I have far too many boats, just ask my Wife.
If you have something of great quality, and you take care of it, it will last forever.
Never Economise on Luxuries
Bear is almost 17 years old and rolls with the punches. He has been boating with us since being a puppy so he knows no fear. His favorite thing is getting out at the sand islands and going exploring. We have a video of when a Canada goose protecting his nest came swooping down on Bear and nipped his butt - he didn't care for that - lol. The only thing that scares Bear is thunder. Ordinarily, Bear is wearing a life jacket, but we didn't get it out of the Donzi fishing boat that day.
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
There are many folks here who can give you advice based on experience but I think there might be a small issue that needs to be attended to with both temp and pressure. Probably not a big deal, but best to get it fixed before another run. Maybe the water temp gauge is broken but I doubt it based on Keith being on top of things. That temp not coming up (180-190?) might be holding water pressure down to 8psi at cruise.
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
Greg, I was thinking the opposite. My guess is that the water is flowing through the block and exhaust manifolds so freely that no real pressure is developed. When I fired it on the hose, there was no pressure. I remember reading that too much pressure can be a problem though. It sure runs and sounds perfect at every speed.
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
After crunching the numbers, there is no way the Warlock ran as fast as the speedometer read or there would have been zero slippage. The typical speedometers I have had over the years are relatively accurate, but the Gaffrig seems to be overly optimistic. More testing is in order and next time I will use a handheld GPS or my wife's iphone GPS. No matter what the real speed was, it is a fast boat that I really like .
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
Sounds like things are coming along Bill. Here are two 23 Offshore's that you can use for contrast to your boats 454 525hp engine. The first one, in the sale description below, ran 82mph with the 540 625hp on GPS. Not sure what prop he used but it was a 4 blade.
1991 Warlock Power Boat (Aqua and White) - Model-23' World Class, Motor - 540ci 625hp Merlin Mercruiser. Trim Tabs/Trim Indicator, Thru Hull Exhaust: Gil 4" dry exhaust w/hardin tips Tandem Hydraulic Stearing, Aeromotive fuel system, Hardin Marine single stage serpentine drive kit, New Barry Grant 850 Marine Demon carb. 2 Batteries with switch, GPS speedometer, Gafrig gauges. INCLUDES: 98 QUICK LOAD Trailer BOAT WAS CUSTOM MADE AND TRAILERED TO BOAT SHOWS FROM 1991-95 - (TWO OWNERS)
A second one running in upstate NY is a 1989 and it's also running a 540 making 680hp and spinning a Spinelli 4 blade 29 at 4 1/4" below the keel. He does a best of 90mph on radar on demand. The Spinelli is below.
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
Thanks for the comps, Greg. Are Spinellis hard to track down?
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
Spinelli props were built in upstate New York for many years. Very high quality but not readily available anymore. You can find them if you are patient though. I'd try the Rev4 on the 23 footer first as a baseline to compare to the 3 blade you have on it now. Propped correctly, it should get 80 even on GPS. Good luck
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
The next time out, I will be trying the 25P OMC prop that Keith told me was the fastest he had tried, but I would also like to try the Rev4 for comparison. Did I mention that he included a Mirage 23P and a new Mirage Plus 25P with the boat? I didn't open the prop boxes that came with the boat until trying a Mirage 25P that I had in stock (that is what I used on our first outing in the video).
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
I wonder if that OMC is a hub modified Raker. Most all the guys with 23 Offshores and big power run four blades. I would think it's for two reasons. First, a 4 blade helps with hull lift and these hulls run very flat. Second, those 4 ears help a 6'6" beam counteract torque list, keeping it flying level port to starboard without dragging speed robbing tab. As Grizz used to say though, test 'em all, you never know what surprises you'll find.
Looking forward to the OMC prop report
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
Yep, I believe it is a modified 3 blade Raker that his friend had modified for his twin engine 28' until he went with bigger power. I always thought the 4 blade would add more torque to the equation as well as take a little speed away? All I know is that the Rev4 on the 28' Warlock runs like a champ - just like one did on the 25' Martini. Brett (the prop guru) is the one who had recommended it to someone and I ran into a few forum reports on its qualities so I tried it first on the Martini with no reason to try anything else - it was that good! We plan to go boating this Sunday, but I don't know which boat we will end up taking out. This next week, I hope to get my restored 1971 18' Donzi ready for a spin.
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
I discovered something yesterday that had me puzzled on the Warlock. On the throttle handle, there is a part mounted that I did not know what purpose it had. After turning on the power, I discovered that it is a secondary set of switches to operate the K planes. Since there are switches on the dash for the K planes I was surprised to finally figure out that the small protrusions on the throttle are switches that go up and down with a fair amount of force. I actually got in the boat just to see if that might be what they were after reflecting on what its function might be. I know - doh! Here is the only picture I have of the throttle.
1971 Donzi 18' 2+3
1985 Eliminator 23' Daytona Offshore - Kevlar hull
1988 23' Donzi CC F-23 with 250HP EFI Mercury OB
1989 28' Team Warlock Offshore - single 548CID/600HP
1990 23' Warlock Offshore - single 525HP
Bill from Denison, TX - Lake Texoma
That must have been a redneck attempt at custom.
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
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