Man oh man, what a ride.

[bigeasy1]

The prop I have on now,is right on,or at least as close as I can get.
I'm hitting my engines max rpms(around 4400 to 4600 rpms),at wide open,and cruising at approx 24-25 mph at 3400 to 3600 rpms.speed is on the Gps.

I'd lose rpms,if i step up to a steeper pitch.My Mechanic,who is a friend of mine,and who would do a gear change for very little money,tells me that 1.50 is the proper gear for that engine and drive,and that the rig would perform better,with a higher top end,and better cruise speed.
He works almost exclusively on I/O powered boats,and I trust him.
He has an upper unit that he would install and let me try out,to see if I like it,at N/C.
He rode on this boat years ago,before i bought it,when it had a 351 Ford in it with a 1.50 drive,and claims it was quite a bit quicker.
The current engine is a 350 with a Edelbrock 4bbl and is in extremely good condition,with perfect compression and very few hours.
It should be equal in hp to the 351 ford that was in it before.

I just think that I should be able to get a higher top end,and a faster cruise at less Rpms.I was wondering if anyone had the same setup.

Here's the pics I deleted by mistake