36 Spectre with Ilmors questions

[lake p.a.l.]

Buddy of ours is looking at a beautiful 36 Spectre with 625 Ilmors & 180 hours. It has SCX drives. Owner claims upper teens. Our buddy doesn't care about top end. Lives in area of LOTO that is rough all the time. Whats the hop mph range? Any other feedback helps. Thanks

 

[HighVoltage329]

My experience with the 625 Ilmor's in the F29 was very positive. I bought it with around 180 hrs and ran it up to 400 hrs with no issues. It had SC drives that I had them rebuilt when I got it and lost one during those hours running in mainly smooth water. The SCX drives should do even better. Don't know about the 36' Spectre's handling but have run with a 32' several times and it looked to handle nice.

 

[Tank]

Rob, which boat is your buddy looking at?

a friend of mine has owned two 36 Spectre's. I was always impressed how they ran. Always liked them. We ran it in the ocean a few times and it did pretty well in the pacific swell. It's not skater as the shallow tunnel is a little more of a rough ride. You can feel the shallow tunnel at times (especially in the back seat if you come down ass first. I don't remember the hop being horrible. They were good running, predictable, well mannered boats.


This is one of his. Had Bmax's and I think 600 -650 HP (can't remember exactly). It ran 110 (those Bmax's rob power).

 

[lake p.a.l.]

Spoke to a mechanic buddy VERY familiar with these 36 Spectre. Says they have a huge porpoise zone thats sometimes difficult to get past with mild power, loaded with fuel, people & gear. Not to mention the difficulty of finding parts for the V10.

 

[lake p.a.l.]

My experience with the 625 Ilmor's in the F29 was very positive. I bought it with around 180 hrs and ran it up to 400 hrs with no issues. It had SC drives that I had them rebuilt when I got it and lost one during those hours running in mainly smooth water. The SCX drives should do even better. Don't know about the 36' Spectre's handling but have run with a 32' several times and it looked to handle nice.

Your 29 was a GREAT machine

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Spoke to a mechanic buddy VERY familiar with these 36 Spectre. Says they have a huge porpoise zone thats sometimes difficult to get past with mild power, loaded with fuel, people & gear. Not to mention the difficulty of finding parts for the V10.

From Ilmor's page:

"In 2016, Ilmor discontinued new production MV10 engines and INDY Sterndrive systems. However, parts, service, support and warranty coverage will continue to all existing customers. For additional information, please contact Ilmor at 844-GO-ILMOR (844-464-5667)."

Doesnt sound that bad. And if you have to repower with a standard V8 its guaranteed to have plenty of room!

 

[lake p.a.l.]

From Ilmor's page:

"In 2016, Ilmor discontinued new production MV10 engines and INDY Sterndrive systems. However, parts, service, support and warranty coverage will continue to all existing customers. For additional information, please contact Ilmor at 844-GO-ILMOR (844-464-5667)."

Doesnt sound that bad. And if you have to repower with a standard V8 its guaranteed to have plenty of room!

I agree & there's a great boat mechanic here that services Ilmor. Way more worried about the boat & how it handles. He would ALWAYS have it loaded down with people & fuel. Would absolutely SUCK to get to some flat water & not b able to get past the hop. Trying to help a buddy make a big decision on what cat to buy

 

[Don Johnson]

Hey Rob!

I have been in a couple 36's and if memory serves me in calm water the hop is pretty bad between 70-85 MPH right as the boat is transitioning and starts to pack air. Mild power is going to take a little time to push through that speed. As with any big cat the rougher the water the less pronounced the hop is. There are things you can typically do to make it less pronounced like giving a little steering input. I should know, had an early production 33 Daytona, the king of all porpoising boats......

If I recall correctly the 36 also turned a little sloppy under 80 MPH in my opinion and leaned out a little.

If the boat is to be used loaded down with fuel, people and stuff that porpoise window will move up in speed a little so his concerns seem valid especially with mild power.

 

[lake p.a.l.]

Hey Rob!

I have been in a couple 36's and if memory serves me in calm water the hop is pretty bad between 70-85 MPH right as the boat is transitioning and starts to pack air. Mild power is going to take a little time to push through that speed. As with any big cat the rougher the water the less pronounced the hop is. There are things you can typically do to make it less pronounced like giving a little steering input. I should know, had an early production 33 Daytona, the king of all porpoising boats......

If I recall correctly the 36 also turned a little sloppy under 80 MPH in my opinion and leaned out a little.

If the boat is to be used loaded down with fuel, people and stuff that porpoise window will move up in speed a little so his concerns seem valid especially with mild power.

Thanks for your input, greatly appreciated. I agree with everything you said. I've heard from several folks about the sloppy turning

 

[Don Johnson]

Thanks for your input, greatly appreciated. I agree with everything you said. I've heard from several folks about the sloppy turning

If your buddy is looking for an older boat 36'+ cat that is comfortable for large groups, lots of storage and cabin try to find a 377 Talon/Hustler, what a great handling boat! Unfortunately not a lot of them made.....

 

[lake p.a.l.]

If your buddy is looking for an older boat 36'+ cat that is comfortable for large groups, lots of storage and cabin try to find a 377 Talon/Hustler, what a great handling boat! Unfortunately not a lot of them made.....

He passed on one our buddy Henry just sold up in NorCal. I believe he has another 1 for sale also. They are incredible boats. Rode in Rick Bowlings Gone Again with 1350s, just cruises @ 150+ like nothing.

 

[Tank]

Hey rob if your buddy wants a talon same guy that had both 36 spectres has a 377 talon he’d sell. I’ve run it a BUNCH! Such a fun boat. Blown KE’s and 6’s. Not as clean as that soectra but such a bitchen boat!

 

[Quint]

I’ve got about 6 hours seat time in one, mostly around 100+ mph. The one I ran probably had about 700-750 per side and did about 114. Turning was mediocre and it tended to porpoise at about 90. If you don’t have enough HP to push it past 100 mph I could see that being a problem.