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2017 22 VLX with Supercharged Raptor V-8


Beef996R

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Just got my new 2017 22 VLX back from it's 10 hour post-break-in service, so last Saturday I had my first opportunity to explore full throttle ops.  Of note, at the recommendation of my dealer, we spec'd the boat with the speed prop.  The verdict?  So far, I have to say, I'm underwhelmed.  The acceleration isn't as forceful as I had hoped and on smooth water, with full fuel and just me in the boat, it topped out at 48.6 mph.  I expected more acceleration out of the hole and a few mph more on top.  What do you guys think?  Does this sound about right or not?  Thanks!

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How much faster do you need to go? For a 22' inboard ski boat I'd say that's pretty fast. But the trans ratio in the 2017 could be the issue if your dealer isn't super familiar with prop selection with the need for speed.

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You should consider this boat a tractor, not a Ferrari.  Even with the upgraded engine, you are not going to get going all that fast like a go-fast boat.  With your motor, you could connect the lake house to the boat and pull the house into the water.  I assume you made it to the rev limiter?  

48 is pretty fast for a boat of this type.  With your motor, you could probably fill the ballast full and still go 48 and not notice much problem with the hole shot.  

Please define what 'speed prop' means.  That may simply mean that the dealer had a prop that he had laying around he put on for you because it made him some more money.  On the hub of the prop you will find the diameter and pitch, it will say something like '14 X 18' or something like that.  We've become cynical around here of many dealers and their lack of understanding of a lot of things related to boating.  

Edited by TallRedRider
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Nohlan,  thanks for the reply.  Actually, I don't need to go any faster.  In fact, I already ordered a stock prop (rather than the speed prop) to see how it compares.  I'd gladly trade 5 mph for more satisfying acceleration.

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TallRed,  the prop was an option from Malibu, so we ordered it that way.  When I get down to the lake this weekend, I'll see what it says on the prop.  Thanks!

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8 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

You should consider this boat a tractor, not a Ferrari.  Even with the upgraded engine, you are not going to get going all that fast like a go-fast boat.  With your motor, you could connect the lake house to the boat and pull the house into the water.  I assume you made it to the rev limiter?  

48 is pretty fast for a boat of this type.  With your motor, you could probably fill the ballast full and still go 48 and not notice much problem with the hole shot.  

Please define what 'speed prop' means.  That may simply mean that the dealer had a prop that he had laying around he put on for you because it made him some more money.  On the hub of the prop you will find the diameter and pitch, it will say something like '14 X 18' or something like that.  We've become cynical around here of many dealers and their lack of understanding of a lot of things related to boating.  

Speed prop means on the build sheet for Malibu, the steepest of available pitches.  Not a gimmick.  For those who want the opposite of the high altitude or torque prop options.  

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10 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

You should consider this boat a tractor, not a Ferrari.  Even with the upgraded engine, you are not going to get going all that fast like a go-fast boat.  With your motor, you could connect the lake house to the boat and pull the house into the water.  I assume you made it to the rev limiter?  

48 is pretty fast for a boat of this type.  With your motor, you could probably fill the ballast full and still go 48 and not notice much problem with the hole shot.  

Please define what 'speed prop' means.  That may simply mean that the dealer had a prop that he had laying around he put on for you because it made him some more money.  On the hub of the prop you will find the diameter and pitch, it will say something like '14 X 18' or something like that.  We've become cynical around here of many dealers and their lack of understanding of a lot of things related to boating.  

 

Actually, Ferrari does make tractors.

http://www.ferrariagri.it/

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You've got a lot of power to work with. If top-end speed is your priority, then you need to prop it for that (beyond the factory options). As others stated, it's really not what the boat is designed for and I wouldn't push it much faster than that. An Outboard Drive is better suited for high-speeds.

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The speed prop is a 2401. If you switch to a 2277 you will top out at 42MPH if your RPM limit is 5500. Acceleration should be brisk! I would double check that the dealer fueled the boat correctly. That engine is rare in a VLX and it would not surprise me a bit if they put 89 instead of 93.and it's pulling timing.

Edited by Sailvi767
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Boats that are designed to keep the hull in the water will never go fast. You could add fifty more HP and it might pick up one maybe two MPH  but two would be a lot.

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46 minutes ago, boardjnky4 said:

You've got a lot of power to work with. If top-end speed is your priority, then you need to prop it for that (beyond the factory options). As others stated, it's really not what the boat is designed for and I wouldn't push it much faster than that. An Outboard Drive is better suited for high-speeds.

Yep, my old 4.3l I/O would do 55mph per gps.

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5 hours ago, Beef996R said:

Just got my new 2017 22 VLX back from it's 10 hour post-break-in service, so last Saturday I had my first opportunity to explore full throttle ops.  Of note, at the recommendation of my dealer, we spec'd the boat with the speed prop.  The verdict?  So far, I have to say, I'm underwhelmed.  The acceleration isn't as forceful as I had hoped and on smooth water, with full fuel and just me in the boat, it topped out at 48.6 mph.  I expected more acceleration out of the hole and a few mph more on top.  What do you guys think?  Does this sound about right or not?  Thanks!

Were you able to test drive similar boat(s) before purchase?

Steve B.

  • Like 1
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Let's back the truck up.

First off....... 575 Raptor in a 22VLX. Saawwweeeeeettttt. That is just plain BA. Not uncommon in my neck of the woods. But still BA.:notworthy:

@Beef996R What are your plans for your VLX? Surfing? Wakeboarding? Cruising? All of the above? I'm not sure I understand what you are inquiring about with your post. The good news is that with the 575 you'll be able to do all of the above quite well. Your acceleration didn't give you that "seat of the pants" feel because you are propped so high. The higher your top end, the slower your hole shot and acceleration is going to be. This is due to the fact you only have 1 gear in a boat. More speed requires your prop to move more water in a single revolution, hence eating up more horsepower. Since the most resistance comes during your holeshot, you can do the math. Since you are getting 48MPH, you're probably propped about as high as you can be in that boat. The more you lower the pitch of your prop, the quicker your acceleration will be. You'll lose that top end though. I would say that with your current prop selection, you'll be able to wakeboard with some ballast, surf with moderate weight, and tube or waterski with ease. Cruising at 30 MPH at low RPM's will be a breeze. Fuel Consumption likely won't be all that bad all things considered. If you want to surf heavy or get the best wakeboard wake, you're likely going to need to reprop and sacrifice some top end. It's all in what you're end goal is with your machine.

I can't imagine 48 MPH in a VLX. That just sounds outright scary to me (likely somewhat unstable and dangerous). That's coming from a guy who grew up on 80MPH + boats.

Oh and lets see a picture of the new boat. Congrats on your purchase.

  • Like 3
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Maliwop and crew,  Thanks for all the great input.  Intent with the boat is to surf and wakeboard.  My inquiry about my observations on my boat's performance was to get a sense of whether or not it is performing to the expected level for this boat and powertrain combo.  Yes, 48.6 mph is the VLX was sportier than I'd care for with my family aboard!  New (standard) prop arrived today.

 

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3 hours ago, Beef996R said:

Maliwop and crew,  Thanks for all the great input.  Intent with the boat is to surf and wakeboard.  My inquiry about my observations on my boat's performance was to get a sense of whether or not it is performing to the expected level for this boat and powertrain combo.  Yes, 48.6 mph is the VLX was sportier than I'd care for with my family aboard!  New (standard) prop arrived today.

 

This prop with a 575 should give you all the acceleration and performance you will need that's for sure.

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Report back once you've tried that new prop. I'm surprised the dealer even let you leave with that boat propped the way it was.

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On 5/2/2017 at 0:39 AM, MaliWop said:

I can't imagine 48 MPH in a VLX. That just sounds outright scary to me (likely somewhat unstable and dangerous). That's coming from a guy who grew up on 80MPH + boats.

 

My X-30 with the 7.4 L Ilmor would do 51 mph on flat water.  And that boat is bigger and heavier than the 22 VLX.  It was fun as ish man.  

 

Someone suggested above that the stock prop will top out at 42 mph when he changes?  I've never been in a 22 VLX with a supercharged raptor but I highly doubt that.  I bet the stock prop is a good balance for the OP.  Plenty of hole shot and maybe a loss of 1-2 mph on the top end.  That is just a prediction.  I could be wrong.  

 

And keep in mind that the "speed prop" is a speed prop for the standard motor.  I actually put the MC equivalent of the "torque prop" on my 7.4 L just to see what it would do and it SUCKED.  Hole shot and top end were both worse.  So just because  something claims to be the "speed prop" that doesn't mean that is the best speed prop for every motor nor does it mean that is the most top end speed you can get.  Props need to be perfectly matched to the capabilities of a motor.

 

If I were the OP I would call ACME and get some firsthand info from the makers.  Those guys are pretty cool and will steer you in the right direction.

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I am not sure what the OP's expectations were with the 2401 prop. After testing that prop yesterday in a 23 LSV with a 450 I think it would be my first choice in the LSV if I had a 575. Even better in a VLX. The OP did not give a lot of info however I suspect the 575 is spinning that prop up to 4500 plus RPM instantly. I am not sure he will see better acceleration with the 2277. It's going to come down to prop slippage. The acceleration in the 23LSV with the 2401 was fine. The issue I had was being out of throttle in surfing configuration. That should not be a issue with the 575. 

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ahopkins22LSV
29 minutes ago, bamaboy said:

My X-30 with the 7.4 L Ilmor would do 51 mph on flat water.  And that boat is bigger and heavier than the 22 VLX.  It was fun as ish man.  

 

Someone suggested above that the stock prop will top out at 42 mph when he changes?  I've never been in a 22 VLX with a supercharged raptor but I highly doubt that.  I bet the stock prop is a good balance for the OP.  Plenty of hole shot and maybe a loss of 1-2 mph on the top end.  That is just a prediction.  I could be wrong.  

 

And keep in mind that the "speed prop" is a speed prop for the standard motor.  I actually put the MC equivalent of the "torque prop" on my 7.4 L just to see what it would do and it SUCKED.  Hole shot and top end were both worse.  So just because  something claims to be the "speed prop" that doesn't mean that is the best speed prop for every motor nor does it mean that is the most top end speed you can get.  Props need to be perfectly matched to the capabilities of a motor.

 

If I were the OP I would call ACME and get some firsthand info from the makers.  Those guys are pretty cool and will steer you in the right direction.

I agree. Call ACME or OJ up and tell them your boat, engine and exactly what you are looking for in performance. They will set you up with what you need. Boat companies select stock, speed, torque, whatever, to be setup for the most common engine order and what will satisfy 95% of the customer base. People that are a big outside of the norm may need to experiment a bit. But the prop companies should be able to line you up quite accurately. 

  • Like 2
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2 hours ago, bamaboy said:

My X-30 with the 7.4 L Ilmor would do 51 mph on flat water.  And that boat is bigger and heavier than the 22 VLX.  It was fun as ish man.  

 

Someone suggested above that the stock prop will top out at 42 mph when he changes?  I've never been in a 22 VLX with a supercharged raptor but I highly doubt that.  I bet the stock prop is a good balance for the OP.  Plenty of hole shot and maybe a loss of 1-2 mph on the top end.  That is just a prediction.  I could be wrong.  

 

 

 

The 2277 spun at 5500RPM produces 42MPH in a VLX. You can add any amount of HP but that prop will still produce 42MPH at 5500 RPM. The 575 May have a higher RPM limit then the 450 in which case the boat will go faster. I don't know the 575 RPM limit which is why I put 5500 in the post.

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3 hours ago, 85 Barefoot said:

yeah but aren't they running a different reduction in the supercharged boats?  Were for a while, not sure on 17s.

Based on his speed with the 2401 I suspect you are right unless the RPM on the 575 can get up to 6200 or so.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/1/2017 at 7:58 PM, Steve B. said:

Were you able to test drive similar boat(s) before purchase?

Steve B.

Your consistency on test drives is very comforting!

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  • 1 month later...

So, put the 2277 prop on the boat.  Lost 2 mph in top speed (now 46-ish) but I'm satisfied with how the boat performs.  In addition to hard ballast, we added two 750 Wakemakers custom bags to the ski locker and a 675 lb Sumo bag up front.  Really cleaned up the surf wake, made it taller and longer, way more fun.  And the engine has more than enough power in every situation I've put it in. 
Thanks for all the great input.  This is a really good resource.

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