Put a new 300v8 on my 23' Sanger alleycat

[madmatic]

As the title says i have been looking at repower options for my 23' alleycat and took a leap of faith with the new 300. It is the standard 300l not the 300r. I'm going to break down the differences I've noticed right away.

-weight :
the boat sits much higher In the water than when it had the 2.4s on it. Its nice having more boat out of the water on a rough day.

- handling:
Having less skeg in the water really makes the boat feel loose, having a hydraulic jack plate is a must in tighter turns. Also there is more pressure needed to keep the steering wheel straight at higher speeds. (Maybe needs a skeg with camber)

- Noise / exhaust:
Stupid quiet. You just don't hear it above 45mph. Very strange to be honest but nice at the same time. At low speed it's a smooth hum that sounds pretty good. Think of driving in a new sports car with stock exhaust. You also can not smell the exhaust when at idle at the dock.

- speed:
with the 2.4s the boat did mid 80s with low fuel and just myself. Unfortunately it got real rough and I couldn't open it up all the way. I got up to 78.5mph at 3/4 throttle. This is with a 30" 4 blade Ron Hill prop. Stock finish no vents. It pulls out of the hole 100x better. I could pull up a single skier with a full load if needed. I always fought venting with the 2.4s, mid range feels the same. I feel with more prop testing and a nose cone the 300 will be just as fast ontop as it was with twins.

- fuel:
Fuel economy is awesome and being able to run 87 is a real plus. I logged 5 hours of run time and I burned 26 gallons, this was all done while driving normally at a comfortable cruise speed for break in. So it should pay for it self in about 7 years just in fuel.

- guages:
I decided to go cheap and bought the vessel view mobile. For now I have a tablet with Velcro and it shows everything a 7" sim rad would. Pretty cool! Note* the non DTS models do not come with a water pressure sensor. It's an additional 60-70bux..

- shifting:
The cable controls actually don't move anything other than sensors. So shifting and throttle is very smooth and electronically controlled.

-motor mounts:
Too soft, the motor feels solid going through chop because of how well everything is isolated, but these really need to be stiffer.

- overall thoughts:
I am really happy with the way things turned out so far. I knew this wasnt going to be a 100mph liberator or trick but it made sense to go with a single. The alleycat has a centerpod which is about 5 inches above the sponsons. Before the twins were always knocked around being mounted in the tunnel and caused havoc on the transom. Time will tell how it holds up but with the extended warranty and their success with he verado I feel and hope it will be trouble free for a long time. I will update this after a few more trips.

[joneill]

Looks awesome keep us posted for sure,

[JBS]

Thanks for the post.I'm considering a V8 for my V21.
Got to do something,the 2.4 turned loose last week.

[madmatic]

So far the conversion has cost about 20k with extended warranty and rigging. If that helps with your decision. For me fuel savings was a big factor as I will put on a few hundred hours per year, that really helps offset the cost.

[tux974]

Nicely detailed feedback! Keep up the updates as they develop.

[Greg G]

As the title says i have been looking at repower options for my 23' Alleycat and took a leap of faith with the new 300. It is the standard 300l not the 300r. I'm going to break down the differences I've noticed right away.

Nice information. What is the difference between the "L" and the "R" ?

[engineermike]

I *think* the R has different cams and intake manifold, plus the sportmaster lower unit.

[HydroSkreamin]

300R has higher prop RPM, higher rev limiter, shorter intakes, bigger cams,(all of these things make less torque but a tick more HP up top), harder mounts,availability of Sportmaster GC, and is only available with CMS (Conventional Midsection), and is always in “loud” mode, if you can call it that. I’m not sure if the 300R has less warranty or if it’s the same as the standard 300.

The OP’s package with low water pickup nosecone and solid mounts will be in the mid to high 80’s for sure. Sounds like some fun!

I’m sure that leap of faith was a big one, glad it’s working out for you so far, and thanks for sharing your experience. Keep us updated on your gains, please!

[baja200merk]

Great info! Looks like a nice setup. Avoid a nose cone you don’t need it, do a torque tab and fill the side pickups. Use jb weld stick for both the pickups and the tab my tab has been 114 for yrs, thousands of miles no problem.

This makes me want two for my skater. The r is supposed to make up to 30hp more accross the board and still on 87.

[Tcatrett]

Good info! Thanks..
We put a few sea pro V8s on work boats. Awesome results also. Glad we finally have motors that are repower friendly.
And options are cool also...

[madmatic]

I plugged the top 4 water intake holes and will probably plug the rest once I have a water pressure gauge installed. I will have to look into a torque tab is that something I can do with out a jig? Also the 300l and R are the exact same long block, same cams, pistons ect. The r how ever does have a short runner intake and no muffler which I would expect to be good for 15 hp or so. The r also has a higher rev limiter but a shorter warranty. Thanks for all the positive responses, there were several times during the wait I almost cancelled the order and bought an xs but I'm glad I waited.

[Greg G]

What is the difference in Merc warranty between the two?

[madmatic]

I was told the R can only have a 3 year while the pro xs and regular version can get the extended 5 year.

[JBS]

That's great being able to get that much warranty.Definitely a selling point.

[FMP]

Good choice of color