B Max vs Imco extreme sc ?
 

B Max vs Imco extreme sc, anyone had big power hooked to an Imco sc? I have seen a few around here, one on a cat and one on a 29 fountain, but what is everyone else using? If you were starting from scratch witch one would you use?:cool:

HP
 

Is it true that a Bmax will slow the boat down 4 to 5 mph because of the amount of HP it takes to turn it?

I had them behind my PQ - 38' 700 Hp +- about 60 Hours Last season. My opinion is they fill the gap between 500 Hp and 800 Hp After that B-max seems a better choice. Other things to concider is re-builds, If I pop a seal or something minor Most dealers could handle it being IMCO's. The b-max seems too exotic for just anyone to work on. (IMHO)

$$$$
 

What kind of price dif. between the sc and a B max?

EMCO HAD THEM ON A 40 HALLET AT HAVASU POKER RUN.I HEARD THEY WENT TO SARASOTA AFTER THE POKER RUN AND BLEW THEM UP. I DONT KNOW THIS TO BE A FACT.ONLY RUMOR RON BENDER

B-MAX WIL NOT SLOW BIG POWER DOWN.DYNOED A 800 HP ENGINE HAD NO LOSS BETWEEN A BRAVO AND A B-MAX. A SMALL LOSS ON SMALL HORSE POWER WILL OCCUR BECAUSE OF THE GEAR RATIO OF 1.30. A BRAVO RUNS A 1.36. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE HP TO TURN THE GEAR DIFFERENCE. SO TO SAY YOU WILL LOOSE 4-5 MPH IS NOT TRUE. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT HP & WHAT YOU ARE RUNNING IT ON. 1.50 GEARS WILL BE OUT SOON. RON BENDER

The IMCO's run about $8500. each, I think the B-max is like 12K It depends on options.

We have had great luck w/ IMCO Xtreme SC's. We have tried them on many applications, and have never broken one. The B max does slow the boat down in most cases, however, in Supercharged applications, the engine will compensate because the added load of the new drive causes the engine to make more boost. IMCO has a 25' Daytona w/ 1400 HP on an SC, and have not broken it yet. We sell the drive very cheap, and offer a discount for those purchasing more than one drive. Feel free to call me with any questions.

Steve

GOOD INFO ,GOOD TO KNOW WILL CALL ABOUT GROUP PRICES
THANK YOU :D :D :D

I HAVE A IMCO DRIVE ON MY 26 FT CAT WITH A LITTLE OVER 800HP NO PROBLEMS (YET) THEN AGAIN IT ONLY HAS ABOUT 15 HOURS ON IT- NOT SUPERCHARGED...

YOUR BOAT DOES NOT WEIGH A WHOLE LOT BUT YOUR TOURQUE MIGHT KILL EMCO'S . WAIT ABOUT ANOTHER 40 HRS & YOU MIGHT BE CALLING ME. $16000.00 DIV.x(60 HRS)=$266.00 PER HOUR.IF YOU LAST 60 HRS WITHOUT BREAKING. I KNOW I HAD TRIP EMCOS. ON MY 37 OL . THEY STARTED BREAKING AT 80 HOURS AND I ONLY HAD TRIP 500 HP'S.AND NEVER QUIT BREAKING!REPAIRS ENDED UP COSTING AS MUCH AS THE DRIVES. WISH YOU LUCK. RON

I agree with Ray!:cool:

ALL DRIVES ARE BASIC. LOWERS ARE THE SAME WITH DIFFERENT PARTS. PARTS ARE ONLY LARGER.WARRENTY CAN ONLY BE DONE BY FACTORY OR JR MARINE. THERE ARE TIMES DEAN WILL LET A DRIVE SHOP WORK ON ONE ONLY WITH HIS OK. THIS SPEEDS UP REPAIR DEPENDING ON THE PROBLEM.SO EXOTIC MAY NOT BE THE CORRECT WORD TO USE.THE ONLY EXOTIC THING ABOUT THE B-MAX IS THAT THEY WORK LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNY THEY KEEP GOING AND GOING AND GOING..................................

Were these drives the Imco Extreme, or the new style Imco Extreme SC?

MARK THEY WHERE THE EMCO ETREME'S. BUT REMEMBER EMCO STILL USES MERCURY GEARS! THEY CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH POWER THEN THEY FAIL NO MATTER WHAT NAME YOU PUT ON THEM. RON

I have the Imco Extreme SC on my 37 A.T., the weight of the boat is approx 10100 lbs, I have only 30 hours on the boat, all of it dyno it in or test rides, and 2 poker runs, to new to rate , but am pleased to this point.:D

Gears
 

Is the reason the gears fail not because of the upper gear housing flexing, and allowing the gears to seperate or grow apart untill they break? That is why I thought B Max and now Imco started building there own upper gear case.
Don't get me wrong I know that the B max is a good drive but the $$ differance is a good bit, and I just think the drive looks a bit heavy for a stock Gimbal.:eureka:

How much power are you running, and what ratio is the drive & prop size?:cool:

Jassman is running 675 Eickerts, through1.35 IMCO SC's. Though the boat only has 30 hrs, they were almost all at WOT. The props have ranged from 32 Bravo's to Hering 5 blades, and the boat handles flawlessly. IMCO SC's are great to about 900 HP, after that, the B max is the drive of choice. The gears weren't the weak point, it was the housing, which has been changed.
Also keep in mind, B max uses an IMCO lower.

IMCO is much cheaper, almost half.

Steve

B-Max has the own lower now, much higher qualitity than Imco's, there isn't any filler or bondo. If your going with big power the B-Max is the only way to go.

a little over a month a go B-MAX started shipping their own lower's. they are available in standard length OR 2" shorter. you can choose either when purchasing a drive.or you can purchase them separately, case only or complete lower with your choice of gear ratio. B-max does not use IMCO cases. in the past customers supplied lower cases when needed, not any more. RON BENDER

I think I will eventually end up with a pair of IMCO Extreme SC's.

I heard that the B-Max has trouble holding oil. No personal knowledge, just a rumor from someone that works on boats for a living.

Not true, B max, or an affiliate, did in fact order tons of lowers from IMCO w/ no vertical shaft, as the vertical shaft won't work on the B max. Also, IMCO lowers are all one piece aluminum, and are available in 1, 2 or 3" shorter. The Bmax is a very strong drive, but it is a gorilla that takes tons of HP to spin, one could just as easily put a speedmaster for the price. The IMCO is the best all around choice.

Steve

Thanks for your help Steve, talk to ya when I get back.:D

Mark,
What kind of power are you running?.
We have shipped close to 300 SC's last year, and have had very few problems. One thing you may want to consider is "Service". If you need to have it serviced, any Mercury repair shop can work on SC's, no need to send back to the manufacturer, which means very little down time.
IMCO

MARK ITS GOOD WHEN THE MAN. TRYS TO HELP YOU DIRECT LIKE ABOVE !!
M. JAMES SURE HOLDS UP BUT I KNOW HIS BOAT IS LIGHTER !!!

Wildthing TAZ, do you know what the cost is for a new B-Max lower with a nose cone. I have a two year old B-Max drive now. I had a nose cone installed on it and they didn't do a very good job.