250 xs power

[spareparts]

come on now, yank the can, drill out the mid, cut the tuner....make it loud!
honestly, my buddy's 3.0L with the cut tuner, offshore mid with the big holes didn't sound much louder than a stock 3.0L

[RidgeRunner]

Began the take-off, mounting of new to me motor last evening. A few more connections and we will make some smoke/noise. I think.

[Shrek]

I'm really looking forward to the new data. Hurry hurry for the long weekend!

[RidgeRunner]

Next step, 2-stroke oil and some fresh AV gas. Reading the manual to make sure I didn't forget what I don't already know. Nearly ready for the hose. Pretty tight fit to get all the stuff in the rigging tube. 2ga battery cables sounded like a good idea at the time, now you'd be hard pressed to add anything more than sewing thread to it and I have another harness to add???. BTW I have taken 12 pictures with this POS Fuji over the last 4 days and the batteries are already dead. I just solved that issue, pictures in the am.

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by RidgeRunner

Next step, 2-stroke oil and some fresh AV gas. Reading the manual to make sure I didn't forget what I don't already know. Nearly ready for the hose. Pretty tight fit to get all the stuff in the rigging tube. 2ga battery cables sounded like a good idea at the time, now you'd be hard pressed to add anything more than sewing thread to it and I have another harness to add???. BTW I have taken 12 pictures with this POS Fuji over the last 4 days and the batteries are already dead. I just solved that issue, pictures in the am.

Skaroo the hose...stick that puppy in the WATER!!...

[RidgeRunner]

ITS ALIVE. Sounds like an Opti. Not particularly quiet. Take the cowl off and it sounds like a combine. Alarm alerts over 2000 rpm in neutral, I think it is supposed to. I got a small water leak where I didn't clamp a hose and I gotta look into the shift linkage not getting to the end of the throw going into forward gear. Idles correctly at approx 600 rpm. No alarms. No noticable rattles or hiccups. I lucked out that I did not have to change the harness, all my analog stuff works with the Opti. I may have a winner here. Rained and got dark at around 8:00. A tie wrap or two to finish her up. You couldn't remove the grin on my face with a chisel right now.. LAKE TEST!!

[reelapeelin]

Rain and got dark at 8:00??...lemme check the Bachmann Interpretation Guide...says here that God telling you Hammer Down!!...

Have another corn dog, Michelle...


We gonna be needin some VIDEO of the Optimax runnin like a bat outta hell!!...

[RidgeRunner]

I was a little premature on putting the side skirts back on during rigging. Took them off to double check everything before heading out. Shift linkage was off by three rounds on the adjuster. Tied up some wires, drove right past the hose on the way to the lake. Stopped in at Sonoco for some go-go juice. Put her in the lake at 7:00. This motor is a little heavier than the old EFI it replaced, I don't like that but it is what it is. Idles better than the old 250 EFI, quieter too. Warmed her up with a series of holeshots. Maybe a little faster to plane than the old motor with the same 23P Tempest prop (guessing 2.5 to 3 boat lengths) After I got over my "Is this Biotch Gonna POP" jitters, I dropped the hammer for a brief period, 30 minutes later I let off the throttle. If she was gonna blow that shoulda done it. Plum flogging her I tell you. 90 degrees,wind 5 to 10 out of the north, humidity 100% best speed 59.8 MPH at 5800 RPM.
So no new top speed number. Is it any faster than the old motor? YES it is, at least it sure feels like it. The motor reaches the limiter easier so I am confident we will see a new number in more ideal conditions. Temperature and Weight is a huge factor in how fast this Wellcraft can go. Motor has a lot of pep and the boat feels very loose on top. Trimmed out I felt the boat floating around and getting a little flighty, only felt that way before when the boat was lightly loaded. A reminder to put on the life vest and attach the emergency stop switch lanyard. (Intentionally NOT referred to as the KILL SWITCH) Dark thirty was unsafe for high speed running so I tested the cruise speed, holeshot and handling.
I picked up a few rattles as anticipated. The back two hatches need some rubber/silicone something to keep them from rattling when I am leaning on the throttle. I was thinking the pop up cleats would make noise due to the solid motor mounts but they were quiet. Overall a lot more refined than the top fuel dragster sound of the EFI at idle and throughout the RPM range. This motor is not gonna be a dock crasher. Smooth shifting in and out of gear in tight quarters and the motor never changes in RPM.
Other results:
Boat will plane at 3100 RPM no tabs required 26 MPH
40MPH = 4000 RPM 46 MPH = 4600 RPM 50MPH= 5000 RPM That has long been my goal and now it has been achieved. According to the fuel gauge I burned 1/8 tank of fuel in an hour of hard running. Easily went 35 miles in that hour. No idea on mileage yet but that appears to be much better than the EFI. Not a single hiccup from the Opti. It did everything I asked of it. I did a series of figure 8's and a series of hard over turns to check handling characteristics. No disappointments although positive trim lets the prop ventilate just a little due to the maxed out engine height. I need to drop the motor another hole and put the 21 Mirage copy (Lightning) on it for mileage. It should come out of the hole as if catapulted off the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Impressive so far.
Plan to use it all weekend on the Suwannee.
That is all I got except for a couple of bad pictures I will post up in a few minutes.

[RidgeRunner]

Like an elephant on a fleas back.
Cowl paint & Leg Swap 250 XS 001.jpg

Cowl paint & Leg Swap 250 XS 002.jpg

Cowl paint & Leg Swap 250 XS 007.jpg

[Shrek]

Woot!