed to your increased speeds. The 1992 bullet I have was acompletely different animal with the Xtreme drives. The boat handles like a dream, carries the nose, and doesn't porpoise at all. I know it sounds like B.S., but the Imco's were a miracle for this boat. The boat hated Hydromotives, and loved 28P bravos