Express Package

glorey

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We bought a 2375 GCW out of dealer stock. It had the express package with lifting strakes and rough water package. We put a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke on it. I am having some second thoughts. I spoke to our dealer and he tells me this will do a great job for us and if we are not happy he will order us a new one. I was leaning toward the ESP and a 200 or 250. ( after being on the site for a couple of months) I wonder is anyone has a similar set up or any feedback.
 
Hehe, is your dealer going to give you what you paid for the first one and let you use it until the new one arrives? I honestly have never been on the express package, so I can not comment on its real world pros and cons. There are some people on here that have it and have nothing but good to say about it. My thought is this, if you have the means to get the ESP and a bigger motor,I KNOW you won't be disappointed in it. If the bug is already in your ear about thinking the express pkg won't be enough, that bug will not get quieter, you will forever second guess "what would it be like if....." so the choice is yours. Go all out and spend a wad of cash and know you'll be satisfied, or wonder. The 2375 is a great boat and layout, I was hanging out on one at the boat show, but I love my ESP!! Shhhhh, turn down the music, turn off the television and listen..........what does you wallet say to you? Ahhhh the who are we kidding, what does the little red guy on your shoulder say and when does the bank open!!!! Hehe happy thinking!
 
We live on a small 800 acre ski lake where turning and quick maneuvering is a must. We demo'd a 2275RCW with express, Merc 150 4-stroke, no power steering, and then tried an ESP with Merc 250 with power steering. For our needs there was no comparison, especially with my wife and two daughters driving the boat. If you spend time on bigger lakes where agility is less of a concern, the 150/Express should suit just fine. Obviously, by the time you get all the goodies you need, the ESP/200hp+ adds a LOT of money to the bottom line, but it is a fantastic package.
 
The Express Package gives you 90% of the benefits of a full length middle toon for $1500 less. At a sitting rest, the rear of the Express Tube may rest a little lower in the water. But there doesn't appear to be any difference in speed between the Express Tube and the full length 25" tube with strakes.

The price difference between the Express Package and an ESP high performance hull is approximately $4K. Spend that much $, and many owners will often go the bigger motors @ $5K more. And then they'll have to go with power steering assist and a second battery @ $2.5K.

You're going to usually get about 40 mph out of the 150 hp Yamaha or Mercury, which is 3-4 mph less than the full length third toon or ESP equipped boats with 250 hp and at a much higher price. That's 4 mph I seldom would use, as I don't even get above 30 mph in regular daily use.
 
It's all about the ponies. My ESP 2275 GCW boat with a 200 SHO only does 43... But it will consistently pull away from a 150 powered boat even faster when they are both loaded. The extra power definitely makes its mark then. If you can afford it, I would get the best you can. The throttle can always be pulled back... I wish I had gone with the 250, personally. But I'll be happy when my motor warranty is up so I can put the 300 ecu remap into her. :)
 
PDX I have heard others talk about the ecu remap. Could you enlighten me and explain what it is and is it something your dealer does?
 
Still a newbie but my sence is that it is not a good idea to "look back" until you are ready to "look forward." We have a big lake and chose to have a ski boat to go to dinner etc. and back home quickly Ordered a Bennington w/ a 115 to cruise around and not second guess on speed. We have rented 70' and 90 HP's on the lake before we bought the house and pulled the Gal's on tubes with no issue. Can't wait to try the new one but "long and short," Second guessing will give you an ulcer! You will pass us with flying colors.
 
PDX I have heard others talk about the ecu remap. Could you enlighten me and explain what it is and is it something your dealer does?
ECU Remaps are seldom done at the dealer. You can find many performance mods online. I haven't really researched remapping my SHO yet but I would bet that since the everything spec except the horsepower is the same between the 200, 225 and 250 that it is merely programming and octane that is the sole difference. (I have even compared internal engine part numbers to make sure there are no surprises).

On my truck the Remap was done via the OBDii port and was a cable that went to a programmer that could adjust power/economy on the fly. On my Ducati it was done via a "chip" that I could program via USB port with different fuel/air/timing curves to get the performance I wanted, then just plugged the chip into a port under the seat. (An airbox mod was needed to accommodate the extra flow)

I'm guessing the SHO remap will be either via a port or a complete ECU swap. Other Yamaha outboard ECU Remaps go for around $500-$700 with an exchange... Which is way better than the $5k at the dealer buying the 250 to start.
 
I have found there is usually a restrictor plate in the intake as well as the difference in programming.

Less air in, less hp out, compare the intake manifold parts diagrams for the different engines to find the restrictor.
 
PDX I have heard others talk about the ecu remap. Could you enlighten me and explain what it is and is it something your dealer does?
It's amazing what the computers are capable of ..... Factory cars are detuned all the time.

The GTO has probably 50 hidden horses with no mods other than a DIABLO tune. Throw in CAI, headers, and throttle body, prolly another 100. I'm sure the boat motors are not quite as drastic in HP numbers, but here's still hidden horses. They probably rate them at 80-90% of max knowing people will push them. You are just unlocking that last 10% but now you've removed that buffer ....... HAMMER DOWN ......., UHHHH.... I MEAN THROTTLE UP !!!!!!!
 
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