mopartybob

Hi y'all,my first gas boat...the price was real right (under 400.00)but now for the upgrades,whats everyone done to theirs? I have noticed these do seem nose heavy (inherant with design?)even in the proboat video,i'm sure there's a thread out there somewhere concerning a mod buildup,could someone please link me up...thanks ,happy holidays to all

edmkills

Is it the new shockwave 55 SS or the old shockwave (yellow)? If its the old one does it have the zen 230 or the 260?

mopartybob

It's the new SS

edmkills

Well first of all since its the zen 260 there are a ton of mods you can do. I read in a post a while back where a guy with a SS put a redline modded jug on his and balanced and sharpened the prop and got something like 48.3 mph on his gps. The hull is laid up light ( i own one to [sm=bananahead.gif]) which likely accounts for most of the speed. I have run mine along side the full sized boat with speedo and would say that stock, with balanced and sharpened prop it does about 40ish. You could go to a 275 or 280 prop for probably a few more mph. As for ride attitude its good and not at all nose heavy.

In my opinion i dont think i would put a lot more hp or speed into it do to the questionable structural integrity of the hull[sm=drowning.gif]. Do a search of the forums here and you will find a couple of owners who have damaged the glass work on theirs already. So far I've been lucky but only got her out a couple of times before freeze up!

mopartybob

Thanks ed,will search for the thread,was the glass laid up heavier on the older model which made it nose-heavy?

edmkills

I think it was even lighter, Ive read a lot of negatives concerning the old hulls/boats. It had control issues as well with the single rudder and suffered from poor motor alignment.

Its not all bad though, I have also heard about a few new SS owners who love their boats and have had no issues. I think its kind of pot luck!

mopartybob

I did have a chance to search some threads and from the concensus of all it seems that the hull cracking was the BIG issue, It also seems that most if not all are satisfied to have it run in the mid-40z [:'(] fooey, lets see what some xtra glass n oomph can do to make faaaassssst.thanks again ed, will post updates as to just how fast it will go before disintegration....[:-]

Colt4g63

That was me. I put a modded jug on it and a 275 prop that I backcut, sharpend and balanced. Raised the prop shaft up and adjusted the trim tabs. Everything else was stock. The Shockwave isnt a bad boat for a starter boat. The only problem i had with mine was the throttle cable.. The stock setup is JUNK!

BUDMAN27

I too have just come in pos. of a big SW. Mine is the old Yellow one and I want to paint it in the Texas colors. Should I use automotive paint or something ells ? I just want it for a lazy Sunday boat so I,m not looking to make it go fast. I have to many of those T-shirts anyway.

edmkills

Budman....Auto paint[sm=thumbs_up.gif]. Have you run your boat yet?

BUDMAN27

No but it use to belong to a good friend of mine and I use to watch him run it. It looked pritty cool to me. Thanks for the info.

woodventure

[>:]I have a SW SS and realigned the motor, flex shaft, cut & balanced prop, removed top & wing, removed trim tabs and adjusted the drive trim to compensate for no trim tabs & clocked 54mph on 3!QUOT! chop. This boat is a handful at that speed an has survived a couple rolls at WOT!!!! I rolled it horizontally coming of a large wave and re landed on the hull (totally lucked out) no damage. Do yourself a favor if you are running your SW with the top on and fill the heads and bodies of the drivers with spray foam. it will be just enough to float it if it gets knocked off. Also remove the wing and toss it in the trash. If you do go upside down at high speed the wing will surely rip the top off and stop you quickly knocking everything loose inside. I have not noticed any difference in handling performance with the wing on or off so shave a few ounces and ditch it. I think the SW 55SS is the most boat for your money and is as fast as you need to go on this hull...Also the hull's strength impressed me when my friend accidentally drove it into his 9' Boston Whaler @ 3/4 throttle and put a 3!QUOT! hole in the side of his boat and only scratched the SW..Believe it or not !QUOT!Ihave pictures!QUOT!

mopartybob

Thanks woodventure,I'll be checking that alignment issue also,Happy Holidays...

BUDMAN27

Talked to the body shop people today and they are going to paint mine snow weight. I think later i will get someone to airbrush the Texas flag on her.

Colt4g63

Id love to see a SW 55 SS that will run 54MPH with just prop work....

edmkills

I like to see it too...don't suppose you have a vid of it running?

I have one as well, no motor alignment issues flex shaft slides straight into clutch. I ran it without hatch and tabs set high to apply no drag and balanced and sharpened the prop and like i said earlier about 40ish. I must be doing something wrong.......

mopartybob

Probably cuz no-onez runnin in a 3' chop....

Colt4g63

Right out of the box after a good gallon break in. My Shockwave 55 SS would GPS from 34-36MPH.. Remeber this is right out of the box in fairly tight trim. When these boats are goin 40 they look as if there goin 60. So dont be fooled. Get a GPS and then youll really know the true speeds. The Garmen Etrex is a good one. You can get em on Ebay new for about 70$.

mopartybob

Hi adam,recieved shockwave today,pretty good shape for the money,the person i bought her from had her gps 'ed at 41.8 with just prop work and trimmed true,,not too bad,will try to get out this weekend to verify and get a baseline assesment before i yank motor and send to you,keep in mind that shipping anything right now is a crap shoot and will be for the next coupla weeks...[:-] happy holidays.............

woodventure

I will get some video of it a various speeds, mopartybob it was three inch chop. Will post soon.

Colt4g63

Sounds good. Your gonna really like it when u get it back

woodventure

The rain stopped today and I am heading to the lake to get a few videos. I'm bringing a friend with a video camera and a radar gun to document the speed. I will not have the GPS , wing or top in place to reduces wieght. Mixing fuel 32:1 with Zenoah Oil & 93 Octane. As I mentioned before the only mod is a fully worked prop, alligned motor shaft, and no trim tabs. We will see what she can do. Hoping for a light breeze and slight chop to air the hull out. Last time I clocked it at 54 mph with the garmin e-trex on board. RC Universe reviewed the SS55 and clocked it at 47.1mph right out of the box? So I'm not sure why some of you are reporting much slower speeds? Got to go hit the water!!

djr01974

hey mopartybob, glad to see your enjoying the boat .. I Do miss coming home and seeing her in the garage up on my bench. Enjoy . Yeah Its me Dave . lol.

mopartybob

hey dave, darn thing runs GREAT !!!. 5 pulls and she fired right up,trimmed true like you said,my son got her airborne a few times jumping the wake,(reallly coooool),got the new prop today(8015\3 from dasboata,this guy does do OUTSTANDING work !! this prop = a prather 290) will try it out tomorrow,and will let you all know the results but so far no issues,great deal,great boat, thanks again buddy.....Happy New Year to all.....

djr01974

glad your injoying her ... she does fly on the water , that 257 carb is much better than the stock , I got that from jeff at insane boat . Enjoy ... and yes let me know how that new prop worked out ... see ya .