The first ride in my 26IO. from my 22ob
 

Its a 91 502 bravo 1 I picked up from PA yesterdayI know I need seat time but it the fun is gone. Its a big giant unresponsive pig. with a cutler efi and gil exhaust all I got 66.5 on the gps. Thats exactly 10 mph slower then my 22 not to mention a lot less nimble. I was wondering what the key set up is as far as engine height,drive,prop etc.. If I cant see 75 with the current power I will chain saw the cabin.

I am not too sure what the top speed should be exactly but with that hull and that motor in prime condition you should see more than 66. I used to have a heavy 26 Sonic with a 502 and saw that speed.

Being a 1991 motor it might be a little tired. When was the last time it was opened up and "freshened?"

I dont think that you will get back to the exhilarating ride that the 22Velocity had. My just sold one that had twin 2.5s on it and it was an awesome(and fast) boat.

22 with twin 2.5s, wow
 

The motor it fresh. looking into props. the rpm at one point was about 5700

Sorry ... you won't see 75 with that boat with a stock new 502Mag EFI ... 70ish is about it. Whipple it!!!

I dicided the cabin is too nice to nice to cut out
 

The blower is the way Ill go after I dial it in. There is no sense in adding power if the set up isnt on the money. IM wondering which drive to go with and why.

I had 100 hours on mine with a Whipple and didn't have any problems with the Bravo 1. However ... I was very easy on it ... mostly fast cruising and no hole shots, long wide open runs, or much time airborne. If you have to replace the drive anyway, you should definately get a XR.

didn't you sea trial the boat??a 26 with a stock 502 running 70 is pretty respectable. I know the 26's around the west Michigan area with some power rock!!

2001 26 454 mag. stock, 26 lab prop 74.2 gps stainless marine headers

Took the prop off today. Its a 4 blade with small blades, straight on the back edges and round in the front and very little cup. Thwe fitrst thing I have to do is try a different one. I should pick up a few mph with the right wheel.


My old ride.

Pit Bull
I do believe you bought an old friend of mines boat. Does it have triangles, circles and squares painted on the side with a T Thoroughbred, no windshied, just flippers? If this is the boat, the boat has been sitting for about 2 years, at one time, this boat has run 78 on GPS with current setup. Props should be 15 1/2 x 26 4 blade hydromotive prop. Did you buy the boat from Ducky's? I installed the cutler fuel injection in 1995 the boat ran very well and was very responsive at the time, however since then I havn't had much to do with the previous owner of this boat because he didn't know how to keep his hands off of things and he didn't know the first thing about mechanics. Good luck, don't get discouraged.
Bob Powell

YUP. It looks like a homos boat with those graphics
 

My friends are making fun of me. I have a vinal guy comming down to figure out how to remove everything. 78??? What am I doing wrong. The tabs dont work but I think that shouldnt loose 11+mph off the top end. What else can you tell me about the boat. I got an incomplete 6:71 gm blower I might put on it after I tear the motor down for a rebuild.If its not worth the effort Ill buy a new one. I paid 25k for the boat. I think I stole it. I think the graphics kept it from selling. What rpm should this engine turn 5000-5200???? Do you know the choice drive for this boat after I hot rod the engine. Going for 650-700hp at the prop

Pit Bull
Sorry I didnt get back to you sooner, but I've been busy. First I would verify that the GPS is accurate, you need to be turning 5200 rpms, make sure that the tabs aren't down, make sure the prop is okay it should be a 25 or 26 inch pitch, I know the previous owner had 2 props. I can remember him saying that last few times out with the boat that he was only getting 73 or 74 on GPS so I would suspect that possibly the motor is getting tired unless he has the cutler fuel injection screwed up. Also check your fuel filter and make sure it is not clogged up. As for the tabs, if you are going to fly the boat like you did the 22 you better get a set of mercury tabs 28" as for the blower you are going to have alot of trouble getting pully's and other parts to mount up so just buy a new blower set up from somebody, I would recommend the blower shop, as for the drive I would go with am Imco not a shorty because the x dimension should be high enough with the stepped transom. Steve keeps the x dimensions pretty high. The boat should be pretty easy to drive since you have driven velocitys before, a little chine walk when the boat gets up on the pad just drive thru it. Let me know how you make out.

The prop is a 26 Hydromotive 4 blade
 

I think the hub is spun unless it is solid?? The blades on the prop look prety small. IM going to a prop shop tomorrow with it inorder to have it looked at. It seems to run well, 5200 seems to be where it tops off when in the right trim posission. I gave up on the blower. IM not gonna hot rod it until the winter or next. IM debating blower or cubes. I want to work with the prop first. The gps is on the money and the spedo is only about a mile or two over it. Thanks Ill keep in touch.

Ptibull, for your prop work and any questions, call Mike @ Hall Propeller. He occasionally races a velocity and has done a lot of work on props for Velocity. Good knowledgeable prop guy.

407 568 5506

Thanks Ill call him tomorrow.
 

.

A friend of mine has a 26 with a 496 and he's doing 70. As far as a Imco Shorty, talk to Steve Miklos he tried one.

Got his #?
 

Thanks.

Steve's # or my friend's #? Steve is a member of the board, do a search on my name and goto "imco shorty on 22 velocity" thread. He gave me some x dim's.

Thanks
 

Ill look him up.

A friend of mine had a 26, so I asked him about the performance. Here is what he had to say:

I had a (30 over) 454 (461 ci) making 575 @ 6300 rpm (see chart).
Propped to 5800 it made ~ 540 hp. The best I ever saw on GPS was 84 mph
(400 lbs of people, 70 lbs of gas). It would run 78 mph all day loaded
with fuel and people (1200+ lbs of people, gear and fuel). 80 - 82 all
day with just me and 1/2 tank. Propped with a lab finished and Hall
tweaked Bravo 1 @ 14.8" X 26.

The HP500 or similar HP 502's will be able to throw the 28" prop and get
a little more top end due to their better torque numbers down low. It's
not as simple as comparing HP numbers to come up with a top speed.

Now I know why Mr. Velocity emailed me that question earlier in the day :)

First off, we need to note that there are 2 different "26" Velocity's, the old 26 (now the 280) and the new 260 which is really a 24' boat. If memory serves the 260 came out in '99.

Mine was a '96 26 (280). Those speed numbers were not easy to come by. My boat had a blueprinted bottom and a lot of testing time (over 20 hours) to get those numbers.

When we first put the boat in the water we were lucky to see 75 mph. We knew there was more so we went back to the drawing board. We tested 10+ different props, replaced the ignition system (Crane) with a full MSD system. Replaced the 830 Holley Mr. Velocity loaned me with a trick BLP modified 800 DP. Re jetted 4 times. Played with the drive height (X dimension), etc, etc.

In the end the boat was dialed in. The 26" Bravo 1 prop wasn't the fastest top end (the 84 mph came with a totally custom Hydromotive) but the midrange and acceleration with the Bravo 1 needed to be felt to be believed (4.6 seconds 30 - 60).

Speed is all about RPM and efficiency. Here's some figures you can use as a guideline using your setup (1.5:1 Bravo 1).

Note: Hydromotive and Bravo 1 props are not 1 to 1 for pitch. As a rule of thumb subtract 2" of pitch for a Hydromotive vs. a Bravo 1. Example: 26" B1 = 24" Hydro. This chart is based on the Hydromotive since that's what you probably have. (Steve and the guys at Hydromotive go way back).

26" Hydro 10% slip (blueprinted prop, straight bottom, no tabs)
5000 rpm = 73.86
5200 rpm = 76.82
5400 rpm = 79.77

26" Hydro 15% slip (non blueprinted prop, slightly hooked hull, tabs partially down, etc.)
5000 rpm = 69.76
5200 rpm = 72.55
5400 rpm = 75.34

26" Hydro 20% slip (bent prop, 1"+ hooked hull, locked down tabs, etc.)
5000 rpm = 65.66
5200 rpm = 68.28
5400 rpm = 70.91

You can get a pretty good idea of the engine's output by the rpm's you can turn relative to the pitch. If you can get to 5200 rpm on the 26" Hydromotive then you're putting about 425 - 450 hp. Remember, the HP 500 is only rated at 470 hp @ 5400 rpm!

So, figure out your WOT rpms then see how much slip you have. Start by getting the prop cleaned up or borrowing a known good prop then go from there. Figure 200 rpm drop/rise for every 1" of pitch. Once you feel you have the right prop then start looking for other things. You said the tabs don't work. Take them off and see what happens, this boat loves to sit up on it's tail. If the tabs are even slightly down from parallel they are robbing you of top speed. If all else fails put a straight edge to the bottom. You only care about the last 4 feet of hull. Lay the straight edge on the bottom midway between the pad and the inside strake, if the bottom is concave relative to the straight edge then you have a hook. Depending in the location and severity of the hook it can be an easy fix but unless you are skilled in fiberglass and gelcoat don't go at it yourself, find a good "glass" man. This area of the boat takes the most stress and you wouldn't want it to delaminate at 75 mph!

Hope this helps.

Great info, thanks.
 

I know all about hp vs top end. Thats why I will set up the boat properly before I do the engine. From what IM told the numbers IM currently running are below the boats capabilities. I would like to experiment with what I have before I go crazy on add ons. Thanks,Steve.

I had my 85 22 Velocity for 9 years, I have reribbed and restrung it as well as blue printed its bottom. The last two seasons I owned the 3200 lb (on a scale) boat It consistantly ran 76.5 on gps with a 1:87 gear ratio and a 22" chopper @ 7500 rpm with a 260-280 hp out board merc. I know its starting all over again with this 26 but between my experience and all of the info IM getting IM hopeing to cut the 9 years down to 2 or 3. Thanks again.

Oh no, surfing OSO and a good member too. Looks like the boat bug has bitten again:D

You took the hooks outta your hull? Any handling side effects? Where were the hooks, at the back on the pad and the first chin up? On the 22' they were put there on purpose.