I was just thinking that since these are the new" Merc Racing"offering, somebody will find a way to mod it. We might have to wait for warranty to run out on this first batch.

Boost, ecu's, cams, rocker ratio, heads, valves, compression, exhaust, cranks. Many mods could make a significant difference. Somebody will figure it out.

I would be shocked if someone isn't already working on some performance mods.

Nope, like Dale said Mercury has a lock on all the newer PCM's. Nobody is going to be able to touch them with any mods. From what I've heard DBR is buying up all the older PCM's they can get there hands on because they can flash the earlier ones.
Some company has been flashing the older Verado PCM's, right now I can't remember who, but don't think that's going to happen on the new ones.
The other rumor I've heard is that Mercury and EPA is getting ready to crack down on the companies altering EPA compliant PCM's. Time will tell.
It's definitely changing times for performance outboard boating. I saw the writing on the wall in 2000 when California did their first attack on the two strokes. I don't think the two stroke outboard, XS or not, will make it to the year 2020.

They might if we get rid of the Obama administration.......

I think your calculations are off on the 300x motor. Based on speeds of all the 28's over the years I based it on about 325hp and it comes out to 1.47.
Not sure about a 350hp Opti with out some serious internal work either.

Dale, You are right on the money regarding these big motors. I know first hand as down here in the ocean a good set up with weight moved around is not enough. These 400hp Verados are not for small light weight boats. I know everyone is excited to get more HP but SL brings up a good point.
At the end of the day it all comes to weight vs HP.

I've seen claims from 320hp to 330+ so I kept the number conservative....

I haven't researched DBR's mod's - just went from what they posted on their site from back when they had the triple 2.5/28 skater listed.

It was included the 350 as it is a viable option (and showed the pwr/lb ratio over the production XS).

Bigger/reliable ponies is definitely part of the thrill but there is a point where the added weight is going to just kill the handling of the cats well beyond any possible benifit of the hp gain.

You are essentially correct. Never the less, ROM chips can be swapped out with an EEPROM chip. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read-only_memory

Despite, US regulations, even if swapping the ROM chip is not a feasible task, unlikely. A complete board with any desired chip could be manufactured. Even if outlawed in the US, people will still get them if they really want them, drug war ring any bells!

Computer boards can still be made by hand, I think to many people think that some kind of fancy modern facility is necessary to build computers. The WOZ, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wozniak - http://www.woz.org/ like every other personal computer enthusiast back in the 1950-70s, built there own boards with off the shelf components in the basement or garage.

The current proliferation of cheap ARM micro/mini computers is a perfect example, these are only a few, of the hundreds available.

Raspberry PI $35 http://www.raspberrypi.org/
Banana PI $44 Banana PI Amazon http://www.bananapi.com/
Beagle Bone Black Development Board $52.95 http://www.amazon.com/BeagleBone-Bla...gle+bone+black
Matrix ARM mini PC $149.00 http://www.amazon.com/TBS%C2%AE2910-...matrix+mini+pc

Fact of the matter, is that there are existing micro/mini computers that most probably provide capabilities beyond what the computer within an outboard provides. Since many of the cheap ARM mini/micro computers are specifically designed with interfaces for expansion boards for building for custom uses. There is simply no reason why an add-on board with a wiring harness attachment cannot be built that will plug right into an existing micro/mini computer. Or for that matter a computer board specific for plugging right into a wiring harness. They would have to build smart wiring harnesses to stop that, which could be circumvented by building a custom wiring harness.

They may be able to outlaw off the shelf components in the US, but they will never be able to stop other countries from manufacturing computer components, or stop the basement tinkerer, nor will they successfully out law free thought.

An additional thought to using an off the shelf board. Since adding wifi or bluetooth is a simple matter, while some boards actually have wifi or bluetooth built in. It would be a simple matter of having an app on your smart phone, or existing panel, to control tuning adjustments on the fly.

I agree with what you are saying. If man makes it man can beat it. Question is feasibility. A manufacturer from another country could make something and sell it in the US and probably be fine as far as EPA and a US manufacturer going after them. I for one would not want to buy something with zero recourse if it takes out my engine.
As to the home backyard guy making his own I really don't think many of us are Wozniaks with that capability.
If the current manufactures continue on the path they're going there will not be any more two strokes. I've heard mention of new 2.5 blocks in the works over seas and here and time will tell how they fair. I've been in the manufacturing business all my life and there is a lot involved to make something as complex as a block and it's components.
Anything is capable of being done. The economics to do it is the part that makes it become feasable or not. If there is some of the new billionaires, that have the money to do this, with the interest in performance boating maybe we will see it happen. Time will tell.
Most of us are in the position that we have to deal with what the current manufacturers are offering and that's it. I'm very grateful that I was able to enjoy high performance boating and racing during the 70's, 80's, 90's and early 2000's which in my opinion were the best days of two stroke high performance engines.

Onetime, you are spot on. Clearly an effort to build hundreds or thousands of devices to circumvent regulated hard-coded electronics, would bring forth the door kickers. My line of thought was more towards those few that are willing to take on risk. Obviously the average boater certainly would not want to jeopardized their hard earned income. While there are those with deeper pockets that jump up and down with great glee, when there is any risk involved.

I am grateful to have experienced the 60's, 70', 80s, etc, boats, cars motorcycles. airplanes, old man raced cars and boats long before I was born. I have been fortunate that my father retired to Mexico in 71. In 72 I turned 10, and my father purchased a Volkswagen Safari, "Thing" in the US. It was essentially my car, taking trash to the dump, running to the store for food, and more importantly more cigarettes and booze for the old farts! I had a drivers license at 12 years of age, not unlike the old US farmers drivers license for kids that lived in areas with no school bus service. It was only good for the state we lived in, but then I was not going on weekend long trips at 12!

My old man told me the 70's in Mexico was like the 1930's in the US, he was born in 1921. I have watched a lot of US policy become law in Mexico, some good, but far to many of the bad ones. The whole world is going down the same path. I am happy I lived in an era of some, free choice, while current policy is very difficult for me to swallow. Unfortunately the newer US generations can only imagine what freedoms they have never experienced, are like.


There are a few people that are building 350-400 hp old block v6 and v8 Evinrudes, on sceamandfly, can be built to last, and in some cases can be sub 400 lbs with carbs. The blocks are becoming more difficult to be found. A lot of the v8's get sold to Europe, were they are used in racing cars.

http://www.screamandfly.com/content.php


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcO_2pLqYqw It really sucks that the few that want to work outside of the box are being forced to stay in the box. I really do not fathom the reasoning behind forcing the few that do not want stock, to tow the line. 99.9% of the population stay with stock everything, why they think that .1% is causing so much damage to the eco system, is beyond me, especially when there are so many other things that cause damage, remain.

Anyways I better let you guys get back to your discussion. Just wanted to throw out there, there is some off the shelf hardware that could be adapted to get around mandated tuning.

I don't really think it is a question of horsepower/weight that makes the 400 unviable. I think it is handling. In flat, calm, pedictable water it is probably not a big issue as the boat takes a set and the power propels it forward. But in most boating conditions with waves, wakes, etc. as soon as the boat begins to pitch and yaw and gets tossed about all that extra weight gets thrown around - in all sorts of different directions - creating a real handling issue. You can't stay in the throttles if your boat is out of control.