One problem that killed the blackhawks was the difficulty with planing the boat. This is where the through prop exhaust came in. The idea was that by using the Captains Call system, the exhaust would help the props slip a bit when planing. Even then, I have seen shafts twisted off from too heavy of a throttle. The next problem was flying the boat and being on the throttle on reentry. This was shattering the gear sets. I believe my drive was rebuilt with the XZ gears.

What a cool setup. Updates?

Anyone ever tried to use a modified B3 for a fast single? Like a homemade BH.

Good question!

dose anyone know what prop company made these cleaver props for the blackhawk outdrive, call 732-372-1904, or [email protected]

I'd swear Spinelli made them. Merc used to, but they're discontinued. Ironically, I had 4 sets at one point. Sold them for the same price as the out drive when the economy fell out.

Ron Hill made custom cleavers for the blackhawks so he might have something

I was reading this old thread, looking for info on x dimension, surface piercing vs non surface piercing props etc. I find the Black Hawk drive very interesting, does anyone have a BH and props for sale or know where to find one?

My project for those interested-
1988 Taylor LP 20ft 468 Chevy Bravo One
This boat has been in the family since day one, my grandfather special ordered it with the bravo one, he wanted to go faster than the other jet pumps. Taylor built jet boats, they may have done a few B1 LP’s but I have only seen one or two in existence. This was an experiment, now 2 generations later, I find the challenge of going faster very interesting.

Currently the boat runs 74mph with the 500ish hp big block I put together, and 25p mirage, at 5500 rpm. 27p mirage does the exact same 74 mph at 5000rpm. Current X-dimension puts the prop centerline around 6” below the bottom pad of the boat. It’s actually a delta pad as it is supposed to be a jet. Slip numbers are really high around 20-25%. What can I learn from these things? How do I go faster?

In the service bulletin for the Black Hawk drive they state the boat needs to have natural bow lift, check, and delta pad, check. Anyone have insight on if I could find mph gain from the black hawk?