Talked to Biggus today as he was steaming through Indiana. Sound like the Konrad Drive is a very nice alternative. He sounded really pleased, but I'll save the details for him to post!!:)

Kurt we need details!!!and lots of pics ......Please!!!:D

He is I am sure back in town but BEAT. Look for more info tomarrow after he gets a chance to play with DOG BOY :D

Jon

Wow! What a trip :D The run back to Maine was a breeze with no problems. Good to be home!

My last post was typed from the hotel lobby and was hurried. I had just re-read it and decided to edit it somewhat to make the info more clear.

Testing Friday went extremely well. We had tested several sets of props (27 Mirage+, 26 Bravo 4 blade and 26 Power Tech 4 blade) and two different propshaft heights. We ran it hard all day and it sure is fun not having to worry about exploding drives! The boat really came alive with the spacers removed (540 drive propshaft is 1.6" higher than a TRS) In the end we had gained close to 5 mph over the Merc TRS set up!

I'm so impressed with the Konrad product! The 540 drive is a heavy duty unit with much larger gears and bearings, holds 4 more quarts of lube than a TRS and still out performed the TRS by a long shot. As tomcat had mentioned, beefier drives usually mean slower speeds but not in this case. The much sleeker 540 lower unit is light years ahead of the old TRS gearcase and makes up for the increased drag of the heavy duty internals.

After spending a full week at the Konrad facility I am convinced they really do produce the Rolex of stern drives and IMHO they produce one of the finest products in this country.

Thank you Konrad Marine,

Kurt :cool:

I just read this whole thread from start to finish, without skipping to the end, and now I've gotta clean off my monitor!

Bolts up to a trs transom assbly he says?!
4mph faster he says!?
Rated at almost 800 ft/lbs he says??
But should handle more says!!!!

......Ssspllaattt!!!!!

I was fully resigned to finding a decent #3 setup by next winter (single), pay about $7-8 grand, go thru a **** load of work & still have used ??? able stuff.

I must be dreaming! I'll go to sleep and see if this thread is still there in the morning. If it is, I'll go tell my huber trans and 700ft/lbs that there prayers have been answered.

I'm also going to apply for a job as Konrads marketing director! These things have been around how long!!!
Adds in "Powerboat" magine must cost a zillion dollars.

here's one of the boats these drives are made for!!!

:eureka: Biggus, what was your discount for the "promised OSO publicity" ??? :D :D

And Tim G. Why must I PM somebody?? What can't you say in public?? The whole point of this is that it's a public forum.........................:rolleyes:

Here is a before shot of the old TRS set up

The 540 is available with or without a nose cone. We decided that my boat would not benefit from the cone because it requires quite a bit of positive trim to get the best top speed and in this case the cone would cause drag.

The atttention to detail here is phenominal. If you order a drive with the cone, the cone is welded on a raw casting then machined to keep the tolerances correct.

Every third case is pulled from the line and all dimension's are thoroughly checked with this laser unit

Here's a few upper gear cases ready for powder coating.

All the Konrads drives are powder coated. The finish is amazing