New Classic 16

[dfunde01]

I am taking deliver of a new 05 Classic 16, 4.3L, this Sunday. Carpet, prop, battery, etc. not yet installed. The boat is stock with no options. Any tips on rigging the boat, performance tweaks, must have options, etc. will be greatly appreciated. The boat will be used on Lake Hartwell, SC, and Lake Lanier, GA. I have wanted one of these puppies since the 70's and am looking forward to my new toy.:yippie:

[Tom Davis]

I had a 1995, had it until 2001 when I traded up to a 22. Great boat, you will love it! Congratulations. My two recomendations are: put a remote oil filter kit on it mounted to the transom, and put on a nice set of trim tabs.

Have fun and enjoy the ride.

Tom Davis
Winni Bandits

[MOP]

Tom is 100% right great boat I had a 91 for 3 years then went to a 22, tabs are a must on a 16. As far as the oil filter you can make up nice brackets out of angle aluminum and use the Merc mounting holes. It can be done without disconnecting the oil lines. Check #3 in the post below, if you have questions PM me.

Phil

http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=36202&highlight=blue+beast+rides

[txtaz]

Congrats on the new boat and welcome to the board. Alot of guys here have 16 experience.
Have fun and be safe.
Wes

[tmdog]

Hope to see you on Lanier soon. A brand new "16" should stand out. I boat mostly during the week to avoid the bath tub effect on weekends.

[dfunde01]

Several people have told me that trim tabs are a must on the sweet 16. which brand is the best match for the 16? Who in NE Georgia is the best to do the install?

Thanks,

Dave

[John W]

Several people have told me that trim tabs are a must on the sweet 16. which brand is the best match for the 16? Who in NE Georgia is the best to do the install?

Thanks,

Dave
I had a 2004 16 with the V-8, I think the tabs i put on her were the Bennetts ST-9, I got a great price from Boatfix.com. Bennett is awesome to deal with, they let me trade the Standard switch for a waterprooof one. If you are handy, you can install them yourself. Pop off the side panel and you can snake the wires thru and while you are at it, install a stereo.
Good luck., its a wild ride.

JW

[Chili 18]

Congratulations on the new 16. Like many of us, who have admired these boats for many years before joining the 'club'. Welcome.

Stereo would be a nice touch. Tabs. I installed some red led lights under the dash and towards the back for a nice glow on evening cruises. They let you see and yet don't ruin night vision. The normal accessories... lifejackets, anchor, flares...

Try and resist the temptation to try her at speed right away. Take the time to break the engine in properly. Will pay dividends in the long run.

ENJOY!!!

[Rootsy]

Tabs? we dont need no stinkin tabs :D

[Chili 18]

Tabs? we dont need no stinkin tabs :D

I use them mostly to level the boat. Some here have modified them so they retract a bit more and are completely out of the way when not used. I looked at mine and understand the logic behind the modification. But I usually have them 'on' just a bit. On my boat, I like the results. With my prop and nosecone, I can trim the drive way out and the prop seems to do best when the boat is running high..'flying' find the tabs useful for fine tuning in that zone as well. Others feel they are not necessary or a nuisance. I figure they provide options, and options are usually a good thing...

[dfunde01]

I am taking deliver of a new 05 Classic 16, 4.3L, this Sunday. Carpet, prop, battery, etc. not yet installed. The boat is stock with no options. Any tips on rigging the boat, performance tweaks, must have options, etc. will be greatly appreciated. The boat will be used on Lake Hartwell, SC, and Lake Lanier, GA. I have wanted one of these puppies since the 70's and am looking forward to my new toy.:yippie:

I don't even have the dang thing yet and all ready have a list of mods to research.

THRU HULL EXHAUST - How much trouble to install? MPH increase?

SUPERCHARGER - Anybody put one a a 4.3?

What is the speed / HP ceiling for the 16 Classic?

Dave:idea:

[BERTRAM BOY]

I 100% agree with Rootsy. "We don't need no stinkin' tabs".
At least try it first without tabs before you drill holes through your transom. Getting on plane should be a breeze with the amount of hook built into the hull, and engine torque won't be a factor, so she should fly fairly straight without tabs.

Just .02 more cents

BERTRAM BOY

[glashole]

I would also agree:yes: to trying the boat first before installing the tabs
I could see the advantage of having the option and not using them however I have yet to be in a situation where I've wanted them on my 16

have fun! :)

[Blown16]

I have one on my 1990 16 and it walks away from the guys with 350's
I also put Bennett trim tabs on mine. It like to run with the drive up and a little tab down. All that porposing goes away.
Congrats on your new boat!
Grant

[dfunde01]

I am taking deliver of a new 05 Classic 16, 4.3L, this Sunday. Carpet, prop, battery, etc. not yet installed. The boat is stock with no options. Any tips on rigging the boat, performance tweaks, must have options, etc. will be greatly appreciated. The boat will be used on Lake Hartwell, SC, and Lake Lanier, GA. I have wanted one of these puppies since the 70's and am looking forward to my new toy.:yippie:

Got the new puppie home and in the garage. A few more questions for you knowledgeable folks.

*The boat came with an Alpha 21P stainless prop. What is the best all around prop for this boat.

*How much HP will the Alpha I drive handle?

*What is the best way to boost HP on the 4.3 to the 260 HP range?

Thanks,

Dave

[Bad-Tat]

Dave,
Try it before you do the tab thing. I had a 1990 with the 4.3 and didn't need the tabs at all. I was able to just drive thru any porposing "sp" problem. Can't say that with the Tat. I was getting 55.3 GPS with it.
Where on Lanier are you going to be launching? Big Grizz and I usually launch up at Warhill park on the NW side.

[blueliner]

best of luck w/ your new boat. i am also getting mine this weekend (22' aronow edition) can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm sure we are both feeling the same anticipation. like everyone has been saying 2 me. take her easy to start out with and enjoy...

[Sea Biscuit]

I don't run tabs on my v8 16 and don't feel I need them but I have never driven one with tabs though. Enjoy your boat.
Lee

[Rootsy]

to expand on my smartass (we don't need no stinking tabs) comment let me just say that i've found, through a fair share of trials and tribulations that the propeller you run and your use of power trim for water conditions will have the most adverse effects on how she runs, rides and handles.

My 16 has no tabs, i considered it at one time then i started playing with different props of differet designs... the only reason i considered tabs was to give me more running surface to attempt to increase stability at high speed. again, most of this issue was cured with the propeller. Honestly the tabs at high speed in a fully or semi fully retracted position aren't doing a whole lot for stability... unless you mount them parallel with the fluid surface, otherwise most of the benefit just washes off the surface... and running the tabs down any appreciable amount seriously scrubs off speed at WOT...

Out of the box with a 19 vengence my 16 w/ stock 250 hp 350 would porpoise and chinewalk like nobodies business... it could be downright frightening at 54 mph... running a mirage + was even worse... cleavers were stable as hell but slipped like a mofo... the 4 blades are super stable and have very low slip #'s but throwing an extra blade around kills a wee bit o speed... Turbo's are somewhere in between... "decent" stability, good top end, good slip #'s

the best bang for the buck that i have done for performance increase... alpha SS... for handling and stability... quad IV or quad IV O/T from Hydromotive...

[Sea Biscuit]

Jamie
I just bought a Hydramotive quad 4X did I get the wrong one? What is the Quad 4 O/T?
Lee

[Sam]

The OT has a smaller over all dia :eek!: All the OT's are 14.75"dia.

Sam

[Jerry Eisele]

dfunde01, Get with BAD-TAT and come up to the AOTH in KY on the weekend of the 19th of May. You will see some real nice 16s to compare. Welcome to the site.

[The Hedgehog]

Got the new puppie home and in the garage. A few more questions for you knowledgeable folks.

*The boat came with an Alpha 21P stainless prop. What is the best all around prop for this boat.

*How much HP will the Alpha I drive handle?

*What is the best way to boost HP on the 4.3 to the 260 HP range?

Thanks,

Dave

It will be hard to hit 260 hp without some serious mods to the 4.3 MPI. I think that the factory 260 hp was for the 5.0L. That being said, there are some 16's out there with much more hp.

I would enjoy the warrany for a while before contemplating any mods. It will do just fine for the time being. Given the weight difference, the speed will not be too far from the 5.0.

If you want to boost the 4.3 MPI, a blower will be the way to go. I am thinking that a Procharger will fit. That will take you far past 260hp and you will be laughing at V-8's. Since you will have less weight in the stern, chine walk should be a smaller problem.

We are planning to go to 260 hp range with a 4.3, but using a carbed engine. Since it will be part of a rebuild the mods will not be a big deal. A comparable engine has been built be HotRod.

Through-hull exhaust is also a fun option. We just put that on my father's 4.3. We used IMCO Thumpers with polished risers. The sound is different but cool. It sounds kind of raspy. It has a big block sound on idle and under power. It has a different sound at cruise. Some don't like it. I ran it last weekend and thought that it sounded pretty cool.

[MOP]

My 16 with the V8 needed tabs it porposed at easy cruising speeds that got real tiring and fiddling with trim did'nt help. Rough water is another thing that the tabs helped with, that is where I really appreciated them. Maybe a 4.3 being lighter in the azz may not act the same.

Phil

[Sea Biscuit]

The OT has a smaller over all dia :eek!: All the OT's are 14.75"dia.

Sam
Thanks Sam
I ran the hydro quad 4X -23p last night
very stable
4900 wot
lost 1-2 mph
cavitated coming out of a turn - didn't expect that with 4blades

Lee