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I cant seem to find the website i got the info off of, but that does sound right. I found the info 2 summers ago when the boat was being stripped of paint. I think were probably just going to go with a 56'er and i might do the 49 i have just as a back up. I would really love to see this delta break 70, but thats a ways out yet. Getting a better powerhead in general should gain me around 10 mph or so once prop'd right.

The big difference between the 49 and the 56 is acceleration. Here is some realistic expectations for your Delta.
A good blue printed 49......67 to 68
A 56 with a 160 comp. head....68
A blue printed 56.......69 to 71
A pure SST 60.....73 to 74
A mod oval port.....73 to 78

A warning...there is a big difference in handling between a Delta at 60 mph and one at 70 mph. One running low to mid 70s is dangerous.

And yes Dave did sent the FE kilo record Oct. 1976 at Welland 68.6 mph. Smokin Joe has the fastest Record at close to 71 mph with a 49 motor. Big difference was Dave's boat was in race trim. Joe ran a Hugh set back on a one of a kind hull.

SHHH.......You can't rush perfection..

The only thing that will take you to those speeds is a good cleaver prop, you will probably do some buying and trading. My Delta supposedly ran 68 mph when she was raced. I bought it with out a prop. With my first cleaver she ran 60, didn't madder what I did to the setup, I couldn't get her pass that. A few cleavers later and a power head change to a 56 and I'm running 68 mph. I have a fresh power head to try out this summer but I was also warned about a 70 plus mph Delta.

Thanks for the info Hounddog, thats very helpful in figuring out what motor to put on it. What changes in handling at about 70? I would assume the boat just feels very light and "flighty", would doing the yamaha trim be a smart idea when trying to break 70? So in race trim for back in 76, the motor would have been a stock 49 powerhead then?

Your thread really got me thinking about the racing in the mid 70's. Most think the speed years were mid 80's to early 90's with the Critchfields and VooDoo's. That may have been the years of the cheaters. He that cheats best wins. In the early 70's we saw the first pads on V hulls and the Peterborough build OMC Stingers with the nitro case. The Stingers had special blocks and were sold to racers with a cleaver prop for approx $700.00. The motors were factory sealed. Dave was never a major winner in the circle races. His boat was likely a Kennedy splash. Jake Kennedy got a Delta Flyer and made a mold from it. Once the OMC 49 manufacturing moved state side the motors were not as good. Once OMC factory support stopped, racers started doing their own mods. Mercury continued to support racing in Canada. They altered rules to make their motors dominate.
So 69 mph with a factory stock motor is fact and they were not allowed to run power trim. They could not run any set back in 1976. John Beer was likely the prop guy.
You are right about the boat. Over 60 they start to fly. The set back hurts. Most T850 racers running Deltas find the boat difficult to set for the turn, entering the turn at 68. The nose does not want to come down. If your lake running at 70 and hit a good size wave, the boat will take off. The boat is too short and too light to run at those speeds as a pleasure boat!

Must be the same Smokin Joe trying to get $6000 US for a 75hp short shaft stinger with 2 new pistons and $5000 for a short shaft 60hp twin. I think Joe's been smokin a little too much...

I have a 56ci powerhead here I raced last season if you're interested. Only has a couple hours on .040" bore, pistons, and fiber reeds. Pushed my Critch around 72mph $1000. Need race car parts

I never knew kennedy made a flip of the delta, have you seen a kennedy copy? Did they change anything at all? We are running a setback right now because of the steering issue we ran into. We either need a swivel from a yamaha with trim or a 20" omc through tube swivel without trim to take off the setback. Tomcat on here owned the boat previous to us, so you guys might know more about it then we do lol. Im gonna have to do some looking to see how we can set the boat up better.

Hevi Kevi : If we go to a 56'er I would need an adaptor plate from that as well correct?

We're making a new run of adapter plates and tuners right now. A cheaper option is just to find a stock 56 adapter plate and use it. Craig Fraser has one I modified with a different tuner I'm only looking for $100 for. He figured he knew someone that would want it so it's at his place.

Re...Kennedy Delta copy
I owned an original Delta Flyer. The Kennedy was a good splash. The only difference between the two was the width of the deck where it joins the hull. The original was 1/4 inch narrower. if your hull is still good there were people on here wanting to make a new Delta mold.