Took the 250 CCP out for the first time last Saturday. Actually this is the second time we took her out. The first time it was cold and we were unable to get starboard engine to start. After having our outboard mechanic look it over, we ended up replacing the fuel pumps. Turns out the engines are 1997's. They have a total of about 500 hours on them. Since the rebuild they have less than 50 hours on them. We also went with two larger batteries and replaced the props.
Got her out on the water this time and she craked right up. Apparently with the Ficht engines there is 5 -10 second a delay from the ignition to the time the fuel pump kicks in. It you aren't aware of this delay you just think the engines aren't hitting when in fact it is by design. We had an old Mercury balck max 200 on our last boat and it was a screamer. It hit immediately. We are still on the learning curve with these engines.
After letting the engines warm up for about 10 minutes we ran her for about an hour. Maxed out the port side engine at 5200 RPM and the Starboard side engine at around 5000 RPM. The engines are not counter rotating at this point and I believe that may be the cause in teh slight RPM differential. One prop cuts virgin water and the second prop is cutting through water is already in motion. Does that sound plausible? At WOT she ran at 48-49 MPH according to the GPS. That was with a full tank of gas.
She is a big smooth riding boat. We did find out that the trim on this boat is much more important than it was on the 19-6 FF. On that boat we basically used the trim to balance the weight and level out the ride. On the 250 CCP if she isn't trimmed right she begins to porpose pretty good. We are now in the process of fixing and replacing all the little bells and whistles. Livewell valves, minor hardware issues and a pump or two. Looking forward to getting her down to the Louisiana Gulf Coast soon.
