FormulaM2Formula

Hi All,

382 Newbie pointed out that I hadn't posted about the speed of my boat after the prop work in the prop corrosion thread.

So here's the scoop. My girlfriend and I were at Lake Havasu. I filled the fresh water tank to the top, loaded up the cooler, a duffle bag (mine), two suitcases (small ones, hers) for the weekend. Along with anchor, etc, etc.

Saturday afternoon we are going up the river from the main body of water near Lake Havasu City when I say, "looks like we are running low on fuel, better turn around now." We get back to the main lake by LHC. The wind had been ripping since early in the morning Saturday coming from the Northwest. There were big rollers and whitecaps on the lake. I opened up the boat across the lake and we hit 74.5 mph on GPS on really choppy water with a tailwind. I was going to turn around and go back into the wind but the low fuel light came on and I decided maybe that wasn't such a great idea. Temp was in teh 70's. The boat felt great and was super stable. The bow came up a few times but the drives never even began to come out of the water. I was really impressed with how it drove on water that looked really rough for an inland lake.

We stopped at the marina and we put in 150 gallons. Sunday over the same stretch of lake with much less wind and still showing nearly 1/2 a tank of fuel, the boat did 71.9 on GPS. Water had surface chop, temp was warmer by several degrees. Elevation ~480 feet. I was trimming out to about 5.5 on the indicator. I was hesitant to move it more. Any suggestions?

I can't remember exactly now what the cruise speeds were. It seems like 3500 rpm was around 50 mph, but I can't remember. I always think I'll remember and then forget. We plan on taking the boat to Lake Pleasant here in Phoenix this weekend. Elevation ~1800 feet. Supposed to be high 70's on Saturday.

The Maximus 5 Blades were on teh boat. Mike tweaked the pitch, removed cup on from the hub part way out, and shortened the diffuser ring. They started out as 26P but are closer to 25 now. I think it was turning 5100 rpm at full throttle at 74.5, but not sure about that either. Never hit the limiter that I could hear. I also bought a set 28P Bravo 1 props which are tweaked a little as well, but I haven't put them on yet to try them.

The boat comes out of the water good and the I was impressed with the mid range. The boat accelerated at the top end much better than I remember when I tested it with the old props back in November in Dallas. It was a pleasure to drive, er, pilot, er skipper, or you know. Even with 150 gallons of fuel in it, I didn't have to use the tabs to get it on plane. I did play with the tabs just to see what they do.

My girlfriend was having a blast and so was I. We went all the way up to Needles, CA on Sunday and then all the way back to the Havasu Dam where we put in. Could have used the generator to help heat the cabin up. It was cold there at night

Overall, I'm very happy with the results. I am still interested in raising the extension boxes, but I have to take care of some other things before I break out the saw to raise the boxes. If I can raise the boxes without pulling the drives, I might get it done before summer. See my extension box thread for info on the saw reference.

What do you guys think? Reasonable speed? Do you think there is more from drive height tweaks?

BTW, I just love the sound of the engines. I had my girlfriend driving so I could sit on teh back seat and listen. Now that's music. Coming out of the water, those things really start to purr at about 3000 rpm. That must be where the torque starts really building. YEAH BABY!!!

I bought a Fortress FX23 anchor that worked great in some really soft mud in a ripping wind Saturday night. I was impressed by how well it worked and it only weighs 23 lbs.

I changed the drive fluid Monday and it looked like normal used gear oil. Changing engine oil this coming Saturday. I ordered the quick drain hoses and picked them up today and will install when I change the oil the first time.

I have an upgrade idea list a mile long. I'll run out of time and money way before it gets done. Overall, I very happy with the boat.

Garrett

RedDog382

Garrett,

I think this is a reasonable speed for your 382. Weight makes so much difference. Remember fuel weighs 7-8 lbs/gallon. A tank of gas weighs #1600, like having 8 big guys (or 14 chicks) on your boat. The full water tank is also a lot of weight and in the worst place you can have it. I would suggest carrying just a little more water than think you will need, not a whole tank. You want to try to move weight to the back of the boat. One of the 382 racers told me this secret.

Not sure about moving the Stellings boxes. These were added on to your boat by National Marine after Corey bought the boat. Not sure if the job was done correctly, but when I have a chance, I can get measurements and photos from mine when I get time (I have the '99 Poker Run Special).

I am impressed with your rigorous maintenance. This will keep your boat running while others are breaking down around you. My advice to you is to not get too wrapped in minor details/changes ... there will always be time for tweaking, and you will never get to everyting on the list anyway. Enjoy the boat!

FormulaM2Formula

Hi RedDog,
Thanks for the info. Sounds like I'll have to pump some water out. Some measurements and photos would be great of the outdrives/boxes. I got some info from Formula that they installed the drives w/ boxes 1.5" higher than w/o boxes. I don't know what hole in the box they used on a stock install. If this is true, if I could raise my boxes up two holes, or 2 inches, the drives would be 1/2" higher than stock setup w/ the boxes. If I wanted more than that, I'd have to raise the engines or use a shorty lower unit like the IMCO or mercury sportmaster. I'm not dying to spend that kind of money, but I would get motivated to raise teh boxes if I thought it would give me 2 or 3 mph.

On another note. I've always been somewhat of a maintenance nut. I raced cars for a while and that made even more of a maintenance nut. I'm a lot more comfortable taking stuff apart and putting back together now too. I'm not looking to turn boating into a constant maintenance thing though. Just want everything to work correctly and let it be.
Garrett

FormulaM2Formula

It is a 500EFI boat and the props are turning out. Mike said he tested it turning in also but it must not have had any advantage.
Garrett