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55MPH - 60MPH Top Speed


Gravana

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So I have been taking a group of my friends out for wakesurfing and they all love it. All of them have 24'-27' boats with outdrives, so they can't surf. Every one of them wants a Malibu now. 4 of the guys are in the market for a new boat. (They are VERY serious. Have cash. Been making offers. Etc.) Another 2 are semi-interested, as in they need to sell their current boats first.

Not one of these guys will buy a Malibu simply because they spend a great deal of time at Lake Havasu, and they want a 55-60MPH top speed to get from end-to-end quicker. My boat, in regular weekend chop, runs @ 35-37MPH comfortably on Havasu. Basically, if the 247 had a 55-60MPH top speed, Malibu would have sold 4 new boats by now.

I know MP and other engine suppliers have been testing the new GM supercharged engines, and power can be increased. So, it makes me wonder... Is it even safe or possible to get a 247 into the high 50s?

Any thoughts?

Jim

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Sure it's possibe. Close to 400 HP in a 25' boat...put the right prop on the thing and your buddies could run 100 MPH. BUT...the hulls are not designed for the higher speeds, and you cannot trim the prop like you can on an outdrive, so at higher speed you would basically be driving the nose into the water with the current (fixed) angle of the driveshaft/prop. And I don't know how big that lake is, but at WOT you would likely burn through your tank of gas in a little over an hour.

And with such a high pitched prop, you would not be able to push the boat along at surfing speeds like yours does. The engine would be too low into the powerband. You would need a 2 speed (at least) transmission on the boat.

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The amount of modification you'd have to do, and the amount of gas it would burn, would make it pretty much a complete waste of time. Even bored and stroked Sportsters have a hard time breaking 55 MPH. To make a 247 go that fast...

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The Corvette boat will do it. :)

Seriously though, Malibu (on any given model) has about as much top end as any of its competitors. If you're going to buy an inboard, certain compromises need to be made & top end is one of them.

Oh & I'd hate to ride in a Sporty across a lake like Havasu at 55mph. Talk about brutal. Crazy.gif

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Just as I suspected... Thank you! I remember Nautique tried to build a 27-28' V-drive Wakeboarding boat that met this purpose, but I believe they fell short.

In the late 80s, my friend had a 23' V-drive Hallet or Howard that ran @ 85-90MPH (Clocked by the Sheriff at Kings River, unfortunately for him...) and it was a great, solid boat. Of course, add all the wakesetter options to a boat like that and I'm sure it would barely do 60MPH. LOL!

I was hoping someone may have some insight into any new models that serve this type of purpose. You never know what is in store. Case in point: Mastercraft CSX. LOL!

Thanks again!

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My previous boats were I/Os and jets and they all went 50-60+ mph. Yeah, I fell into that trap! I also go to havasu and when it came down to getting a new boat and I saw Malibus went "only" 40-45mph I can say for a split second I was a little discouraged. But then I thought about how I almost never went 50 mph or more because the kids and wife just didn't enjoy it much. Too much chop, drinks spilling, wind, can't hear the music, etc. The malibu benefits outweigh the faster speeds by a longshot. I've said it before on here, this boat has been worth every penny for me. I will never get another I/O (ultra,eliminator,etc) boat again. The thought and design in this boat is years beyond with those other boats offer. One day they will have to catch up to the wakeboard boats because sssoooooo many people are now buying them. it used to be like 20% wakeboard boats years ago and now its about half. Huge difference!

The speed boats are all the same, a few anodized items, big engine, flashy gelcoat. I'm going to drive as fast as I can to a beach and then park it all day, then drive as fast as I can back.

At havasu when I am cruising comfortably at 35mph in my malibu (with 6-8 people and still room) I sometimes get passed by the giant 28ft closed bow (I have a small d**k) boat going 65 mph with 5 people in the boat because thats all they have room for, I just think to myself, I'm so glad I got a malibu!

Edited by InvisibleMask
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My neighbor has a 500K Eliminator he swears will be 160 mph. I only seem him do three things with it:

1> Go real fast for a few minutes. But he really can't see all that well since the long bow combined with the insane bow rise makes it a accident waiting to happen. Can only hold 5 passengers max, no room to walk around. Looks miserable to me.

2> Go sit in the bridgewater channel all day with his big ol belly sticking out. All show and no go.

3> Take it to the mechanic. Seems like every time he takes it out something breaks.

I can take 10 people, plus a mass amount of gear. No I cant go 160, but 40 suits me just fine. We can do all kinds of watersports, and it is awesome for just spending the day on n comfort. I really don't understand the concept of the massive, expensive boats.

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I sometimes get passed by the giant 28ft closed bow (I have a small d**k) boat going 65 mph with 5 people in the boat because thats all they have room for, I just think to myself, I'm so glad I got a malibu!

We will watch those boats go by... and laugh. Just another "poser" boat! LOL on the (.....)

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I have taken my 247 on Havasu a couple of times. It works great. In smooth water I can get 47 mph out her. But most of the time, we run 35-40 mph.

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I love my Malibu and will always have a ski/surf boat, but it is alot of fun to speed across the water. I have been in some big, fast, gas drinnking, mostly for show boats and it is a blast. IF i could afford them both i would have one of each!!! everybody has somthing they love, that doesnt make them posers.

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The amount of modification you'd have to do, and the amount of gas it would burn, would make it pretty much a complete waste of time. Even bored and stroked Sportsters have a hard time breaking 55 MPH. To make a 247 go that fast...

Plus1.gif

To run a Malibu at 100 mph is certainly possible, but not practical. The issue is horsepower, not trim or hull design. Top Fuel Hydro drag boats are v-drives with flat hulls and are the fastest things on the water. They can easily run over 200 mph but require large horsepower to do so. I read an article several years ago in HotBoat magazine about a guy who installed an 800 hp engine in a Sanger dd skiboat. He was able to get 80 mph out of that setup.

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My Corvette definately does 60, although I wouldn't recommend this boat in big water; Great fun, but the callaway is a thirsty beast. I like to think of this boat as "American industrial art", and I think the designers (GM/Corvette, Malibu and Callaway) did a great job back in the 90's during development (The current 'Vette is a little over the top, IMHO). This boat does get used for skiing, cruising, floating, etc, although I'm trying to go easy on the hours that I put on it.

The '87 does just shy of 50mph, which is plenty fast enough for me, and has been working well for the past 23 seasons...

As far as "those posers" are concerned, I disagree. People should own what they like, what they can afford, and what works for them, although there are a lot of trailer queens that look great in peoples driveways and get minimal use.

Doug_just a motorhead who happens to waterski...often.

Chevy_anim.gif

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The amount of modification you'd have to do, and the amount of gas it would burn, would make it pretty much a complete waste of time. Even bored and stroked Sportsters have a hard time breaking 55 MPH. To make a 247 go that fast...

Plus1.gif

To run a Malibu at 100 mph is certainly possible, but not practical. The issue is horsepower, not trim or hull design. Top Fuel Hydro drag boats are v-drives with flat hulls and are the fastest things on the water. They can easily run over 200 mph but require large horsepower to do so. I read an article several years ago in HotBoat magazine about a guy who installed an 800 hp engine in a Sanger dd skiboat. He was able to get 80 mph out of that setup.

Initially, my friends thought it would be easy enough to supercharge and re-tune an OEM powerplant and re-prop a Malibu. They all know that I own a business that sells 50-state legal bolt-on superchargers for street and marine use... I also do custom tuning, so what the heck... But, from years of boat racing, I know better so I keep telling them not to bother. Hull designs and speed go hand in hand. Plus, the entire driveline must be capable of handling the power. It took over 700HP to push our old 5/8" runner-bottom drag boat into the 110-120MPH range in the 1/4 Mile.

I really don't mind doing 30-35 myself. For example, a trip from Moabi to the London Bridge canal entrance takes me 30 minutes longer than them. No big deal, because I am not at Havasu every weekend. However, if the 247 was a 55-60MPH boat, all of my friends would have the same boat... A new 247. LOL! I must admit... If they did have that top speed, I would probably get one too. But, my WS 23 LSV is good to me!

Edited by Gravana
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The only thing those big bag go-fast boats are truly good for is consuming mass quantities of fuel. Sure, a bit of adrenalin and testosterone may need to be factored in . . . . .

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There is a guy here with an offshore boat that has two Dodge Viper engines in it. TWO V- 10's!!! I can only imagine the HP. Not too many boats like that in this area. Crazy gelcoat color scheme too, and like someone else mentioned: seating for about 5.

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Just as I suspected... Thank you! I remember Nautique tried to build a 27-28' V-drive Wakeboarding boat that met this purpose, but I believe they fell short.

In the late 80s, my friend had a 23' V-drive Hallet or Howard that ran @ 85-90MPH (Clocked by the Sheriff at Kings River, unfortunately for him...) and it was a great, solid boat. Of course, add all the wakesetter options to a boat like that and I'm sure it would barely do 60MPH. LOL!

I was hoping someone may have some insight into any new models that serve this type of purpose. You never know what is in store. Case in point: Mastercraft CSX. LOL!

Thanks again!

Flightctaft barefoot, Mastercraft barefoot, barefoot warrior comp etc will do that kind of speed and you can ski behind them too. The twin engine Hydrodyne can pull five or more skiers or boarders at 55/60 mph.

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Just as I suspected... Thank you! I remember Nautique tried to build a 27-28' V-drive Wakeboarding boat that met this purpose, but I believe they fell short.

In the late 80s, my friend had a 23' V-drive Hallet or Howard that ran @ 85-90MPH (Clocked by the Sheriff at Kings River, unfortunately for him...) and it was a great, solid boat. Of course, add all the wakesetter options to a boat like that and I'm sure it would barely do 60MPH. LOL!

I was hoping someone may have some insight into any new models that serve this type of purpose. You never know what is in store. Case in point: Mastercraft CSX. LOL!

Thanks again!

Flightctaft barefoot, Mastercraft barefoot, barefoot warrior comp etc will do that kind of speed and you can ski behind them too. The twin engine Hydrodyne can pull five or more skiers or boarders at 55/60 mph.

Ski at 60 m.p.h.? I think not. The thought of hitting concrete water at that speed jsut plain scares me.

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