nedarb: I have nearly the same hull, but in a walk around version which weighs a bit more. The only difference in the hull is that the 247 has a notched transom. The 248/258 eliminated the notch and ran the bottom all the way back to the transom.
An F250 pushes my boat well. It gets up on plane easily, cruises at 4,000 rpm making 27-28 mph while getting 3.0 mpg. Wide open throttle is 6,000 rpm and it tops out at 42-43 mph, depending on load. No speed demon, but fast enough for the waters where I boat.
There are times in a large following sea when I'm tweaking the throttle to work up the back of the wave and then pulling back so as not to stuff the bow when coming down the front of the wave. In that situation, the torque of twin engines might come in handy. But those days are few and far between. I'm happy with my choice of a single engine.
Rob
4/20/09 Update: Was out this morning and decided to open her up on the run in. Hit 42.7 mph at 6,000 rpm with nearly full fuel and full water. The Vista top was folded down.
