Number six on a single vee - Pros and cons?
 

Looking at swapping out to a number VI drive and curious how well it works on a 29' single vee-hull. Pretty standard hull - no steps, etc. Obviously its hands down the best for reliability but how is it for docking, etc?

Motor will be ran with mild boost so probably 700hp or so. Figure I'd kill a bravo and it'll leave me stranded.

So should I make the leap???

Don't think I have ever seen a 6 on a single before?? Just thinking out loud I think too heavy?? Have you looked into a Konrad? They are supposed to be rated for 800hp. Also a Nxt drive(if you can get one)

Those are both great choices...and I've looked into both. Working my angles at Mercury trying to get my hands on a NXT but doubt it'll happen.

This used number 6 came my way and thinking of jumping on it. It is a wet sump so my understanding is it uses about 75hp more that dry sump #6. Not ideal but I could live with that till I upgrade it to a dry-sump. Like you said, not sure the pros/cons on a single like this....

JC and Masher44 both have single sixes on their Activators.

look pretty cool too..... :cool-smiley-011:

Give Speedmasters inc. a call. They are very familiar with the different versions of the VI, one of the wet sumps with the tie bar mounted on the BACK not the TOP can be hard to find parts for. If the drive is fresh and doesn't need rebuilt then it may be ok.

As far as weight goes they are heavy and do extend back very far, which can hurt the CG of the boat. It might not break, but if it hurts the performance, stability of the boat it might not be the best answer. There are quite a few of boats out there that have a single VI and seem to run good.

Try posting this in the general forums and see what comes up. Keep us posted on the project.

And yes they look bad a$$!!!

Ok downfalls....

Mine was new with a used wet sump 6 from the factory (custom build). I would get one of those... much cheaper. The 6 was put on the boat as a bulletproof drive set up rather than a surface drive. Mine and JCs are the same setup as far as X dimension. He based his install off mine. The drive sits a few inches deeper below the hull than a traditional twin set up, not at the surface. I tried messing with the drive height last year with spacers, props etc etc with Leon Derebery. We tried just about every possible set up and long story short and thousands in spacers, dialing and prop purchases/testing, we went back to original set up. We were trying to get it to be a true surface drive and more speed. Being a single, it needs bow lift and the prop needs to be in the water much more. Without my 2.5 inch spacer I was able to run a much bigger prop but when I added pitch to it, the boat layed over and would get nose heavy....
Try to find someone with your boat that runs a 6 drive and runs good, base your application on that instead of spending a bunch of cash trying to figure it out. Prop selection will be a tricky one. Took me two years to get mine set up.... (I added more power and it was a bear to find the right prop.)
Also it is a PITA trying to find single 6 props for testing and purchase... chances are used 6 props are not true to pitch that are on the prop. The ones I bought have been 2 to 4 pitch sizes off. You will most likely have to buy one that is close and have it worked on for best speeds and handling.

Still wouldnt hesitate to do it. I mash mine and it wont break... why always cringe with a bravo?

Thanks guys this is exactly what I wanted...realworld experience. I was concerned with stability with a single but agree placing the prop deeper in the water and running it as a standard drive vs. surface drive should help tremendously.

I was looking over the pics of the drives the seller sent over and noticed alot of the skeg has been removed (maybe 4" left). He tells me this is perfect for a single application as the large skeg is only needed for surface applications. Any thoughts on that???

I agree Masher....mash it and forget it!!!!!

( Check300 ) on the board has a single #6 on his 30' checkmate with no step's. Boat runs very strong and the docking is great. I have ridden on it,................awesome !!

P.S. I have an extra wetsump #6 if ya need it.
RH rotation with a 1.5 ratio


Jon

Jon...seeing as you are about 1500 miles closer than my seller PM me a price!

Here's a shot of my current setup...just beggin for a #6!!!:cool-smiley-011: