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Thanks for the congratulations and best wishes on the new engine.

Last weekend, the boat was water tested on two days. The weight of the boat was as follows, ......as best I can determine:

4 People 1 Person
motor 390 390
boat (dry) 900 900
gas 134.2 134.2
people 880 220
back seat 60 60
cooler 30 30
anchor 25 25
misc 50 50
battery 50 50

sum 2519.2 1859.2

On both days, the engine was mounted two holes up. The prop was a stainless steel Viper 13 7/8 x 17.

On the first day, the dealer solo tested the boat. As the boat does not have a speedometer, we could not document the speed. The boat immediately shot out of the water and planed within no more that 2-3 seconds. At WOT the boat was turning 5900 RRM's.

On the second day, 4 adults were in the boat, including myself. This approximates my typical loading conditions for 80% of the time I use the boat. After launching at the marina, with no one on board, I noticed that the level of the boat in the water was almost exactly the same as the old Johnson which weighed 301 pounds (89 pounds lighter). The painted water line on this new engine setup was spot on. Again, the boat immediately shot out of the water, I'd say within 3-4 seconds we were on plane. At WOT the boat was approaching 5500 RPM's. Although I did have a speedometer app for my iPhone, we could not get GPS reception, so again the speed was not exactly known. However, it seemed to me, based upon the performance of my old Johnson 88 SPL, that WOT speed was significantly higher, .....I'm guessing in the 41 - 44 MPH range. Again, this is a best "guess". The Dealer had more experience than me and he concurred. I'll have to wail till next Spring to determine the speed exactly. I further noticed that the wake at all speeds seemed to much "calmer" than the old Johnson, the dealer speculated that it was because he felt the boat was planing at the higher level in the water, due the combination of the engine and prop. Turning response of the boat seemed much more "immediate and responsive" than the old Johnson. Additionally, the noise level of the engine was almost non-existent at low RPM's. At WOT, the noise was obviously louder, but I could comfortably carry on a conversation. At all RPM's, there was no smoke from the engine.

All in all, I am very pleased with the engine performance. Next spring I'll test the speed and report back.