Based on riding on a friends 390 with base gas engines, i think with the props reconditioned, which was time (and part of my OCD), we're pretty close to or slightly better than his. Glad we had things baselined tho, affords me to know what we have.
Good catch on the motor mount, i've heard this before. These engines are hard on plugs for what ever reason, guess as much as it likes to eat fuel it also likes some substance too :)
This was our project we have a small vibration, so … shafts measured came out ‘perfect’, cutlass bearing is good, decided to pull props and get them reconditioned. Won the award at Sassy where we store her on the most people required to take off port prop… I am thinking they have never been...
Bow in? I think we are likely in same place considering to bow in this year.. also was part of our rationale to buy a small center console … to check out the lake before we took the big gal out.
Still working towards completing how we'd like our boat... this last year, removed the ability to use DirectTV and last week, finally pulled the 'boob' off the hardtop...one less place for spiders to web, now to the fiberglass work to fill the holes and make her good. If anyone would like this...
I don’t have diesels to compare but our 8.1HOs are just fine… had 15 people on our boat this summer got up on plane like it was just my wife and I. Diesels certainly would be more fuel efficient, but we get plenty of smiles per mile.