'95 150 Fast strike rebuild questions

I bought this rig last year. No hour meter but by all appearances looks well used.

Some insights: It had a Renegade 25P prop on it. I never ran the boat with it. I was told a Raker 21P with the 482VS hull would be good. That's not enough prop so I purchased a Raker II 24P but haven't tried it yet. The engine runs good, has some detonation upon decelleration from wide open shut-down but I'm told this is normal, don't do that.

Before I post serial numbers etc. what "opinions" do members here have about performance mods, like Boyesson reeds, higher compression cylinder heads and rejetting. There is only one web site that I've found surfing Evinrude engines, Monty Racing. He offers an intake, heads, adding finger ports and porting the exhaust.

I am considering shipping my engine to him for rebuilding plus some of his mods. Has anyone "been there, done that" what good, bad, ugly can I or should I expect? Would the majority here prefer that I pass on the mods and keep 'er stock for the sake of not blowing up another good engine.

first off good luck on the boat and motor, usually 1995 faststrikes are a reliable motor and also are fairly easy for a certified mechanic ( omc/bomb) to work on a nd there are lots of parts ( new and used) available for repairs.

NOW as for the HI pro questions............ You probably are not going to get any sort of answer you want to hear from the major ( moderators) gurus as they do not repeat do NOT in any way say modifications are in the best interest of the owner or the motor. there are a few people on here who do do modifications but they will usually contact a person privatly as this is NOT a hop up site, it is soley for the information and help in running factory done motors. Now that said there are sites thet cater to the hop up crowd the main one is http://www.screamandfly.com they at times can be a bit rude and crude and socially unacceptable to a new person asking questions or selling items so dont go there unless you are ready to be chided and at times ignored or worse, happened to me and others so a word of warning.
They do supply a needed and good info if the right person answers your questions.

As for Monty and others they have been in the business for a long time so if they were not decent at whet they do they would not be around. they are expensive but if you really want a motor that is to be honest not made for your hull and have money to throw away that is a good route to go. I say this as your hull is only rated for a 175, it may cost 2-4000 dollars to get that added 25 hp, also your hull is not repeat NOT the fastest, lightest hull around. Rangers are NOT repeat NOT bullets , blazers or even stratos's they are not made for speed they are made for fishability it is like compairing a caddy to a corvette yes they are from the same builder ( genmar) but they are worlds apart!!!
the 24 raker is a decent prop tho I would have gotten the older style not the raker 2, you may also want to try a 25 tempest pvs and try different plugs for holeshot. again sorry for the long post but the questions you asked get asked a lot and a lot of times ignored due to the hop up rules here and they needed to be addressed.
Again good luck in your search and your boat. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

I've heard nothing but good about Montys, and they do a dyno pull or two.
The 23 gade worked well on my nephews 95 150 faststrike.

Thank you lkhartwl, I will contact Monty but keep my experiences off the forum.

Now, you are correct on the 482VS's horsepower rating. I plan on keeping that in mind all the while. Rangers are heavy, can't argue that point. But that translates into a nice semi-cushy ride, depending on how choppy the lake is and Kansas enjoys 365 days of wind.... Tonight I was out there testing that 23P Raker II with a 300 Foil. 54mph (GPS) @5000RPM. As choppy as it was, I couldn't trim any higher but I'll give it another mph and call it 55mph. It's a little too much prop. The old 21P Raker wasn't enough and a 23P won't let it rev out. Rick Boger has one of these 482's and recommended the 21. If I can find a decent 23P Renegade, I bet that is a good choice. Smaller diameter is why the 23P 'Gade will go.

Why I ended up buying a new Raker II is, when people sell a prop, there's usually something wrong with it. I bought a fine used prop, it's in the closet gathering dust. I'd rather not even get into that deal, I own it though, it's all mine.