It really depends on the hull design, weight and beam. The same 350 in one boat might do 58-60 and in another hull it might only do 50. Prop it for the power band of the motor and power loading for the hull. I tend to prefer props on the the side of being underpropp'ed as the overall...
As stated you can't go north of Willow Beach at that time of the year. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day you can IF its NOT Sunday or Monday.
Personally I'd run the full length from Katherines to the Hoover Dam rather that start at Cottonwood. Just my preference.
The lowest water levels are...
With all your metal fab stuff going on there is no reason you couldn't make a steel V-Hull wedge and start ice breakin' on that lake. Don't be a slacker.....
192,000 miles on original motor and tranny and fuel system etc and no issues. 17 years.
If I had to get a new truck today it would likely be gas because of increased gas performance, increased diesel package price and complexity.
Who said it was at 30,000 feet? Answer: One of the players.
How does the player know what altitude it happened at? Answer: He doesn't.
This was a bird strike in during the approach phase. They don't always leave blood and guts. It wasn't at 30,000 feet.
I'm not sure what you are talking about but LAX already has every big piece of iron flying in there right now, at all hours, from all over the place, from multiple airlines.
I'd recommend some AFR 195s but they will eat most if not all of your budget. Those and a bigger cam will get the most bang for the buck.
What size cam do you have now?
What heads?
Can't say its more reliable but the Miele is a very nice unit. Oldest family owned company in Germany if I'm not mistaken. Their tech who did the install was impeccable. I've got two Miele products in my house and they are some of the best pieces of household equipment I've ever owned...
4 blade prop description is a little vague. Brand pitch and diameter are all required to help us give you an assessment. Also what is the drive trim set to when coming on plane? Is the drive set at stock height or elevated?
A Rev 4 would likely eliminate any slipping issue out of the hole...
I can't give you an assessment for the gel work.
For a turnkey motor only, not including install, rigging and misc. stuff you are looking at $8000 to $12000. The 496HO would be closer to the low end number and the 525 would likely be the higher number+.