Pulse Drive
 

Does anyone have any expierence with Pulse Drives. Handling, drivabilty, Docking. Any info would be helpfull:drink:

Re: Pulse Drive
 

Well.......

I like our pulsedrive. I am still working with prop selection but I believe it will get worked out this Winter. The plusses are great handling, easy docking and no maintenance. It makes a great swim platform that is at water level. It allows you to get in shallow spots. The big minus is that it's not a merc product, so reselling the boat may be difficult for the money you want out of it.

I would not want to put a pulsedrive on a single engine vee bottom sport boat if I wanted anything but top end. You need twins to realize all the pulsedrive benefits.

Greg
(credit to OSO Smitty for the rooster tail shot)

Re: Pulse Drive
 

how does the pulse compare to the asd 7, what is it rated hp at, what about price , is it similar to arneson, does it have tranny?

Re: Pulse Drive
 

Frequency how does your boat handle when it get rough meaning 2-3's . Also how does handle in the turns.
Thanks

Re: Pulse Drive
 

I drove a 29' Infinity with a Pulse drive. It was a single with I think 450 hp. It handled extremly well! The main difference between a Pulse and an ASD7 is you stear with the drive. There is a rudder directly behind the prop.
There is a trasmission and the drive can be built to handle most any HP.

Re: Pulse Drive
 

My boat handles OK in the rough, but it could be better. The inner strakes run all the way to the transom on Envisions - lots of stern lift. At speeds over 80 mph the bow is pretty much planted. We'll be taking some hook out of the bottom that should free up the bow. Turns are no problem. My trannies are ZF-63A's upgraded by Huber and are good to 1100 Hp. The u-joint betweeen the tranny and prop shaft is the same one used on Merc's #6 drive. Set the rev limiter to protect the engines and you don't need to deal with the throttles much when getting a lot of air.

I know it may be a tough sell when I'm ready for a different boat, but the benefits of this system are worth the hit. When we raft up you can sit on the platform with your legs in the water. Tube the kids and pull the tube up on the platform for loading and unloading. I can back into a slip with precision, due in part to the smooth shifting transmissions.

I'm pretty close to pulsedrive management. Let me know if you need more info. ;)

Re: Pulse Drive
 

I know that with Arnesons it is harder to dock, I was on the Hustler and expierenced it first hand. Also at top speed the boat feels loose, is Pulse the same way.

Re: Pulse Drive
 

Greg,
I have purchased a new digital camera so I can get you some even better shots this summer !!!!

Smitty

Re: Pulse Drive
 

I drove 2 back to back Hustlers, one with Vyper motors and Arnesons and then the Merc motors with bravo's. The Arneson boat got on plane quicker, backed into the dock as good, but when turning sharp at higher rates of speed on this particular hull, which can get squirly to begin with you had to get use to it. I personally have no problems with them. They are more reliable, can handle more horsepower, downside not as serviceable. A friend has them on a 38 Hustler with 950hp per side, not one problem once all the adjustments were made. I also have straight ASD-8's on my Nortech, very pleased when I went on my test ride, handles and docks as good as my Speedmaster #5's did on my 04 Nortech 4300. Jeff

Re: Pulse Drive
 

Jassman when where docking, was it in strong current? Having the props higher up means less bite at slow speeds. Also getting up plan you really have to tach it up 4500-5000rpm. On the Pulse drive it is a rudder system so that is why I am curious as to how it handles vs a bravo style.

Re: Pulse Drive
 

baja27 - My Envision doesn't feel loose at high speeds. The key to a successful installation is prop selection. When you trim the drive all the way down the props are pretty deep in the water. I don't have to tach up too high to get on plane. The rudders work well when on plane, and they are OK at idle speeds as long a serious course correction isn't necessary. It's no big deal to shift the transmissions in and out of neutral to turn corners. I can spin the boat in place easily. Once I get the hull bottom cleaned up and bigger props I'll be good to go.

Re: Pulse Drive
 

As to the docking with the Hustlers it was not a strong current, could not tell the difference between both the bravo and the asd-6. Also on my Arneson ASD-8 on my 4300 vs my #5 set up on the same boat the Arneson boat had a slight advantage in turning and planing, my #5's were on boxes to act like a #6, the x-dimension might have been a 1/2 high. I also have a friend with 950's/asd-6's in a 38 hustler, had problems planing at first, around 4500rpms, changed a few props, now planes around 3000 rpms, which is normal.

As to the pulse, I know of one, a Black Thunder, it lost 9mph. Also a 38 McManus Cig had them and switched back. There are two people that have them on this board and appear to be happy. I cant tell you if they gained or lost speed on their conversion but they need to anwser your Q's. With any drive there will always be a give or take depending on the application. Do your homework, go for a few rides and talk to the ACTUAL people who have the systems in place in getting the correct info. Good Luck. Jeff

Re: Pulse Drive
 

Thanks Jassman , I looking at a boat that has them on. Also that Hustler got to be a scary ride with such big power.
Frequency did your boat come that way or did you install it and would you go this direction again.
Thanks

Re: Pulse Drive
 

I assisted a good local rigger with the installation. I bought the boat finished w/o power. The pulsedrive was the NMMA new product of the year in 2004 which shows it's potential. The number of installed units is probably much lower than Arnesons, so there is not a lot of field experience with this drive system. With the right props and a good hull bottom I think the pulsedrive has a lot to offer. :cool:

Re: Pulse Drive
 

Has anyone seen the 38 powerplay with this drive set up

Re: Pulse Drive
 

email/call/pm Steve at offshore only. He is the man when it comes to Powerplays.