hi all,
i was kind of thinking the same also about the weight, but i wanted a drive line that would take any amount of power that i can squeeze into the boat.
i just made a test run a couple mins ago. when i put the boat in the water, the waterline rests right about were the servo rod exits out of the transom. the prop churns longer now before it bites but once it catches its planes perfectly, and the boat is very stable. i had a octura x427 prop and 2 cell lipo for the 1st test just to make sure that everything worked ok. it went at my best guess about the same speed as the boat did when it was stock running on a 3 cell lipo. after 10 mins running motor and esc were not even warm, so since it passed the 1st mild test, next i am going to step up to a x632 prop and 3 cell lipo. the prop change and extra cell should at my best guess double the output watts of the drive line.

i will keep everyone updated when i make the next test.

john