New Project: 26 Corsa
 

Picked it up last weekend. Gutted the cockpit interior and cabin so far. It's set up for TRS but a Bravo conversion is first on the list of things to do. Boat is solid and the hull and deck is glassed together. It has a full liner in the cockpit which is cool but I was hoping to pull the gas tank and replace it. I hate to cut the floor...but. I'm looking for some info on where to set the X with a Bravo if anybody knows. Also suggestions on paint, or I could keep it the way it is:D

Just in case you want some history on that boat - I remember the day that boat showed up in 1983. It was built for a guy named Angelo Leone from New Rochelle, NY. Angelo owned it for a couple years and sold it. Originally it had a Speedy II, which apparently wasn't much liked by the original owner. He swapped it for a regular TRS. Anyway, it ended up getting repossessed twice that I know of. The first guy who bought it at a repo auction payed 6500 for it and put a 427 Chevy in it - not the right engine for that set up. The boat never ran right and from there it was bought by a guy with some bucks who had Don Roberts (ex Jesse James Engine builder) build a string of motors for him. The last of which had a blower on it, so the reasoning for that big box instead of the stock hatch. Finally the owner attemped to paint and upholster the boat himself - hence the horrible upholstery and disgusting paint. After that he just left it at Robert's place and it was repossessed again. Don also built that box for the engine. Regardless, that's one very solid hull. As for the paint - go old school. It had the Burgundy Silver and Black Corsa C stripe originally - it would look hot all original looking again, life line and all - with a Bravo and big power hiding in the back. Just my 2 cents!

Thanks for the history. That's pretty much what Don told me also. The interior was horrible, that was the first to go. I'm thinking some nice high back buckets would fit perfect. The more I sit and look at this boat the more I like it. It's going to be nice.

JDub i have 2 bravo drives sitting in my garage

what about a transom assembly?

john, if you are thinking of big HP, and its already rigged for a TRS, maybe u should consider a konrad.

Hey, i got a bravo with a cone and a 2005 gimble out of a 31 CORSA i got everything,goin ob:D those guys are right,big power,a bravo might not last,but the one i have is a xr a 1.5 gear,my buddy went from a bravo on a 30 superboat with a 540 went 85 easy,but had some drive issues,mostly the uppers,with that crappy cone clutch deal,went to a drive with a bw 72 and lost alot of speed ,the conrad would be good but weigh the cost of a conrad vrs 5 or 8 uppers of a bravo,and if u are a mechanic,u can change the cone clutch. take it easy and maybe it will live,but those trs drives are pretty tough and can handle alot of power!!! pm me if u are intrested in the bravo i have tripps

J only the drives them selves i do believe someone on the board is selling gimbles for these drives but im not 100 percent on that. I heard the trs can only handle 500 h.p. max but that like i said just what has been said
Mike

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Yeah JDub - it has all sorts of potential. A guy up my rerigged an '84 26' Corsa with an 800 hp naturally aspirated engine and an XR, that boat was good for over 90 - and it was very driveable. I rode in it with a full length drive with a spacer and it was horrible. It settled down nicely with a short lower given the drive mounting height he used. Great handling hull.

Quest, do you recall the height? I set my excalibur's X at 18 and it seems to be pretty good. Sets the prop shaft below the keel close to 3 1/2" or 4" (can't remember).

Storm, the TRS gimbal is shot so I would need the whole Konrad $etup. A little glasswork I can handle plus I already have a Bravo waiting. Just need a gimbal.

Tripps, check your PM

Sick, thanks for the offer but I got a drive.

Tripps, can't send you a PM. Check your email.

ok.
if you could swing a spare drive, i'd swap them every season, and have the other rebuilt, just waiting... as insurance.

Sent Tripps a email so that might be a good plan. Keep mine as a backup.

J you already have Bravo's?

Sorry to jump on this thread but we do have a 2008 new unrigged 26 Joker for sale. It is very similiar to the Corsa.

Smiklos, thanks for the info. I'm not going to run a box. Once I'm done the refurbish work I will get a running weight (should be close to stock).

Joker, I would have loved to have one of yours but I couldn't pass this one up.

Sick, yes I have a drive.

I'll give him a call.

Thanks

Miklos told us to run the box on the 26 we built Tyler Crockett and it handles , drives and runs awesome. Miklos knows the boat inside and out. Good luck on your project.

I would love to run a box but I just got full hydraulic steering I was going to put on the excalibur but now its going to go on the Corsa. The ram lengths won't work with the box.

Now that I see your pick I guess they may work. What box is he runing?

I think a IMCO. Tyler is frequent on the board here. He rigged the heck out of his 26 Joker.

That thing is bad. I need those seats, PPI right? Do you make your own seat stands or do you buy them? I'm going to need them also.

We make them out of aluminum. Yea go sit down and go fast.

Thats the plan

what is your company web site adress?

jokerperformanceboats.com

For how to set up a 26 Corsa contact SMiklos (Steve Miklos) on this board. He hold the APBA kilo in a Corsa and has more wins in a 26 Corsa than anyone. He will know exactly how to set up your boat.

JDub - the guy I know said he set the X Dimension at 3" below the bottom. He said you can go 3 1/2" below if you want to go conservative, but 3" works very well. This guy played with the height a lot, short lowers, stock length lowers, spacers etc. to come up with that height.

Thanks guys.

TRS single CANNOT handle over 550hp. TRS in latin is PFE, which stands for Pure Farm Equipment!! I'm on #5 in four seasons, 60 hours is the most I can get, and that's not "letting it all hang out" --- so far, it hasn't really cost me anything, just trading parts, doing my own work, but it's a pain in "A" getting towed. :(

If you want to go fast in that boat (over 65mph) then:

some drive issues?? hellllo......5 or 6 Bravo uppers?? Weigh the cost? I guess you and your boating buddys/guests time ain't worth much, huh. My weekends are worth a fortune to me. Sell the wifes car, cancel the kids college, mortgage the shed, something, geezzz........ get a drive that will hold - trust me, breaking drives $uck$ A$$ - I rather be "turnin' props", not wrenches. I'm barely at 600hp now, hoping to go to 700 next, but won't even consider ANY type of Bravo, even at 600hp, even if it has all them thar "billet wershers and polished shafts". I left one sitting in my shed for 4 years (held up great behind 480hp and a 3,000lb 24'er) while I blew up TRS's because I knew it wasn't worth the conversion - even traded it for TRS just so I could not miss a weekend, finish the summer, and finally make it to my Konrad conversion this winter (which I still cannot afford, but am doing it anyway, becasue I like boating, not working on boats). Why would you want to go through all that re-rigging, knowing you're setting yourself up for failure?!! I would think the bagillions of bravo gearsets sold would tell the story..........................

I just can't figure out why everyone thinks "thier" bravo story will be different.............I'm no expert, but the tons of info is out there............

Of course, if you just want to get it running, take it easy and cruise around, maybe go fishing once and while, pull a tube for the kids, then forget everything I just said, my bad :):)

So,does any body want the bravo set up??? got everything, gimble transom plate,oil tank sterring setup,tripps

Hang Time, I made the TRS to Bravo conversion in my 27 Excalibur. Running 81 GPS with no problems so far. Maybe your having some sort of operator error:cool:

I dont know, 4 years of racing, and not off the boat yet???

its all in the throttle hand.

love that pic

Not taking sides but bravos scare me too............

My 26 Corsa runs 72 with a bravo and a 496ho I have full hyd. steering and looking for a used stellings box. I will probly have to do some fab work also to get my rams to work with the box but from talking with Steve M. It should be good for close to 80mph. I have been up in the air lately about selling it and everyone who I have talked to about it talks me out of it. The more time I spend in it the more I want to keep it. I am going to run LC poker run this weekend and can't wait these boats love the rough stuff and will take just about anything you have balls enough to throttle thru. Great project boat keep us updated.

Muffman thanks for the post. I was thinking a box also...that mph increase is impressive. I got a question for you. How long is your gas tank? Does it extend into the cabin? I want to take mine out and check it, but not if its gonna be a major pain. It would just help me sleep better at night.

jdub,

Yes my fuel tank does extend into the cabin. You would either have to seperate the top have of the boat or do some major cutting and glass work. If your just wanting to check your tank I suggest buying a cheap fiber optic boroscope on ebay then remove your sending unit and inspect it that way. I have a friend that has a 340 Searay and he had a leak in his fresh water tank which was also aluminum. My boroscope worked great and I was able to find the leak with the scope. Anyway I think this would be a good alernative to just pulling it out to check it. By the way my tank holds about 80 gal of fuel.

Alex