Yes, that is exactly what I said, every boat has to have slab sides.
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The rare Nitra 22 photographed up on the pad in US waters
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Room for the family in a Bernico SOB
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Looks like Superboat 21 is a Mercury V8 believer
I’ve been watching (and enjoying) this thread for years now. I also happen to own a SOB that was formerly powered by a Diamond Marine massaged Mercury 2.5 / 200. The dyno sheet showed 239 HP and it ran 77 MPH on GPS with an 8” Bob’s Machine Shop jack plate and Latham wing plate hydraulic steering. I’d watched as folks here screwed bigger and bigger motors to the same (and similar) SOBs and the speeds kept creeping up.
I wanted a piece of that action, but wasn’t out for the world speed record, so I had my Progression 22 repowered by Jason and Johnny Saris at Performance Marine late last year. With a brand new 250R four-stroke screwed to the transom via a 10” setback Bob’s Machine Shop jack plate and SeaStar Pro hydraulic steering, it ran a solid 88 MPH on a very cold December day.
Last summer was a busy one for me and tackling the setup on my boat was problematic because I didn’t have much time and props were all but impossible to find and try. Johnny ran 88 MPH with a 30” Bblades Blaster four blade over the hub prop. Even though I’ve driven the boat at – and past – it’s limit over the last 28 years, I struggled to get that big number. (Warmer water certainly had a lot to do with it.) But the big difference to me was the handling. Let’s just say that above about 75 MPH, the boat was a handful. Although one could run 88 MPH, the boat was not happy.
With the props I was actually able to get ahold of, I was at least able to determine that the boat liked a thru-hub prop much better from a handling standpoint. I finally got 84 MPH and decent handling out of a 30” Bravo 1 thru hub four blade, but it had too much slip up top and struggled to get out of the hole. Hopefully next year will bring an easing of the supply chain issues that have made getting a prop so close to impossible and I’ll get to try some more props.
So why do I bring all of this up? Because with all of the folks screwing 300R’s to SOBs like mine, I fully expected to hear all sorts of stories about how fast everyone else was going. Surely somebody with a 300R would post in with proof of well over 90 MPH, right? Nope. I’ve seen lots of pictures of SOBs with 300R’s – and even one Progression 22 with a 450R – and all I hear is crickets for amazing top speed numbers. What gives?
So, here’s my thoughts – for what they’re worth. First, the new V8 four strokes are awesome. They’re quiet, fuel efficient and powerful. (I do miss the scream of my two stroke though.) Second, although they’re not as heavy as some other manufacturers motors, they are realistically about 150 lbs. porkier. Third, they have a dramatically different personality when it comes to torque. Quite simply, they have bags of it. What does all of this add up to? A whole different animal – with completely different setup needs.
I think the whole reason I (we) haven’t seen really big numbers yet is that nobody has really figured out the proper setup for top end. Yes, the Jackhammer crew kicked some butt in their 300R powered 21’ Superboat. But remember, that’s a bracketed 60 MPH class. There’s no need for a 95 MPH boat. The 300R merely gives them incredible acceleration up to and the ability to hold 60 MPH in any kind of water. As for the rest of us, I’d propose that the tricks for top end that used to work for big two strokes just don’t work for four strokes. For instance, more setback with a heavy V8 is probably the last thing you want on an SOB.
I haven’t given up hope yet and I’d propose that next year there will be some breakthroughs on setup for the V8 powered SOBs and we’ll finally see some truly impressive numbers. I’ll certainly be experimenting with mine and will share any breakthroughs that I might have. I hope everybody else will too.
Good points, I know Mark did some pretty trick stuff on his 24 to get 110 with a 300r. He advised me to run a XS motor on mine knowing that I like speed, light weight and didn't mind working on something a little bit.
Only 101 so far I have tried 3 props, 30-32 Drag 4 and a 32 Bravo. I think I will be making a call in to Dewald this winter and getting a DBR kit. My 24 is not carbon.
I have not, I will shoot them a call too!