Just took my Pantera 28 from 89 out for the first ride after installing 383 Reman engines and Bravo 1 drives 1.5:1 ratio. I fitted 2 ea Mirage plus 25" as I had them already.

What a disappointment........ Barely possible to get the damn thing out of water and when out I made 4200 RPM at best........ top speed around 50.......

Tried 23" Mirage from a friend and I was even harder to get out but RPM up to 4700 approx. Bit better on speed in the early 60. Still not great though.......

Tried a 4 blade 23" revolution on just one of the engines as my brother had one from his and what a miracle it did to getting on plane!! Will have to try 2 of these.

That being said, trying one of the prop calculators it really looks like I should never expect to get close to the 70 miles with 23" propellers????? what kind of slip should I expect?

Any advise on prop size and expected slip will be greatly appreciated!!!

I must admit that when I chose the 383 Merc I was hoping to get just past the 70 mark but that seems like a very long shot now.........

Did you keep the same X-dem as the previous Alpha1 drives?

Not sure of any of the specifics on your boat, how much power the 383's make, drives, drive height (x-dimmension),ect.. ect..ect.. but if it's any help my old 28 twin 350 SBC boat made right around 270-280HP each, and spun 23 Mirage Plus's.. I can't remember the exact numbers as far as how hard it would turn them because it's be a while, but I know for sure that it would run right between 63-64 on GPS and was Very efficient with the slip between 6-8% and I know these numbers to be correct...

Also not sure what direction that your spinning them, but mine were spinning out.. I never messed with spinning them in to see what happened & how the boat reacted..

For referance mine was an older 1980 or 81 (pleasure setup with full cabin), and had Bravo XR's on ITS "boxes" I wish I could remember the exact X-dim. but I've slept a time or two since then..

Not sure how much any of this helps but keep your head up, be patient, and whatever you do make sure you keep acurate data and pay good attention to some of the simple things such as trim settings, water conditions, ect..ect.. because if those 383's make decent power I don't think 70 is out of reach with the right setup... ;-) Scott

Yes kept the same X-dimension so they sit a bit high. thought it would be ok as I read here that a lot prefer to have it a bit high. Cant measure it now but it is something like 1.5 to 2 inch high. I guess that is what might cause the problem.......

Scott, for the slip I will try the calculator with these numbers you mention. The 383's are making 350HP and 325 on the prop according to the spec's so as you mention they should be able to bring me close to the 70.

With these lighter engines compared to the many BB's in this type I was thinking I don't need much stern lift so had them spinning out. should I try spinning in instead?

By the way, any recommendation on 4 blades, Revolution4, Bravo1 or Hydromotive Intimidator????

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They don't show much about the X-height but I live quite far from where I store the boat so hope it could help the trained eye!!!

Hellooooooo????? need you guys to chip in :-) I guess I should move it to the Prop Talk?

With the higher "X" your gonna want a four blade. I'd try the pair of revolutions then try a bravo 4 blade . The hydromotive Quad 4x would be another good choice as they they have a round ear to give you nice bow lift.

Give Jo a call at Pantera he is always very helpful with anyone with their boats. His first question will be what is the X.305-818-5600 they are also on Facebook

Another good contact would be BBlades they stop everything above and are very helpful as well.920-295-4435

The last thing he needs is bow lift try some bravo 4 blades and spin them out. Also Check the drive toe 1/4 inch toe in is abou right .
Think you need a BIGGER trailer Allen