outlawinil

I'm with you Bigwavz, I think how you drive has alot to do with outdrive life. Everyone needs to accept the fact that 30+ foot boat doesn't need to beat a 24 Outlaw with 700 horses out of the hole. I never throw the throttles all the way forward on my 33, just ease into it, let the props bite, get up on plane, then slowly push the sticks forward. Of course I change gear oil every year...cheap insurance.

obnoxus

I have a 38 Special that I service with 1,000 hours on the engines and drives.

He just lost a drive at the end of the year 502 MPI's had 1:36 gears in it.

I switched him over to 1:50 and he said its a totally new boat.

Dock Holiday

Ask Tyler about the 36 down here on Lake Norman that he built the motors for. He now has #3's on it now.

A buddy had an 01 with 502's that he built up and but Whipples on. Finally got IMCO's to last.

I never hammer my boat out of the hole. Actually I have had several people to tell me that my drives will last FOREVER the way I drive. I have billet top caps with intregrated coolers and change my drive oil every 20 hours with the engine oil.

I have replaced one drive completely(port), and rebuilt the Starboard with a total of 280 hours on the boat. Running stock 500 EFI's. They are Bravo XZ drives with 1.5:1 ratio.

A good friend with a 36 Apache was having the same problem with stock power. Almost the same hull and weight as the 36 Outlaw. He had his rebuilt about two seasons ago by Max Machine Worx and they are holding up well. He agrees with the weight issue.

The boats are heavy. I have friends running 950 HP through a stock Bravo in a 26 foot boat and they know how to drive it to make it live. But the boats weight 5000 lbs or less.

Not trying to disagree at all, but I have seen too many 36's go through drives. The weight of the boat becomes a big factor. It puts a lot of stress on the drives. My boat weights in at 11,000 lbs + with four people gear and full load of fuel.

We test drove a 46 Black Thunder at the Miami boat show with 525's and XR's. I thought the boat was nice, but under powered. I also wondered about how the drives would hold up. It had 40 hours on it. Just learned last week that they broke a drive on the very next test ride after ours. "Weight"

I wish you the best of luck. Tyler does nice work!

Dock Holiday

Personally I do not know anyone that hammers a 30+ foot boat out of the hole. Have dozens of friends and have run 13+ poker runs and cannot say I have every seen anyone abuse their equipment like that.

If you are implying I do and that is why I and several others I know first hand have lost drives then you are mistaken, and do not know me to make that statement.

These guys can all tell you how I drive and care for my equipment. And I have still lost two drives.

SteelWare
JAkers
Wild Thing Taz
Doctor "K"
FormulaBill
GatorOne
BulletProof
SonnySpectre
Duces Wild
Swede
RHC

Just to name a few.

As for drive oil, not sure how many hours you put on your boat but I get close to 100 a season and just changing it once a season would be bad news from what I have been taught.

Mike Nichols who use to be the local Black Thunder dealer here on Norman was losing drives all the time on his 43 BT. He contributed it directly to the weight of his boat. He told me when my boat was fairly new that I should be more concerned with the drive oil than the engine oil.

I believe he was a very wise person. I ran synethic oil until the first drive failure. Mercury really helped be out on that one and convienced me that they sold a good oil that was formulated for their drives. I have stuck with them ever since and buy the Merc High Performance Gear oil from the local dealer in five gallon containers. "Good Insurance"

The billet top caps are a MUST, especially on the port drive. But that did not keep me from breaking three teeth on the top gear set on the starboard drive.

Good luck with the 38. The cuddy in those is awesome!

garshev

I agree with dock holiday on the weight issue. I also am a believer that the hole shot is hard on drives. What I haven't heard anybody mention is the importance of keeping your drives in the water or getting out of the throttles in rough water. Those telltale off and on rooster tails are a sign of things to come.

Smitty

iTrader: (1)

I wholeheartedly agree that weight is a concern here. I have 1.36 ratio drives on the boat. It is on its second set of drives, but that is because the first owner beat it to death. I don't abuse my stuff. I have been told that the 1.36 ratio will slow me down speed wise, but also that I will have more get up and go off the line. I also use the Merc gearlube, but I have a friend that sells chemicals for machines that really has worked wonders in my other boat. It is a friction modifier/gear smoother type product. After you put it in you almost cannot tell when you shift into gear, it is so smooth.

As someone also stated it is very important to keep a constantly consistent load on the drives. If you are coming out of the water alot, well they won't last. When I drive fast I always have one hand one the wheel and one on the throttles. I always pull back when flying and slowly get back on the throttles after landing. I wouldn't make a very good racer, but then again I do not have an endless supply of gear and sponsors !!!!

All I really know is that I want summer here now !!!
I am headed to Key west for a week tonight and I know when I get back that the ice will still be on the lake

Smitty

iTrader: (1)

Hey Dock,

I was wondering if you knew how fast the guy on Lake Norman with 750 hp was running ?? I am hoping to get to at least 82 and 85 would be great.

little e

Any idea if 500 EFI's with 1.50 gears can swing 26 pitch bravos in the 38 Special?

kr1276

I have 1.36 drives and am turning 21 pitch 4 blades

Dock Holiday

Sorry, been down in Charletson, SC for Easter weekend and a nice ride on Steelware's sweet 33 Outlaw. Would have posted sooner.

I am pretty sure the boat runs on the 90's. I have never seen it run hard. Jeff takes VERY good care of it and has it set up right.

Tyler actually helped them to build the stand off boxes that the transmissions are in and flew down and rigges the boat for Jeff.

Maybe Jeff will come on and give some more details. It is one sweet setup!