New Boat Owner / Used Boat

cliftoncross

Hello,

I am new to boating (other than a 14' flat bottom aluminum boat) and I just purchased a 2008 Hurricane SunDeck 2400 w/ the 350 Mercruiser/Bravo 3. The boat only had 60 hours on it, Ive put 6 more so far. Hurricane was my first choice when I started looking. So lets say I am 110% new to boating. I know I'm going to have some trial and error fixes along the way. So far, I'm enjoying the boat.

Is there anything I should be aware of with the 2400? Tips or tricks anyone else may have done? I would like to get a little better hole shot/on plane quicker. Any suggestions on prop size? Speed isn't a large factor, although I would like to run about 50 mph.

 

Ive read several posts on the forum and the Hurricane Forum seems to be a great place! Esp since it is for Hurricane owners.

Thanks... Clifton Cross

Capt_Steve

Hey Clifton...glad to have you here! I've only run stock 2400s, so maybe someone will have a cool upgrade they can share. Love that boat, by the way...excellent choice.

cjjjdeck

Congratulations on purchasing the Hurricane!  Also welcome to the forum, there's some great owners that have great experience and advice on this site!

Just a couple points I can think of to start:

Well you've got the right engine and drive combo.  You'll really appreciate the Bravo 3's performance both at planing speed and, more importantly, maneuvering at slow speeds..... especially docking.  To get a better hole shot you can try dropping down to the next lower pitch prop, which will lower your top end and lower your bank account by $1,000 - $1,500 if you buy new ones, $500 - $1,000 if you eBay.  Or do as many of the Hurricane owners have by installing trim tabs. Most, if not all, have reported great success with them.

Although not necessarily a good comparison, I'll share some of my performance info with the Mercruiser 5.0L and Bravo 3.  My hull design is different than yours (flatter, 12.5 degree deadrise vs. yours at 16 degrees) and I have a 22.5 pitch prop.  It has great hole shot, quick planing, great towing power (tubes and skiers), 16 mph lowest planing speed and has a 45 mph top speed without trim tabs.

I want to mention something about what remains electrically active when you shut down the master switch and/or you battery switch.  The first one is your bilge pump, which should have a direct connection to the battery and is activated by the float switch.  The second, if your new to Mercruiser, is the Mercathode anti-corrosion system that comes with your Mercruiser engine and drive system.  It puts out a small amount of current to counteract galvanic corrosion activity (this is in addition to the zinc anodes installed on the drive).  Here's a link from Mercruiser explaining it:

  http://www.mercurymarine.com/service-and-support/storage-and-maintenance/faqs/mercruiser/?category=corrosion#MerCathode

Both these systems take battery power when the boat is not in use as they are connected direct to the starting battery (and you want them to be).  My boat is good for about two weeks or so of non-use (depending on how much bilge pump activity there is) before I might need a jump start.  An on board charger will prevent this situation as long as you have access to shore power.

Best of luck with your 2400!