"homemade" alpha ss
 

Got a friend that's a boater and member of this site as well that is a welder and fabricator by trade. We were talking the other night about taking some alpha uppers we have laying around and making them shorter, similar to the alpha ss. What all is different internally between a normal alpha and the ss version other than the intermediate shaft that connects the upper to the lower? Anybody have any experience with this kind of project?

fixx
 

becides that shaft and the upper neing shorter you will also need a cle lower case which is on the bridgeport outboards..
what your talking about has already been done..
heres the trend..

http://www.rlcboats.com/triple_digit...pledigits.html

That's where we got the idea. Not so much worried about the lower as we could add nose cones. My other question would be does anybody know if those rlc drives are legit or garbage? Isn't that the same "triple digits" that got laughed off this site and could never prove the boat ran that fast?

fixx
 

theirs a guy on donzi.net that is running one of his drives,,he said he picked up like 7 mph (i think)..

also a guy named rootsey, he made a appha ss drive also on donzi.net

I've got a ready to bolt on Alpha SS for 2350 if anyone is interested. 1.32:1 ratio

I know that guy with the Donzi if he is from MN, its a Donzi 18. Have have yet to see the drive because he blew up his motor the year get got his drive and I haven't seen the boat out since. He said it was 7 or 8 grand for the setup, and he may be sending it back to get another 1" taken out.

for that much coin I would be trying a Blackhawk instead..

Just got off the phone with the guy at RLC, the folks that make the aftermarket performance alpha drive. He told me a shortened drive will not help unless I'm turning 6000+ rpm. Told me my engine needs to make peak power at 6100. Says they build a "pleasure" boat engine that turns to 6400 rpm and still runs reliably on the low end and is perfect for skiing and water sports as well He also told me I'd gain 3-4 mph by switching out my 650 cfm carb for a 750 cfm. I think 650 cfm is plenty for a mild 350 in SBC but I may b wrong. He also stated that 5200 rpm is not enuff to get any kind of speed out of the boat. I'm calling :bsflag: on this. His answer to a cam was to call comp cams and tell themi want a 6000 rpm cam. Can anybody shed some light on his theory? I'm already at 62-63 mph. Looking for 65-66. I really don't see the need to turn an engine that hard to get the speed I'm after.

Forgot to mention, drives start at $3500 and go up to $7500 depending on options and carry zero warranty

He hit 85 with a new 500HP 383.

I had a Alpha SS on my last boat, a '88 Baja Sunsport 196. I sold it with a stock Volvo-Penta 350. My mechanic and I did back to back testing between a stock Alpha and the SS within 1.5 hours. The boat ran 60 with the stocker and 65 with the SS while only spinning 4800 RPM.

That sounds more reasonable. I can't imagine an engine swinging 6000 rpm would last very long anyway unless it was built to the hilt and we all know those kind of engines aren't cheap :lolhit:

Biggus,I`ll be in Maine next week at the folks house if you want to bring it down I`ll give you a check.:evilb:

Why do my kids need to go to College:lolhit:

Where in Maine are you going to be? Give me a call, if you want it, I'll deliver.

Kurt 715-410-0735

Thanks Kurt I would love it only joking we`ll be at my parents house in Ogunquit.

thanks

mark

Ogunquit? Bring your boat to Sebago!

fixx
 

i wing mine to 6200 every weekend for miles and for over 10 yrs.. i also have a 750 cfm carb but at your elevation i would find a blower and go from their instead of going with the drive..

That's pretty impressive. What Are the build specs on your engine? I'm thinking my best bet is to quit dicking with this thing and just enjoy it. I have a 62 mph boat that I love and only have about $10,000 in it including the purchase price, new motor, new floor and stringers, and a brand new upholstery job. Might get my propped worked a little for a slight gain and start saving to build a new engine with more guts at later date. I can buy a lot of gas and beer for what I can spend on a drive that may or may not work out for me.

fixx
 

i posted my specs when you were building your engine..forged internals,6'' carello rods,srp pistons ported,rpm alunimum heads ans a comp xtreme marine cam retarded2 *.

I remember that now and just went back and looked at that thread. I'm thinking my best bet is to leave this thing alone and enjoy it the way it is. Might get some prop work done to gain some but I believe that will be all for now. Gonna start saving money to build a 383 in a year or so. Every summer I say im going to just ride it and forget it but something always gets me wanting more speed. Oh well, I'll get in the 70's one of these days.

Back in the early '90's, a friend of mine had a Chaparral Villian (can't remember if it was 21' or 23') with a single small block and an Alpha drive. He tried about every prop on the planet (Mike Spinelli was just down the street) looking for more speed. The boat ran low 60's.

Then he bought an Alpha SS drive and started trying prop after prop again. The boat still ran low 60's.

Then he bought a 383 stroker motor and tried all sorts of props and both drives. The boat ran mid 60's.

Starting to get my drift here? At the speeds you're running, unless your drive is buried (family boat X dimension), you're just not gong to gain much going to the SS.

BTW, I have a CLE gear case on my Progression. That's the same case as the SS drive. I see a benefit, but I run an outboard on a jack plate.

this sounds like a job for tripple digits...i miss him