15 400R news

[Rayzor]

113 with 15.25x33 merc props...32 Spectre

Attachment 347347

Nice #! The speeds I'd actually expect to see, since the first 318 Skater has run 114 with the 400Rs - I've always heard the 32 Spectre and the 30 Skater run about the same speed with the same power. These larger 30'-32' cats w/ 400s running similar speeds as the 28' cats w/ 300s is very cool for the guys that want a larger cat with outboards. I personally still wouldn't want one, because of the fuel burn, they're only getting around 2mpg at cruise. If I'm going to have a bigger cat and burn lots of fuel, I'd rather just have inboards that burn a little more fuel than the 400Rs (1.5mpg), but go a whole lot faster (and ride better). If Mercury can get another 10%-20% more power out of the 400Rs, I think they will then be a viable alternative to inboard power on larger cats. Until then, I still wouldn't go shell out big money for a new larger cat that only runs teens (Skater/Spectre) or low twenties (DW32). You guys have to remember that you still have small displacement/low torque motors on the back with these 400Rs - they don't hold up as well with a load in the boat (especially bigger boats) as big ci inboard boats. Put five people and 200 gallons of fuel in one of these 30'+ 400R boats, and it's going to run just over 100 at WOT (DW32 110+) - my inboard 30'+ cat will still run close to 150 with that same load!

[johnmiffco]

I like many others agree the motors are best for what merc made em for,,,,
the CC market,,,,,,3-5 on 1 boat makes merc money
every performance boat builder has a 32 made or in making for this 400
as that's another market they are trying
except statement,,,,no more performance boats,,,cc's only now
but at 300-400k for 110+ that market will be short
as theres not 000,s of people that will /can spend that coin for 110
especially as razor stated 32-40 skater used at 100-200 and bust 150+
and not worry about the mid breaking off in the rough
1 broke on x cat already and 2 I know of on 25" production
its a good motor and what merc is makng,,,
so gotta run what they are making if want new
is it the bomb for a fast o/b,,,,,,no

[AZMIDLYF]

Mid break on Xcat was caused by a collision with other competitor boat. The other 2 I have no knowledge of. Pros and cons aside, I see it as another option out there for boaters to choose from. They also are very new to the market with various upsides as far as tunability.

[johnmiffco]

well is it an option,,,,
merc will not be making any o/bs 300+ hp that is not this 4 stroker
once they drop the 300xs
I havent put down the motor
its a verado they bumped the power up
no different from the old 2.5 200 to 300drag
this is their direction so either u buy it new and a hull made for it or u don't

[Rayzor]

well is it an option,,,,
merc will not be making any o/bs 300+ hp that is not this 4 stroker
once they drop the 300xs
I havent put down the motor
its a verado they bumped the power up
no different from the old 2.5 200 to 300drag
this is their direction so either u buy it new and a hull made for it or u don't

I've heard 2018 is the last year Merc will produce the 300XS. We will all be forced into these heavy, gas guzzling supercharged 4 stroke motors if we want to buy new. It sucks, because it will wipe out a nice segment of boats as an option for new outboards - 24' to 28' twin cats. This is my opinion of course, I'm sure somebody will put a pair of these big/heavy 400Rs on a 24'-28' cat and say how great the boat is..........

[noli]

.

Daren's DW32 with 400R's sounds nice!

https://www.facebook.com/GrantsCusto...6525507503847/

[aggiestckl]

So anybody have anything encouraging about the 400s? I am either taking my xs off stand and putting it on Argo or taking the 400 out of the crate. The difference between building a brand new 15" xs and rigging a 20" 400r is about $3k when u factor rigging in and side ram for xs. Anyone think a 400 can work on a 23' cat?

[Double Rigged]

Depends whether or not boat can handle the weight. IMO the 400r will smoke the 300xs.
My vote would be for a 15" 300x.

[Rayzor]

[QUOTE=aggiestckl;2872952]So anybody have anything encouraging about the 400s? I am either taking my xs off stand and putting it on Argo or taking the 400 out of the crate. The difference between building a brand new 15" xs and rigging a 20" 400r is about $3k when u factor rigging in and side ram for xs. Anyone think a 400 can work on a 23' cat?[/QUOTE

I don't think that putting a 700# motor on an 800# boat is a good idea. Adam told me that the Argo he bought from Joe was real light in the front end at high speed. With almost an additional 200#s hanging off the transom, I think the boat would be more liable to blow over - especially since it will be going way faster than it was ever designed to go. Plus, I don't think that big gearcase will do well not being behind a sponson or centerpod. Why in the world would you want to go faster than 125 or so in that little boat anyways? A good running XS will push it there. Those big/heavy motors are only good as twins on 30' and over boats imo.

[Chaz]

Lets see ....

Miller welder
Bridgeport
Chinese lathe
Kwik-Way FN Boring bar
Kwik-Way 092 power hone
Advanced sleeve on speed dial
Outboard shops from one end of the country to the other with 225 / 250 blocks stacked up in the corner with a couple little holes beat thru the side ...
I could really care less what the dealers have , or when they will have no more ... there's enough 350 - 400+ horse candidates out there to last past my life time ...

Wow ... Everybody whine's about the gearcase ... whaaaaa it's too big . Maybe I'm a bit touched ... Before you guys parrot things that are just wifes tales ......
Go to Harbor Freight and buy a long air file board and then go home and teach that brute how to ski .. you'll be amazed at the lift it will generate ...

Aggi , Brother the way you got it . Hang em with quick pins ... make everyone guess which horse your gonna ride that day ...
And don't worry about top end numbers ... I seen a video a few weeks ago where the wind noise , water speed and splices were so bad it look like an old Japanese God-zirra movie ....
Kinda like ....>

http://www.facebook.com/MoviepilotCe...7233703729103/

[powerabout]

Lets see ....

Miller welder
Bridgeport
Chinese lathe
Kwik-Way FN Boring bar
Kwik-Way 092 power hone
Advanced sleeve on speed dial
Outboard shops from one end of the country to the other with 225 / 250 blocks stacked up in the corner with a couple little holes beat thru the side ...
I could really care less what the dealers have , or when they will have no more ... there's enough 350 - 400+ horse candidates out there to last past my life time ...

...

I wonder if you could make a darton style sleeve kit, bore all 3 down to the meaty part and fit a sleeve in a sleeve kind of thing that are all one part?

[Chaz]

A sleeve , in a sleeve , in a sleeve ... seem's like the bore would get pretty small ...

How bout a reinforcement sleeve "over" the sleeve support , bore it and sleeve it . Of course , bore the inner sleeve to 4.00+ inch's ...

But then three sleeve's would tend to lead to triple trouble with sleeve's .... like this ...

[Rayzor]

Lets see ....

Miller welder
Bridgeport
Chinese lathe
Kwik-Way FN Boring bar
Kwik-Way 092 power hone
Advanced sleeve on speed dial
Outboard shops from one end of the country to the other with 225 / 250 blocks stacked up in the corner with a couple little holes beat thru the side ...
I could really care less what the dealers have , or when they will have no more ... there's enough 350 - 400+ horse candidates out there to last past my life time ...

Wow ... Everybody whine's about the gearcase ... whaaaaa it's too big . Maybe I'm a bit touched ... Before you guys parrot things that are just wifes tales ......
Go to Harbor Freight and buy a long air file board and then go home and teach that brute how to ski .. you'll be amazed at the lift it will generate ...

Aggi , Brother the way you got it . Hang em with quick pins ... make everyone guess which horse your gonna ride that day ...
And don't worry about top end numbers ... I seen a video a few weeks ago where the wind noise , water speed and splices were so bad it look like an old Japanese God-zirra movie ....
Kinda like ....>

http://www.facebook.com/MoviepilotCe...7233703729103/

I'm not parroting anyone Chaz, I know for fact that the smaller the gearcase (or complete lack thereof), the more efficient and faster the boat will be. Do you forget that I have drives both with gearcases and drives that have no gearcases dragging on the water? Guess which design is more efficient? If your theory held true, we'd be mounting adjustable skis off the back of our transoms to generate lift to add speed. Unfortunately, your theory is wrong. You can get all the lift you need through hull and prop design without the additional drag of a gearcase (or big one in the case of the 400R) dragging along the surface of the water.

[davemvegas]

I'm not parroting anyone Chaz, I know for fact that the smaller the gearcase (or complete lack thereof), the more efficient and faster the boat will be. Do you forget that I have drives both with gearcases and drives that have no gearcases dragging on the water? Guess which design is more efficient? If your theory held true, we'd be mounting adjustable skis off the back of our transoms to generate lift to add speed. Unfortunately, your theory is wrong. You can get all the lift you need through hull and prop design without the additional drag of a gearcase (or big one in the case of the 400R) dragging along the surface of the water.

Rayzor. please quit picking on Chaz. he is very old and grumpy. his boat has not ran in 2 years. it is very hot in Palm City Fl.

[Onetime]

Chaz and Dale seem to have a deep rooted.......something, just not sure what it is!

Seems to me this is just another evolution of boating propulsion and it's not favorable to a lot of the people on this board whom boat with smaller outboard boats.

Remember the the same rantings going on when the Optimax's first came out? They were bigger and heavier and didn't rev as high. People thought that was no good then, including me! Rather then tiered implementation of the emissions clean engines like the Feds mandated, California took it one step further by making all the engines be emissions clean effective January 1, 2000 with about one months notice.
People learned to like the Optimax's and figured out how to make the heavier engines work well on the boats. It did take at least ten years for that to happen though!

This is it folks so get used to it. So do like Chaz suggests and stock up on all those old two strokes, including the Optimax's, because the change is here to stay. Hopefully Mercury has something in the works to fit the middle horsepower range, say 200-250 hp, that will be lighter then the 350-400 hp we're seeing now.

It it is entertaining with all the ranting especially with people like Chaz and Razor.