ICDEDPPL

iTrader: (1)

Has your boat ever seen water? It is Museum quality clean
Beautiful boat!
My vote would be Ilmor/Indy

BigSilverCat

did someone say Arnesons


http://youtu.be/zu98_yPg6aQ

Slippery

Thanks all.

One of these days I'll post some pics of the wiring and rigging that isn't obvious to the eye. Literally has to be seen to be believed.

She sees the water. To each their own but I'm not really into trailer queens & we all know the guys whose boats seem to lose a bunch of mph somewhere between the parking lot and water

To be fair, I haven't seen that so much with the bigger boat guys but we used to - and still do some - play with the smaller boats - and the bull**** factor with that crowd can only be described as "high" but bench racing is part of the fun with any motorsport so I'm not judging. Whatever floats your boat. I don' wan' be no cloud on anyone's sunny day, mon; juss pass de redstripe and we good.

Again, thanks for all the info.

Slippery

Bigyellowcat,

That is an awesome video.

It's winter so we've got time - someone school me on the Arneson.

Maneuverability around the marina ? Reverse ? How do they compare to outdrives ?

I can see the advantages; more economical, I'm guessing less parasitic hp loss, less drag, "tougher" than most drives, really cool roost.

What is the downside ?

But why aren't more boats equipped with them?

302Sport

There aren't any downsides, they dock the same as any surfacing drives like a #6, and don't really stick out any further than bravos on 12" boxes. More boats aren't equipped with them because they don't come with a motor package and most people are very misinformed with bad information that they read online.

precisiondetails

I think the 7m drive from Arneson is unbeatable. Rik made the steering better and it work just like a simple any other normal set up. And then like 302 said- there really aren't any downsides. And everything he said I agree with. No motor PACKAGE, I mean look how Merc goes about things and the savings you get with going with full engine PACKAGE INCLUDING DRIVE

Tibbstoy2

iTrader: (1)

Very impressive video! I would like to see more pictures of the inside when you can get them.

I personally like the 32' Active Thunder engine compartment for space. I agree that a stagger is pretty ideal, but for a side by side, the A/T compartment has at least 2' of room forward of the engines in a Bravo/ASD7M/IMCO SC/X etc... standard setup. I'm a pretty big guy, but can get around the engines pretty easily too. Even better, the engine hatch includes the back of the back seat. When you open the hatch, the engines are right there. Makes changing sea water pump impellers, spark plugs, and alternators easy. If you have tubular headers, the work gets even easier.


I opted to go with 6" taller than standard headers, so that caused the need to raise the hatch. I did it for better header runner length, and better anti-reversion properties with mufflers. It's pretty subtle from the outside though.

I've pulled the engines several times with ease... having 540's with AFR heads certainly makes things tighter though.

I personally don't have the budget to justify a new Merc powertrain package. I honestly don't really care for their packages anyway - as they get better, the price goes up astronomically anyway. There are a few excellent engine builders in Michigan that I would say could EASILY beat Merc pricing and can build a motor that has just as good or better parts. The savings would leave you the choice of drives, and potentially better exhaust options.

No matter what engine you pick, going with an XR drive or IMCO SC (same gears) is probably going to be painful. For the cost, SCX and ASD7M's are both proven to hold up. SCX is usually 3-4 mph slower, but runs standard less expensive props. ASD7M needs SSM props, but gets great results across the board.

By the way, I know a guy in the area (West Michigan) selling a pair of IMCO SCX drives that are just broken in (classifieds).

Slippery

Thanks, I'll post more pics soon.

My back seat is easily removable which provides great access to the engine compartment and eliminates the need for any headstand contortions.

Agreed there are some very competent engine builders here in MI but if I go custom power I'll do a BoostPower setup again. I'm very happy with the one I have,they're not far from Schiada, I can get Alexi on the phone, and if it's a simple tuning issue it can be done remotely by plugging in a laptop. If that doesn't work for the cost of an airline ticket and a night on the town (which admittedly could be expensive) Alexi will fly up.

I think based on all they info I've eliminated the XR drive from the equation. I like the idea of the Arneson drive & will talk to Schiada and get their thoughts. If for some reason I don't go that way I'm thinking it will either have custom power and an SCX or an Ilmor with one of their Indy drives; from what I'm understanding the Indy drive robs less hp than either a merc or SCX and is very tough.

I appreciate the tip on the used SCX drives but we need to get a kid out of college before I order the boat and it will be a year or so to get the boat; we're shooting for summer of 17.

thanks

ToMorrow44

Teague power with SCX drives would be my choice. The reliability of the SCX has proven to be worth the price with anything over 600hp. I would love a 32ish boat with twin TCM 1025s and SCX drives...a 38 Donzi ZR with the same setup would be money.

C_Spray

iTrader: (2)

You have several good options if you want to stick with warranteed power packages:

In the 600 hp range:
1) Mercury 565/Bravo
2) Mercury 600SSCI/Bravo
3) Ilmor 570 (LS)/Teague or Imco

All use Bravo-style props and drives (F-A-R cheaper). The Ilmor will be the lightest, comes with stronger drive options, and will probably use the least fuel. To me the 600 doesn't make sense over the 565 due to the blower.

In the 700 hp range:
1) Mercury 700SCI/NXT or #6
2) Ilmor 650 or 725/Indy

Here, you're looking at pricey Speedmaster style props, but far more robust drives. I'm a fan of the Ilmor package, as it's newer technology, doesn't use a blower, and delivers great fuel mileage. (Gas won't always be cheap.)

Of course, you can still by bobtail engines from either manufacturer, and couple them with Arnesons if you wish. Good Luck!