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No problem John, I get the gist of it. Yesterday had the boat out for the first time this year. At 23 hours it ran 52 mph at 5100 RPM at 1,000 ft. It just seems it should get closer to 55 as you suggest. I know it will loosen up a bit more but 3 mph, I don't know. Not to be fixated on the speed but this boat with 20 more HP is a far cry from the 226 with 300 HP that would go 60. Maybe this boat is just designed for water toys.

For 3 miles per hour, little things like a clean hull and using synthetic oil can make a slight difference, but the biggest difference I've noticed is that top RPM seems to vary a little bit from boat to boat. If I can go 5000rpm and you can go 5100, I'm at a significant disadvantage.

Cobalt/Volvo Penta says use mineral oil/dino on my engine until 100 hrs. As to the hull, since my boat is new I'm going to just use a liquid boat soap and a wax/sealer on the hull. No need for anything stronger I don't think.

I think you're exactly right on the hull - keep it clean, but be reasonably gentle to it.

I've seen conflicting information from Volvo Penta about break-in hours, ranging from 20 hours to 100 hours on mineral/dino oil (my engine manual from Volvo says 50 hours). What does remain consistent is their advice regarding max RPM, varying RPM, and other stuff during the first hours on the water. I hit a little over 50 hours last summer on a new boat, and decided to change to synthetic oil (Mobil 1 15w-50) before winter storage.

John

Yes on the soap. Good wax or polish works great.
What oil do they use from the factory and recommended weight? I thought the oil they were using was a synthetic oil. I know mine is older but I use there 5w40 I think it is. Being in warranty I'm sure it says to use there oil.not sure if it says this weight or blend or better.If it does I would switch over. When I was reading on what the Volvo owners were using the Mobil oil was very popular. I'm a manufacturer guy so I went with Volvo.It's so tuff to compare your 210 to the 226 hull. Thats like when comparing it to my 220. I have 8.1 and just pushing 57. Sucks but that boat rides so much better than a 226. Have to give up something. I had a 5.7 gxi 320 hp in my last 220 it ran 54 no problem.props make a big diff.the props on that boat were like new. My boats props now have been rebuilt and I think I lost some performance because of that.

Oil spec for mine at least 30 weight or heavier, with no 0W-30 allowed (but 5W-30, etc. are OK). Volvo Penta's own oil in Europe is supposedly Mobil 15W-50, so I went with that given it's fairly cheap at the local Wal-Mart. I think they want SL spec or better too if you don't use oil from a Volvo bottle.

I clarified several things from my Volvo Penta engine manual and the dealer for my 2016 5.7 320 HP. Not all may apply to your particular engine or year. For my engine I stay with the mineral oil until 50 hrs. then it changes to full synthetic and a dealer inspection. The manual also recommends a fuel stabilizer on every fill up if using ethanol fuel and of course for winter storage. Also, the 87 octane is ok but the higher octanes may contain the more useful additives and engine may have a bit more power. I'm guessing it's user choice on a stabilizer each fill-up but that was what the manual suggested. If 87 was my only choice I probably would for sure.

Using fuel stabilizer should be a higher priority when there's ethanol in the gas (E10), but simply having lower octane shouldn't affect the fuel's longevity. My manual also talks about 87 octane being just fine (I think the compression ratio is 9.4:1), but that the engine is computer-controlled and can advance timing to squeeze a little more power out of higher octane fuel.

Totally agree, no need for stabilizer in any octane fuel unless E10.

I use Seafoam on every 3rd fillup. Incredibly good stuff. I rarely run below 1/2 a tank before I fill. Occasionally I'll get to 3/4 empty, and always feel anxiety when I do, just one of my quirks I guess.

Seafoam stabilizes the fuel and keeps the system clean. Its also really good at removing any moisture from condensation. Our climate is pretty humid.

Of course, this has been with all my past boats , but I'll be doing the same thing with my 240 this spring. We're getting REALLY anxious to get her on the water!

My routine and one comment from a long time Merc mechanic.
My routine is to make the last two fuel ups of the season premium non-ethanol treated with marine Stabil. Otherwise, I fill the boat with pump premium gas which is 93 octane with ethanol.
My boat mechanic recommended that I use premium gas for its "quality". The thought is that premium is a more refined gas. Now, please allow me to put on my petro additives hat... back in the day before ethanol was added, I was told by highly trusted mechanics to use Amoco premium gas as it would leave almost no deposits in the induction system. This was also supported by mechanics that worked at Ethyl that oversaw the testing lab and two old timers I knew. Is it worth the cost??? Only time will tell.
Chris

Your old if you just said Amoco.lol
I worked at one.lol yes best gas back then. Now gas is watched pretty close. I would just use a good top tier gas you pick your octane. I can get 87or89 ethanol free here so that is what I use or our 93 is also E free. Just pay another $.50 per gal. I never noticed much of a performance change between them. It drinks it like koolaid so why pay the extra if it's out of my way to get it.

These days, "premium gas" can mean two things - high octane gas, or top-tier gas. High octane is mostly slightly longer hydrocarbons so it doesn't ignite as quickly, while lower octane has more shorter hydrocarbons like pentane or even butane in winter blends. Top tier is an industry designation for meeting certain additive package and refining requirements, like low sulfur and cleaning agents, etc. For a boat, top tier seems like a great idea but I wouldn't pay any extra for high octane unless the boat's engine can make use of it.

John

Well said John.

I'm old, but not that old... (47). It would be great to hear from someone with a refinery or fuels blending background. For us in the mid Atlantic region, I was told that Amoco premium (93) was the only pigged premium fuel piped into the region. By pigged, that means a rubber plug is put in the pipeline to keep products distinct. Anyway, that was almost 20 years ago, and I can't imagine how adding ethanol impacts quality gasoline, or if any gas grade is pigged anymore.
I will say this... I use treated av gas in my lawn equipment and generators because they sit through the winter. Never had a problem. Love that 100 octane light lead gas. Great stuff.