V drive with Perkins, what transmission?

Ok guys, I asked about Volvo and bravoIII outdrives not long ago to use with my Perkins but am just gona save some headaches and $. I will go V drive with my project.

Heres the deal:

I have a 26' with a 10' beam Proline project boat. I Installed a Perkins Range4 275ti under the center console. The engine has 275hp and lots lots lots of torque. Top RPM is 2800.

What kind of transmission and gear ratio do you guys think i should use to achive top speed with the v drive setup? What prop size should i start trying with?

I am new to marine diesels and am lost in V drive configuarions so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Sounds like an interesting project, but you may be getting the cart in front of the horse here. Can your existing shaft/strut handle all that torque? Will you be able to swing a large enough prop? How did you determine where to install the motor without having the gear in place? are your exhaust and cooling systems large enough for the diesel? You will probably be looking at about a 1.5/1 gear ratio, possibly less if you have to use a really small prop. These are all issues that need to be addressed prior to starting the project, and there will be many more before it is finished. Have a look at boatdiesel.com It costs 25 bucks to get in, but is well worth it if you are serious about your project. Good luck, Don