Entering the dark side...
 

Hello all!

So I am a proud new owner of a 94' 22. The truth is that I really wasn't in the boat market, but somehow it ended up in my driveway.....:drink: This is the first boat I have ever personally owned even though I do have a good bit of past boating experience from when I was growing up and spending summers on Walloon Lake, MI. I now live in San Diego and want to use this boat for some good ole' "off-shore recreation".

There does not seem to be a very big off-shore performance crowd in the So Cal region (compared to east coast), but I am trying to get some insight on how to set this boat up to.....well....how do I say, "survive the ocean".

Eventually I may like to make some runs up the coast, and maybe even catalina, which depending where you launch from is about 70 miles each way.

As purchased the boat is running a mild built 350 W/ alpha 1.
Other than 1 or 2 gel coat cracks (which i hear are not un common) the hull is in stellar condition. so here is the equation:

The boat runs mid 50's but I would like to see 80's where conditions permit. Building the HP to see that speed is not the question, as I have a couple solutions to get me there.

The real question is this:
How much abuse can this hull take? I am already getting this boat out of the water pretty much every decent swell, and the last thing I want to do is either "de-laminate" the top deck from the bottom, or fracture the belly under a harsh landing. I am not crazy, but my mind is set on trying to build this boat to function similarly to the Off-road race trucks I build as a profession. The boat does not have enough HP to get into too much trouble yet, but after a twin turbo engine, drive upgrade, and some other goodies it will.

Are any of you, or does anybody know of someone running these boats on the edge in the ocean? Are these boats solid enough to fit the square peg in the round hole?

Her name is "Storm Trooper", and mechanically speaking and ascetics aside, her name pretty much defines what I want the boat to accomplish.

Any thoughts guys? Thanks in advance!!!

Pic
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...ace123/1-1.jpg

I put a 1 inch shorty on mine and it much better in the chop and stabil at speed , almosting running 80 gps, With the shorty you dont have to trim as high and it cuts threw the waves , A four blade is a must for ride also. H ave fun

My first new boat (brand new) was that exact boat. I LOVED that little thing. Ran awesome. Ran best and fastest ion about a foot chop.

I had it one season and traded it in on the same boat with the 7.4L. Ran an honest 75 with me and light fuel. I had to put tabs on it b/c it liked to chine walk at speed. I ran that boat in some very rough water and never had a problem. It was even a pace boat for the SBI races in Ft. Pierce FL in 94 or 95.