Good evening! Just got back from my inspection of my new boat. Buying a 2000 260 with a 2003 496 HO. 140 hours on motor. Curious as to the following things:

Anyone had any experience with the recall items for that motor? Not sure if this one has had the recalls taken care of, but has had 140 trouble-free hours.....

What is the best prop for a 1.5 Bravo outdrive? Currently has a 26-in pitch 4-blade prop. (IMCO single ram steering and drive shower, if that makes any diff)

What is the minimum to effectively tow these things? I have a 1997 Tahoe and am hoping that is all I need for the short runs around town, and infrequent longer hauls.

Any issues with cracked or broken engine hatches?

Issues with bad lift motors?

Any info from you fellas would be great. Thanks!!!

-Rich

Sounds like it is propped right. You could try a Hydromotive Quad 4 26 pitch... I have tried both on my 260 and like the Labbed Bravo I prop better. If you have external steering, I am guessing it had bigger power at one point in it's life. External is good. As far as towing, these boats are pretty light. I tow with my suburban 1500 and my wifes tahoe 1500. I have pulled it with my wife's previous trailblazer without issue. So you are fine with your tahoe. Wise purchase. Enjoy your Velocity and welcom to the family! Post pics!!!

You will notice some soot build up on the transom. This is "normal" for the 496. However if it is a lot of soot, your PCM may require a more up to date flash. Take your engine serial number in to an authorized Merc Technician. They will be able to tell you if you are up to date.

Thanks for the input! Yeah, it used to have a 800-hp monster in there. When that got pulled, a 2003 496 HO and Bravo I XR drive got installed. Nice combo. It is the 1.5 ratio drive.

Just found out that it is not affected by any of the recalls going around. Not planning on modifying it. Just want a clean dependable fast cruiser.

Would the pitch stay they same with a 5-blade prop? This prop id dinged up so will be relegated to back-up duty. Thought about another 4-blade or 5-blade if it is worth it.

you sould not need a 5 blade unless you rase the x (shorty lower) i would stick with a 4 blade , like said the bravo 4 blade is good all around.

Congrats on your new purchase! I would run the boat a couple of times as-is to know what prop you want to try. Like Mike said, if your x- dim isn't too shallow, a 4 blade will work good. I switched from a Bravo 4-blade to the X version of 5-blade Hydro which picked up the nose and improved all performance aspects of the boat, but my propshaft is only 3.25 inches into the water. I broke a hatch hinge mount on mine last year because it was the wrong aluminum material and had corroded...the hatch is holding up good, though.

Congrats.There are a few of us new owners on here. I just got my prop back from repair but its a b1 labed 4 blade. havent run it yet. bblades didnt think it was a good idea to go 5 blade with my set up so just had mine repaired. I have the 496 b1x combo for now and it seems to do well. I think suntimes has bigger power turning his 5 blade(correct if wrong) and we both run the same boat. My boat has issues with the hatch and actuator and hinges. Havent had time to look into it cuz its in storage but shouldnt be a big deal to fix. One thing for certain...Sumer is to far away.

One of the hinges on my hatch had the pin fall out of it last time out, the screws on that side are loose too. Mine has a 28p bravo on it. Its too much prop for fresh water but in brackish water its right on has a stock 496 in it by the way. It does look like theres a crack in my hatch but i wont know the extent until i take the sunpad off.

I pulled the hatch cover/sun pad off and found a mess under mine. ALL of the wood material on the bottom side of the hatch (aft side) was complete mush. Had to pull it all out in big wet clumps and cut all the old fiberglass out. Can't belive the hinges were staying in place! When this boat had the previous engine installed (454 w/ blower), the underside of the hatch was cut out. This led to a lot of instability in the hatch. It subsequently cracked badly near the starboard side intake vent. It was so bad that with the wet cushions, bad hinge area and cracked fiberglass that it was starting to fold over.

Anyways, I ended up replacing all the wood with pressure treated plywood and re-fiberglassing the inside using West Systems. Seems pretty solid. Not the prettiest, but then the pad will cover it. Had the pad re-covered with the same V design.

As for the cut-out in the hatch, I just fiberglassed a piece of plywood over it to strengthen it up. I'll cover it with Stainless later.

Now i just have to get the hatch lift to work. Does anyone knoe where the solenoids are for this? They are not at the transom, and I can not see them under the dash. i am going to relocate them to the transom anyway so i can get max voltage at the actuator/lift.

Velocity doesn't factory rig a relay for the hatch motor - just the dash switch which works "OK". Trouble shoot the dash switch - it should have both power and ground coming into it. It then swaps polarity to make the motor lift the hatch up or down.

Anyone have any good pics of the underside of your hatch? I need to rebuild the c enter section and want to make sure I follow some sort of pattern... Also, where do you mount your lift? Mine is mounted to the transom wall and attaches to the hatch about mid-way. This seems like a potential for a lot of stress on the hatch and lift assembly....