Hi Guys, I have a question about the stock mercury water pick up located on the gimble. My boat has a offshore pick up mounted on the transom, I think it is way to deep in the water,at mid speed I look over the transom and can see a huge hole in the water that it is making.I want to go back to the stock pick up in the lower unit and thru the gimble. I need to know if anybody has had trouble keep there motors cool with that set up.The motor is a carb.(no blower ) 600cid making a little over 740 hp. I think I can pick up some speed by getting rid of that pick up dragging thru the water.Running low to mid 80s now.

I'm running a dwp Xr lower through the gimbal to my strainer and then to a Hardin dual stage pump. 825hp and 90 mph w/o any problems so far. Mine is s/c with a crossover and no t-stat.

Thanks I think I am going to try getting rid of the offshore pick up. MPH are hard enough to get, why lose some if that pick up is draging and I dont need it.

You definately need to trim the pickup. Find out what you need for water pressure and use a dremel or something and trim off a LITTLE at a time until you get it right. I have a small 1/2" pickup for my chiller and I saw a couple MPH gain with trimming. On my barge, a couple mph is a big deal!

Thanks Guys, I have installed the stock housing on the gimble and blocked off the offshore pick up. Went for a ride and it seems to be fine,no heat issues at all. Now I want to remove the offshore pick up and see if I pick up any speed. As soon as I do it I will let you know how it went.