Grabber Blue Chaudron Pro S-25 Mercury Racing 300R Performance Update
After several months of ownership, the owner of the Grabber Blue Chaudron Pro S25 with a Mercury Racing 300R has some updates on the performance. Usually running it near the Fort Myers coast in Florida and in the chain of lakes in central Florida. Lee has put lots of hours on the stunning 25. With two batteries, subwoofers under the deck, and some other additions, this is no lightweight hull, but the 300R really pushes it. Let’s take a look at the details.
The 25 footer is a great size for the V8 300R and because of the narrow beam is an incredible performer in rough water. Featuring a 24 degree deadrise, twin steps and around 2,200 lbs dry.
One thing Lee added was low profile seat suspension, these are made by Garelick and only add 2” to the seat height. That’s extremely low profile but Lee said it makes a noticeable difference. He runs the boat in all kinds of water, and the added comfort would be really nice I’m sure. The Chaudron is exceptional in rough water for it’s size. Lee also added a sliding foot throttle mount for adjustability. With DTS you can use a foot throttle and switch to hand with the touch of a button.
The Garelick 7700 active seat suspension is a low profile simple design that makes a big difference.
After trying a few props, the prop of choice right now is the Max 5 ST. The Mercury Racing Max 5 ST, is a 15.25” diameter 5 blade with a shortened exhaust barrel (short tube: ST) and is designed for extreme engine heights. With a 28” pitch, the Chaudron is running 86.6 right on the max RPM of 6,400. Testing was with a full tank.
Two Simrad NXT handle engine monitoring and navigation.
That’s pretty exceptional for a 25 deep deadrise boat that is around 2,200 Lbs dry. A 28” Bravo FS added acceleration but was about 2 MPH slower. This was with the propshaft at 2 ¼ above the bottom. Every boat is different for engine height, check your water pressure, some pad bottoms might need to be a touch lower to keep the skeg in the water more.
The 5.44 sport master likes to be run really high. Anywhere from 1.5” to 2.25” above the bottom depending on your application. Good shot here of it running.
For cruising, the Max5 ST 28’ can run 45 MPH at 3,500 RPM with 55% throttle. Slip on this prop was 11 at full throttle.
A Lifeguard air fuel separator was added
The Bravo props tend to be a little lighter in pitch. I’ve run a different 25 300R with a 30” Bravo FS and it was in the 86+ Range and was not broken in yet and It was a lighter boat. A Max 5 30” would be really interesting to try. Chaudron has run a 25 with a 300R and a Hydromotive 30” P5 15.25, to 92.6 MPH on a light setup. The real magic of this boat is the rough water ability though, not many 25 footers can hang in the rough with the Chaudron; the narrow beam and 24 degree deadrise are really the difference. The steps keep the hull running really flat.
Thanks to Lee for sharing the information, he is logging lots of hours. Look for him in central Florida and the Fort Myers area. The Grabber Blue paint is absolutely stunning in person.
Specs: LOA 24’3”, Beam 6”, Fuel 45 gal, Dry weight 2,200 Lbs
Top speed as equipped: 86.6 MPH at 6400 RPM, Prop Mercury Racing Max 5 ST 28”
Measuring your engine height and knowing all your parameters is key to getting the right setup. Prop shaft to running surface is critical with a surfacing drive like the sport master.
