XB2003 with Yamaha SHO

[Steve B]

Finally have had some seat time in my new to me XB2003 with a brand new 200 SHO .
Certainly has taken some getting used to but now have mastered 50 -60 MPH drives like it is on a rail , smooth and responsive.
Torque from the Yamaha is amazing hole shot and pull too when ever I let off is very strong rolling the boat to port.
Using a 26P Hoss.
With practice and letting off a bit I am now getting comfortable 70-80 range with my biggest problem being my eyes are watering.
I was on vacation last week and spent many hours on the water fishing and driving around 40 MPH range average and only used about $300.00 in fuel.
This included lots of full throttle pulls from plane to 50 -60 MPH and then cruise 40-50 , amazing.
Anyone who also has a 505 pound 4 stroke on their Xb or GS , feed back would be appreciated.
I know that this motor is not recommended for the XB but soon there will be little choice.
So far for me it has been all good, being very cautious as my speed increases.

 

[SLOmofo]

Practice and patience are the key. I have a 3.3 OMC on my XB2003 with lots of aftermarket stuff. 16" mid section with a sportsmaster. I built a trim ram that lives inside the 7"/8" setback/jack plate. All of this adds lbs. Care in setup is key. Only change one thing at a time, drive it, learn it. As you've already learned letting off the throttle doesn't produce good results. I learned the hard way that if it starts porpoising figure out why and fix it before it bites me(thrown out at 100.9). The lip was repaired a couple of times before I bought the hull. It now is only a few thousandths. Not to say you need to do anything with yours, but you should inspect and measure it just so you know.

 

[Jessie]

How much set-back are you running?
Tips for driving your XB 2003: Always wear your life jacket, always hook -up your kill switch, balance your boat front to back and side to side, sometimes putting water in the live well will help you run smoother, never let off the throttle suddenly, trim down and slowly let off the throttle, be careful and enjoy your boat!

 

[GotMyAlly]

Does that sho gearcase have low water pickups? Only thing id be worried about is being able to raise that motor high enough without running out of water pressure, and having enough length to run at the boats potential without blowing out.