28 Speedster with verados build underway

[AZMIDLYF]

I like it very much! What color will the 400s be?

[lake p.a.l.]

Looks fantastic!!! And I'm sure will run great. Congrats on new ride, the graphics are timeless.

[conmax]

Mercury black of course. I would not want white which could confuse them with early Johnsons.

[conmax]

still in cap stage

[MODVP22]

lookin' good, love those colors

[AZMIDLYF]

This Speedster ever get in the water?

[conmax]

progress has been slow. maybe wet next week.

[conmax]

well, i haven't posted in awhile since the boat wasn't finished. now it is finally ready 6/7/17 vs the committed completion in March. i won't bore you with all the reasons (excuses) for the delays. if anyone is really interested you may PM me. i am picking it up tomorrow afternoon and hopefully testing within the next couple of days. i have elected not to go for a test ride with Eliminator since their main objective is to see how fast it will run and post numbers on the forum. i want to break in the motors the way Mercury specifies. The boat turned out heavier than planned, partly because the promised weight savings from infusing the special resin only saved 30 lbs vs expected 400lbs. the hull did turn out very stiff and the deck feels solid. the special lightweight boat had quite a bit of deck flex. the other reason it is heavier that first race like laid up boat are the things i added that i considered essential. these include; bimini top, bilge pumps, drain plugs, USB and power points. various grab handles, carpet under the deck and forward of the bulkhead, swim step and ladder, discrete water temp and pressure gauges for each motor (in addition to the newest vessel view). about 400 lbs heavier that the lightest boat that ran 123 with teague and a passenger tested and reported in Speedboat magazine. since each 100 lbs subtracts about 1 mph, my expectations are about 120 mph with 2 people on board and tanks around half full.

here are the latest pics taken at eliminator. i will report test results as they are obtained.

[blkmtrfan]

Good looking boat hope you thoroughly enjoy her!

[AZMIDLYF]

Boat came out beautiful.
Keep us posted on dialing it in.

[eli]

you put your boat in the pool? nice by the way

[Greg G]

Well, I haven't posted in a while since the boat wasn't finished. now it is finally ready 6/7/17 vs the committed completion in March. i won't bore you with all the reasons (excuses) for the delays. if anyone is really interested you may PM me. i am picking it up tomorrow afternoon and hopefully testing within the next couple of days. i have elected not to go for a test ride with Eliminator since their main objective is to see how fast it will run and post numbers on the forum. i want to break in the motors the way Mercury specifies. The boat turned out heavier than planned, partly because the promised weight savings from infusing the special resin only saved 30 lbs vs expected 400lbs. the hull did turn out very stiff and the deck feels solid. the special lightweight boat had quite a bit of deck flex. the other reason it is heavier that first race like laid up boat are the things i added that i considered essential. these include; bimini top, bilge pumps, drain plugs, USB and power points. various grab handles, carpet under the deck and forward of the bulkhead, swim step and ladder, discrete water temp and pressure gauges for each motor (in addition to the newest vessel view). about 400 lbs heavier that the lightest boat that ran 123 with teague and a passenger tested and reported in Speedboat magazine. since each 100 lbs subtracts about 1 mph, my expectations are about 120 mph with 2 people on board and tanks around half full. i will report test results as they are obtained.

I'm sure you had plenty of heartburn going through that process but it looks amazing. Good luck and stay safe.

[WILDMAN]

I was told that the 400's require no breakin since they are run at the factory. Have you heard different? I'm getting ready to run one next week.

[conmax]

they have a recommended break in procedure in the manual. not too onerous. just the usual, 4500 rpm max for 2 hrs at 3/4 throttle with occasional full throttle bursts. the don't hold WOT for more than a few minutes for the next 8 hrs. kinda similar to new cars. my new Z06 was diiferent, having mandatory oil change at 500 miles. not doing so would void warranty. chevy had some issue with the LT4 which clogged oil passages with silicone and caused a number of failures. modern engines have lapped in rings and tight robitic assembly processes which don't require the older, typical breakin. to me, it is more assuring that there are no major issues which is best done by not holding high throttle positions very long. i do have discrete water pressure and temp gauges in addition to the vessel view gauges. my engines are mounted fairly high from the get-go and i intend to watch pressure and temps carefully. i used the STR brackets from Shawn Torrente which have jack screws to adjust the engines in very fine increments.

[conmax]

have been making changes to get to a higher top speed. raising the engines helped 2 mph to 104 mph. next, bottom blueprinting for another 1 mph. this was done by sanding the last 6 ' of running surfacing and straightening all right angle step edges. the last change was exchanging lowers to turn the props out instead of in. with full tanks, 102 g, all personal gear (about 200 lbs.) and 2 people on board, the boat hit 112 mph @ 6800. not sure what to try next, maybe some different props. i believe that the rpms should be over 7000 for max performance. the merc racing guys are now saying that smaller diameter props may help. currently running merc cnc cleaver 15.25" x 34"