26 Prowler
 

26 Prowler with HP500efi - How fast?

No BS please. Just real numbers. Speedo and GPS. I know for a fact that a 26 Prowler with a 502 or 496HO will never see much over 68mph.

I drove a prowler with a 500 that did 74 on gaffrig speedo.

I have a loaded 99 with the HP500EFI. I have not finished dialing it in yet. I may have some numbers on Monday, with the labbed 24 B1. I am right on the rev limiter though, and about to try a 26 B1 too, as soon as I get one.

Hey John, you arnt thinking of getting rid of that new baja are you? (If you are, let me know, ha)

Well Mark,

A side of me wants to go back into the single engine world. The main reason is the fact that my parents live in a $1,000,000 waterfront home on Deep Creek Lake (DCL). The size limit for v-hull boats on DCL is 26’. During previous summers I used to go out there on 3 separate occasions for a week each time and would of coarse bring my boat. Since I’ve owned my current boat, I haven’t been out there at all. There’s not much motivation to go if I can’t bring a boat. My Dad would let me use his boat but it’s a 19’ bow rider – need I say more? Some of my best boating experiences have been out at DCL and I really miss it.

Another reason for going back to a single is my obsession with keeping my boat looking like it’s never been in the water. Next time you see my boat, take a good look at the transom and imagine having to clean it. It’s a jungle gym of K-Planes, trim hoses, steering rams, stainless, etc, etc. I keep it snow-white and spot-free but it’s not an easy task. Then there’s the engine room. To get a twin-engine boat with an engine room big enough to get inside and clean, you need something 36 or over and that’s out of my range for the foreseeable future. The engine room of my old 24 was sanitary because I could get inside and clean it down. My current engine room is as clean as it can possibly get, but just not clean enough for me.

So, if I went back to the single engine world, a 26 Sonic would be a great choice. First there’s the 26’ limit at DCL so the Sonic would get me right there. Also – you can get more “stuff” on a 26 Sonic than any other 26-and-under offering and since money wouldn’t be an object, I could get it with all the “stuff”. I could live with losing speed since 75mph in a 26 feels like 80mph in a 29 but it would still be tough losing size. A 26 could punish anything that DCL could throw at it but out here where we live, there’s no substitute for size.

Then there’s the side of me that says “screw DCL - go bigger!!!” Regardless of what I decide, I’m quite happy where I’m at for this summer and will not do anything until winter.

Hey Sydwayz,

Seems like you are definitely cheating yourself by running a 24” 4 blade. In March of 1998, Hot Boat Magazine tested a 26 Prowler with only a 502. They were using a 24” 4 blade and got it to turn 5000rpm for 68.8mph on radar.

Hey Mark,

Do you know the guy with the new 26 that was parked overnight at the Tiki Bar last night? Purple and black graphics.

Hey 29, Steve Collins has a 26 with those colors, but it is a 1999. He is good friends with Pat and Troy. He got it half way trough last year. You saw us from the Boardwalk last year while we were going to Solomons Pier. It has a naturally aspired Pat Reider 502.

And with your money you can keep what you have and get a 26 Sonic, ha. But honestly Steve paid, well, quite a bit less than 50K for his 99 502 with like 70 hours and a trailer. You could find one a little cheaper and keep it up there.

How does Mrs. Baja like her new profession.

No Mark – I’m pretty sure I know Steve’s boat and this was not his. Isn’t Steve the guy who was hanging out with Pat, Troy, and Knobby-Bobby on opening night? This was a 26 I had never seen before.

Hummmmmmmm, I dont know then. I guess maybe someone stepped up from bowrider to performance boat. Figures I am boatless for a short while and I am out of the loop. I am prob heading over there tonight in my friends 24Outlaw.

"...friends 24 Outlaw" You must be talking about Matt "The Beast"

lol, I think you and I both know we should just leave it at "Matt", I dont know why he put that on there. Might as well call it dads beast, since he paid for it, shhhhh, i didnt say that, ha.

Here is the ticket for a 26' Prowler with all bells:

Get a new one, (vacuum bagged hull (much lighter)), with the HP500EFI and strap a Whipple to it, OR just order one with a 575SC Merc, which Sonic will build for you. Go for K-planes too, although mine does great with the Bennets.


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Monetarily, now I am ready to do some tweaking. The 26" prop will be the first test, along with a few others, maybe a new lower. I may even venture into the AS&M kit to make the 500 into almost an HP525EFI; however, I have a 5 year warranty that expires in 2004, so I do not want to hose that. I know my boat will not be fast-fast. It is just too damn heavy, but I could not love it more; for everything it is.

Hey john whats up with the Knobby bobby thing? I will remember that next time you need something from me. lol So whats the deal with the 29 whats the price i know somebody might be looking. Did you go out yesterday? Hey i gotta run i have to head to boaters for a couple of hours. And mark what did you think of those pics i emailed you from hugh?

Bobby,

By the time Winter rolled around, I would sell my boat for around $97. Any less, and I would be better off just hanging on to it. $97 seems steep but remember, mine has twin HO's and I had to order it from the factory that way in order to get them. You can forget about finding one on a dealer lot with HO's. Twin HO's are an extra $10,000 and it was well worth it. I couldn't imagine having regular 496's.

Who do you know that might be interested in my boat? Hook them up with me and we'll go for a ride.

Nope - no boating this weekend. I am on-call for work.

As far as Knobby Bobby - that's what Mrs Outlaw started calling you. She has a nickname for everybody.

The 26 Sonic with infused hull, 500EFI and the ITS system should run a very strong 75. Have one coming in early June will post the results. The key is the ITS (Integrated Transom System) the setback with the integrated hydraulic system looks to be a big hitter on the 26 hull.

Compare the two photos below:

http://offshoreonly.com/cgi-bin/gall...x.pl?photo=448
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/5/7/1877757.htm

The 26 in the boat trader appears to be on a trailer with the wheels far too forward with the entire weight of the engine hanging behind the wheels. Syd’s trailer appears to have the wheels set much further back so that much of the engine weight is supported by the wheels the way it should be. Unfortunately, almost all 26’s that I’ve seen on trailers, are set up like the one in Boat Trader. Is this the correct trailer setup for a 26. It looks very lopsided from a weight standpoint. Did Syd luck out and get a correct setup? Syd’s certainly looks better.

My trailer was set up very poorly when I bought the boat. We spent the better part of a weekend re-doing everything, as the back of the boat was overhanging the bunks, and there was no forward bunk support. We replaced my main bunks with longer and thicker, pressure treated (special order) pieces, added a cross member, and added front cradle supports, (longer than the second picture). I will post pics when I can. I can tell you for a fact that the second picture is set up wrong! I do not remember what the tongue weight was specifically before and after my re-rig of the trailer, but the entire set-up is 100% better since we completed it. It sits on the trailer better, lines up 99% straight, 99% of the time, and tows much better. Believe it or not, my entire boat, trailer, and a pretty full tank of fuel, weighed 7080 pounds when I took it too the local scales. No joke!

PS. The Rocket trailer I have, floated BAD when I bought it. I added 200# to it when I bought it to keep it on the bottom of the ramp when loading. After the re-rig, I dropped that down to 100#, but I may can get away without it.

Wow - I hope the selling dealer assisted you with all those trailer mods. I know that I would not sign the papers if someone tried to sell me a 26 set up like the one in Boat Trader.

What did you use to add weight to your trailer. I have a Rocket triple axle trailer and it doesn't even come close to floating. It sinks like lead. Someone on this board had an issue with a floating aluminum trailer. He took pvc pipe, filled it with sand, and capped the ends. Then he fastened it to the trailer with cable ties. That seems like a great idea rather than adding weight with metal plates. No issues with dissimilar metals, galvanic corrosion, etc.

Well, I did not know squat from squat when I bought the boat. I have learned a lot the hard way, some from OSO, and the rest from the best wingman a guy could have, CheckmateF1. The selling dealer did nothing to help me with the mods. The boat was lift kept for most of its life, and no one cared about the trailer. I have since changed all that.

I added weight by buying 50lb cast iron dumbells from Sports Authority. I coated them with 6 coats of Rustoleum, then u-bolted them to the inside of the i-beams of the trailer, with SS hardware. I used an old mudflap cut into pieces to isolate the metals from one another, and alleviate any vibrations. I read about the tie-wrapped PVC pipes to the trailer, but that just sounds like nice guided PVC torpedos going down the freeway when a tie-wrap lets go. I like my idea much better, and it looks nice too, aside from also being hidden.

If its worth doing, its worth doing right.

I also lowered my boat on the trailer almost 2 inches during the re-rig. Much better for towing, and center of gravity. If you look at my Member Gallery, there is a pic of the newer setup behind the Avalanche.

29 outlaw The boat on trader is mine. The trailer tows pretty good. It only has about 100 pounds of of weight on the front stand. It could probably use the weigt re adjusted. I just never messed with it. The boat is only on the trailer on the way to the water. If I had to look at it all the time I would have probably made some changes.:D If you know of anyone looking for a used clean boat I need to sell so I can order my new 31. Thanks Cliff

OSO member BobbyB is considering a used 26 Prowler.