OK, the block is now trash, as are the crank and rods.  Well, if we need another shortblock, we thought we might as well go with the 502. So, a new GM block was purchased. I obtained a practically new rotating assembly from a friend, Bill Griffin, who’s Carerra is also on this web site. The assembly consisted of a Kellogg forged crankshaft, Manley forged rods and JE forged flat top pistons.   Oh yeah, while Bill was playing “keep up with Donnie and his Daytona” I scored his Crane roller cam, B&M 420 blower and Superchiller for quite a price! Thanks, Bill!  So Larry assembled all of these parts, along with a new Dooley 10-quart offshore style oil pan and a good oil pump to give us a decent, strong shortblock. I hauled it all home, bolted on the heads, blower and remaining parts. The motor was delivered back to Peto for some dyno runs.  Results were 878 horsepower.  Larry said, “At this point the two 750 carbs were starting to hinder power production.”  I figured I had more than enough power now to destroy my outdrive without new carbs! Once again, everything was bolted back in the boat. To try and squeeze a little extra time out of the Bravo prior to it’s inevitable demise; I did have Billet Marine in Glendale, AZ upgrade the shafts, bearings and upper gears, as well as install a tower and top cap. The final drive ratio was now 1.36.  The boat finally made it back to the lake in August of 2001.

Running the same 30 pitch Bravo prop, we were seeing speeds in the 105-106 mph zone on GPS, but still turning 6000 rpm. We continued using the boat for the fall without any other real testing. Then we went to the Parade of Light’s that year in December in Lake Havasu. Bill Griffin shows up with a brand new in the box 32 Bravo 4-blade prop. We put that prop on and headed for the smooth water and great conditions that are present in Havasu this time of the year. I was hoping to hit 107 or 108 mph. I had two full tanks and my girlfriend (now wife) plus Bill Griffin’s wife, Nancy in my boat. A group of us were headed down to Havasu Palms for some impromptu speed runs. As we rounded the corner past Copper Canyon I eased into the throttle. The water ahead was clear and smooth. To my surprise the GPS was showing 111+ mph!  Well, we all stopped a little further down the lake and I had Tonna and Nancy climb on another boat so I could see what she’ll do wide open. I made one good hard run. I looked down at the GPS quickly and saw 113 mph. I returned concentration to the quickly approaching bend in the lake and figured it be best to back out of it now and live to boat another day! When I hit the recall on the GPS, there it was, 114.5 mph! RPM’s were about 5800, from what little time I spent glancing at the tach.  I was happy with that top speed until an acquaintance that had basically the same boat and power as mine recommended a 31 Hydromotive.  I never did get a chance to properly test that prop though. We were out running on Lake Pleasant and it was quite a bit choppier then I liked for high speed runs. I was told the Hydromotive prop will required more positive trim than a Bravo. I never got the chance to air the boat out. I made two 93-mph passes and then one more pass. On that final pass I had just started into the open part of the lake when the engine zinged high! I yanked back on the throttle, and the boat settled down safely. I thought I blew another coupler. Curious as to what speed it broke, I hit the recall on the GPS, 98.4 mph! Not so lucky this time, It broke the forward gear’s floor right out of it. So, once the drive is repaired, maybe we’ll see what the boat will do with that Hydromotive.   

Yeah, I did get that 42 mph and maybe still more some day, but had to learn a lot along the way. Always ask a lot of questions! Talk with guys that have similar boats, listen to the advice of the machine shop and make sure he’s well-versed in performance marine motors. And finally, pick and choose your speed runs wisely, things go happen real fast as the speeds increase. Have fun!    

March 2004

Well I finally got around to getting the drive rebuilt, changed over the fuel system to a return style regulator plus a few other minor modifications. Larry's Speed & Marine converted the Bravo over to XZ gears. At this point I have not had the right conditions to wind the current set-up out with the 31 Hydromotive prop. I have had it to 103 mph, but never opened it all the way up and dialed in the trim. It's also getting hot now here in the desert. We'll be heading to Havasu in May, while water and air conditions certainly won't match December conditions, I might be able to open it up a little more :)