Big Power
 

It seams as if many if not all of the other performance manufacturers have at least 1 or more of their larger models that are running 1000+ hp per side. So my question is is there any 380's out there with big power? I know the poker run editions have 525's but I have never heard of anyone with anything more than that. Is there a reason no one has done this? What kind of performance are you guys with the 380's getting and how do they handle at speed? Is this a hull that would be capable of 120+ with bigger power?

A friend has an 03 with 525's, and he has said it chine walks a bit near 80. I'm not sure if there were changes later. Like most PQ's, the hull was originally a straight design, then they cut steps in it.
The other reason, in my humble opinion, is that any money you spend on power upgrades in a PQ is not value added when it comes to sale time. It's unfortunate, but seems to be true.
I really feel the 300 would be just fine at 100 or more, but you probably wouldn't get a dime of the $$$$ it would take to get it there back in the end.
Nobody in there right mind plays with boats as a good investment, but it seems to be worse with some brands. No respect, unfortunately.

The concencus seams to be the 300 is the best hull to come from Powerquest for sure. As far as upgrading power I'm not sure if you get a return on your investment on any boat if you put in $100,000 in engines and upgraded drives to handle the power. Maybe an Apache or possibly even a Saber might be an exception to this rule since they are pretty rare and coveted by offshore purists. Fountain, Cigarette, and even Outerlimits I would think would not bring enough money to justify the expense of adding big power, you would be better off buying one that someone already put the money into for allot less than it would cost to do it your self.

I was just curious because I've Been reading a couple threads one a Velocity and the other a Black Thunder where the guys were putting in big power and had never heard of anyone doing it with a Powerquest. I guess the chine walking aspect really puts a damper on trying to do it.

Trust me... unless you are in love with the boat, sell it and buy one with bigger power... upgrading power will nickel and dime you a few thousand over budget, true story

What's a few thousand over, just a couple weekends of OT right?:lolhit:

The 380 only chine walks if over trimmed, that is when they get squirly, twin stepped boats are designed to run flat and not squat on the transom like a straight bottom boat. A lot of operators forget this fact and trim too high trying to get that loose feeling like a traditional straight bottom and that's where the ride quality gets compromised.

NeedforSpeed is running over 600 hp I believe with his 575's and is over the mid 85mph mark, might even be right on the door of 90mph. To me that is pretty impressive to do, then tie up make popcorn, grab a beer from the fridge, and stretch out with the air on.
I believe if Powerquest was still around and had invested some time on the bottom, with the new Merc power plants 565 EFI's it would of been an even better combo. Now what about a 38 with 700's and sixes hanging off the end? That would of been an awesome combo.
Justmy opinion for what it's worth....

Yes, and maybe the Avenger would be called a 400 or so with staggered engines too.

Speaking of stepped hulls, I have asked this before, but didn't get a response. Does anyone know if they ever moved the steps on the 340 like they had to with the 380, or were they the same throughout?

That would be an awesome combo for sure. To have a boat that will run right at or above the century mark and have the cabin and cockpit space that the Powerquest's provide along with all of the amenities would be an awesome package. Why don't you be the guinea pig and drop in a pair of 700's and 6's or better yet arneson's and let us know if it's worth doing. :whistle:

I would love to do a 700 combo but the fuel requirements would kill me, besides I'm looking at cruisers now so it won't be me doing the upgrades.
It's time to pass the candle on......

Myself personally have no idea.....

bringing thread back to the top! ive been doing some thinking and will see what I wanna do after I see results with my fresh motors but my 97 hull might be fun to throw some bigger power at, in the near future! keep my factory 502's for resale and find some other motors and start building to drop in it down the road! was thinking some ls type power! 6.0's with turbos. roughly 700 hp a side should be plenty of torque to get on plane and have some fun with the rpms! yes it might be a waste of time but sure would be cool to have a 90 mph 380 running around!

I will be refreshing engines in my 2000 380 this winter, prepping them for prochargers with a slight bump of HP to the base motor, and installing a set of Bmax out-drives i picked up. See where that takes me.

that's sweet I would love to hear how all that turns out! I love these 380's just wish they build bigger then 380, but beggars cant be choosers so ill take what I have AND have some fun with it!

gimmie what do u have in you 380 right now?

Twin 502 MPI. Going through and doing some thorough maintenance right now because it sat a couple years before I bought it. Then I will be trying some props as ones that came on it are mis-matched. One appears to be labbed and other appears stock. Engine revs reflect this. Starboard engine will bounce on limiters while port is at 4900. I also have a bad trim indicator on starboard and that drive trims faster than port so there is some issue too. I ran it yesterday and trimmed to match rpm. I have a set of 29p Hydromotive and a set of 31p Mach sterndrivers to try for s*** & giggles. Running 28p Bravos now. Factory performance report said it radared at 71.8 with 28p Bravos. It appears I have an early 2000 hull with a bit of hook in the stern yet. I will probably end up shaving some additional lifting strake off like Wildman1 did with his 99.

Well, the boat hated the 31p Mach's. Boat would almost get on plane and just blow them out. Didn't matter tab position or if gentle or hard throttles. They were awesome looking props and I thought they would have worked well. Lots of rake, good sized blades, some good cupping, lab finish, and full 15.5" diameter......nope!

29p hydromotive should show up this week. See how those work although after the mach failure, not sure since similarly shaped props. We will see. I have a set of lab 30p bravos offered to try as well along with some 32p bravos.

mine ran 26 bravo1 4 blades. The factory swore it was the best prop and the hull was designed around it. They have the best bow lift which is what these hulls need. Hydros are more of a stern lifting prop, probably wont work but give it a shot. There have been a number of new props come out since then, I would do some research and see if any are designed for bow lift. Did you place a 4 straight edge on last 4' of running surface? It will tell you how much of a hook you have left.

I need to do that with the straight edge. I can tell you though, the hull breaks free with trim at 6-7 on indicators. I did some testing on the trailer and figured out at 5 the shafts are level with hull. I can understand how the people who say they run at 3 on indicators have bow steer issues. Still negative trim at that point. I was out in some good ole Great Lakes snot this weekend and running trim at 7 experienced no bow steer what so ever. Boat took the waves awesome. With current props I can run 61 gps with the sticks at 50%. If I push them to full slip just goes up with rpm and minimal speed gains. Still have a bunch of experimenting to go but loving this boat more and more every time I run it!

I loved running mine directly into the waves head on or trailing seas. Ride was awesome. In confused seas which Lake erie is most of the time or quartering them and having to hold a heading to get somewhere is when i wanted to sink or light it on fire some days. Lol. Sounds like you are close, just dont spend too much on power and props till you get the bottom work done first. They are great boats, enjoy

I have a 99 380 Avenger. In the winter of 99 my son and I put Stainless Marine headers on the 502 mpi's this took the boat from 68 mph stock to 72 mph withthe headers also change the air intake. Winter of 2000 put stage 1 pro charger on the mpi's. Boat radar gun at 88 mph but took off to the right with 3/4 throttle left. That summer I kept blowing the top bearing out of it so in the winter of 01 I bought two 500 EFI's and said the hell with it. The boat now run 82 mph on the gps with 1/4 tank of fuel and two people. Above 80 she will start to chime walk trim out. The boat runs flat. The factory redid the bottom and blueprint the bottom. If I were you stay away from the pro chargers or you will get good at changing drives.I am now running 30 pitch lab merc props @ 5200 rpm's

28 non lab's came with my boat.

I am prepared for the drive issue. I have a nice set of Bmax poker run drives in my garage already!

575 SCi's converted to intercooled Whipples...32" Maximus props 90 mph. currently running some 30" four blades but going back to the Maximus. ECM's are on their way to California right now for some fine tuning...been recording O2 and boost readings. Drives are my weak link....next piggy bank destroyer!

Little update: I tried a set of 32p stock bravos that I had easy access to. Boat got right up on plane with them but they were a bit too big. No speed gains and rpm was a bit low with lackluster throttle response. I'm guessing I will end up somewhere around 29-30 pitch. I have my 29p Hydromotive to try yet but not holding my breath because of the similarities to the Mach's. I have a labbed set of 30p Bravos offered to me to try that I think I will end up liking hopefully.

82.6 with 615HP each. 12' drives spinning 29 5 blades