motor
 

would love to have a 525 EFI or even a 600SC in my 288, god that would be an amazing boat

What would a Raylar 600HO push the 288 to?

That would put you in the 83-84 mph GPS range.

The real question is how stable is the hull at those speeds. At what point does it start to get squirley?

How to offer a 80mph performance boat for $100K !
 

At the Powerboat testing in Florida ona warm day Nick's green 288S beauty with a Raylar HO525 with stock exhaust ran 78mph with a screwed up fuel pressure regulator that nearly burned the motor down. The same boat a week earlier up in Michigan ran 81-82mph GPS when the fuel pressure was right. I would think this model with a Raylar HO525 and headers will run a solid 83-84mph no problem in good trim and condtions. This pretty amazing when you consider its a $100K package with a savings of about $20k over a HP525 package and the insurance company will like you better with a 496 engine. How many builders can say they build an honest low 80's 28-29ft single engine boat for a $100K with the fit and finish of the Sunsation 288S. My hats off to the guys at Sunsation and in this tough economic boat market its a high point a lot more builders should be striving for! Just my two cents here.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

Very stable the 288 is the real deal, fast and very capable boat. Excellent rough water ability for a 28.

My 288 runs a little over 80 and is very stable and controlable 90 % of the time . The only time it seems to get really squirrley is running 80+ while getting caught in multiple crosswakes in such things as poker runs & rallies.

What is Safe?
 

Some performance boats are better handling at speeds than others, but the real safety factor comes from the operator! Any performance boat can get unstable in some water condtions. Its up to the operator to show knowledge of his boats handling characteristics and always use his safe judgement and his aquired or trained skills to keep his boat in control and out of harms way, especially when there are passangers and other boaters in the mix!
Don't ever expect any boat to keep you out of handling problems or unsafe condtions, its really your job and responsibility to do that! Have fun , boat safe and enjoy!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

That is very well put and some great advice!