22 Classic upgrades

[BOBMX]

Picked up my new 2002 22 Classic. Been running it about a month now and am starting to figure out what mods I want to make. Already decided on 280 K-planes. Headers im down to CMI or Dana's. I want to add external steering also and this is where i'm lost, anybody have any opinions on which brand, model, etc?

[Carl C]

You shouldn't need k-planes. Putting expensive exhaust on a stock engine is a waste of money. You may see no speed gain or maybe 1-2 mph at best. Steering is nice and Zeiger sells a system ready to install on your boat with pre-cut hoses and drill guide and everything; If you specify a 120 cc helm you will have fewer lock to lock wheel turns. Your money can be better spent. Is it a 496 HO now?

[BOBMX]

yeah 496 HO. I'm on the Chesapeake so i'm in bigger water alot. A guy i talked to that ran the 280's said they are priceless in bigger water. I also talked to one of the techs at Donzi and he told me that re entry in rough stuff will be alot more controlled. He described it as making the boat think its bigger, for whatever thats worth.

[Pismo]

Zeiger is perfect for the 22. Add a front cabin like Carl did...

[mrfixxall]

dana's no good! cause reversion,,take it from carl on the cmi's,,,he did it ans wasted money...cmi's are only good for a few years in salt water and sometimes onlt good for 1 hour ..lots of problems for the 500 & 525 efi's and merc or cmi wont do a thing about it...lots of 525's distroyed over them..

280's on a 22 will stuff the bow and will probably sink the boat if your not careful..
if you want to go faster with your 22 save your money and sell your motor and get either a standard 502 mpi,,500 or a 525 efi..way better motors.

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tipical 496

[BOBMX]

how many hours were on that 496?

[mrfixxall]

ask yeller

[roadtrip se]

Steering is where I would start. Zieger, IMCO, Hardin-Mayfair-Marine Machine, and Latham are all great systems. I have run Latham since 2001, but there are great systems out there for less money now.

Do not waste your time on tabs, unless you really think you need them for handling reasons. They will be more trouble than they are worth.

Mess around a little with some prop testing. You might be surprised at the results.

Yes, full stainless headers are a waste of time on a 496. Stainless Marine headers have worked for a lot of 22 guys trying to take weight out of the rear of the boat, but don't expect miracles. Again, I have run CMI's since 2001 in fresh water, and they are still in great shape. But I have run a 500 EFI and more now with these headers.

Do some searches here on IMCO shortys. I really like what mine did for the boat, handling-wise, and the ability to turn more prop is a big bonus.

Best bang is starting to look at cubes or blue motors. I like a 540 stroker.

And take your time. You won't be selling this boat any time soon, and there is lots of time to start the upgrades.

[BOBMX]

seems like alot of mixed views on the site concerning the 280's but some of you guys appear to be having good luck with them. i would think that if you run them from a couple clicks above neutral to up at speed they should clear fine and it would be tuff to stuff. maybe im missing something but what the guy at donzi said makes some sense. at nuetral or slightly above the big tabs extend the stern which "should" in theory give a more stable and controlled landing since the stern hits first. i would think the tabs would have to be buried to dive the bow and then i agree, you created a submarine.

[BOBMX]

what kind of handling improvements did you see with the shorty? Steering is #1 on the list and tabs i think are a neccessity in the bay here, at least 150's since the plates are interchangable if they are not enough, if your going to be able to run it. i hate the bennets, they are slow as molasses. i'll take everyones advice and not dump $$$ into the 496, didn't realize how "popular" they were!

[CHEVYMILL]

I have an 89 22 classic and I ran in the bay by the key and bay bridges and I have a imco 2 shorty 14in tab and imco external steering I love the set up only thing that slows me down is heavy boat traffic on thing is with the shorty shape turns at a higher speed can be scary

[BlakeSullivan]

I added the 280 tabs on my black hawk edition and it made a huge difference , I run in the bay and it does make the boat track straight after re-entry but thats just my 2 Cents

[Inferno]

The first thing you should puchase is external steering, before spending a dime on anything else. Tabs are last thing you'll need unless your in the 90+ range. My boat has them, as I'd rather have 24' than 22' at a high speed. Tabs also can get you in alot of trouble guick, if you don't know how to use them.

[undertaker]

I boat some in the upper chesapeake bay (freshwater) so I understand your handling concerns, you can get into some nasty water at times on the bay for sure.

So the first upgrade I would do is steering, the Zieger system is awesome IMO and like Carl said they already have them made up for a 22 classic. Forget the headers I have Dana Headers on my 496 HO saw a little better midrange but thats it. Next upgrade I would do and am planning on doing on my 22 is a shorty, u should see about 3-5 MPH increase and better handling. If you do the steering and shorty then do some prop testing because that will help in the handling department as well. The trim tabs I would not mess with until I did the other upgrades first, you might be surprised what some prop testing, steering and shorty will do for your boat.

If you really wanna get serious on power dump the 496 HO and either do a merc blue motor or a 540 because there is no substitute for displacement and horsepower IMO especially in these 22 hulls....I plan on doing a blue motor someday myself because the 496 is a great motor but when you run with other 22's with more HP you kind of feel slow

If you get up to the upper chesapeake bay area let me know Dr. Dan (teal 22 with a 500 EFI) and myself (red 22 with a 496 HO) run around up there once in awhile

Take care keep us posted on your progress with the upgrades..

Undertaker

PS Just for your information I have a 2005 22 496 MAG HO, has Zieger steering, Dana Headers and run a labbed and tweaked 26P Bravo I for rough water and better handling, and a 26P Turbo TXP for top end and ok handling...

[biggiefl]

I have heard for many years now that the 375hp 496 is MUCH more reliable than the 425. What is the concensus here?