Thank you for the interesting info on your equipment. :cool:

Very informative.;) :cool:

1. Maybe you are reading what is not written.

2. I'm not sure what you mean........I'm asked any number of questions which I answer.........based on my personal experiences.....without hearsay.......How you deal with that is your issue...not mine. But remember, Ill call 'em as I see 'em......... Let's not make it personal.

3. I remember John and the Ofixco...... If memory serves that boat started out as a the Modified boat "Team Baja" and was owned by a guy in the midwest. John added beaks to the nose to make it legal in Open class.....

T2x

I do not think anyone has done this yet but I am not quite sure so I am asking. Has anyone rigged a Gladiator with a set of #6's on the transom? I do know that Tres Martin has found ways to compensate for certain characteristics in the Gladiator. He would be a good source to contact also on this topic for information on the Gladiator.

Really?.............Let me get this straight!

You earn a living selling Arnesons..........(and God bless you in that regard).....I make nothing from Mercury....yet Mercury has "shaped my opinion more strongly." than yours.

While I respect some of what you have said.......that statement is at best debatable....and at worst.... ludicrous on the face of it.

I am blessed (cursed perhaps) with the world's most sensitive B.S. meter....... and it is ringing like a cowbell right now.

Back to the topic at hand.......... I like and respect Howard Arneson...... and am amazed at his performance boating accomplishments. His drives do certain things well.....and other things not so well (trim). If the "rocker plates" are really trim tabs.......than what the heck is all the bending and convexity about....a gimmick?... Rocker is used , by definition, ...for bow lift......

If your devices are designed to create rocker...than they should, by the same definition,......... lift the bow.

If they don't create rocker....why call them "rocker plates" in the first place? Call them trim tabs......... but then explain how you are going to raise the bow when your drive system merely lifts the prop out of the water when trimmed.

Look........ You sell drives...and I respect that...... I don't....but if I were buying a Skater.....and wanted to maximize re-sale/and enjoyment....... I'd put #6's on it. If I wanted to scatter black cast parts all over the neighborhood....I'd put Bravos on it....(Mercury must have failed on that part of my opinion "shaping") . Does that mean I prefer Arnesons to Bravo's? Probably...but I'd certainly look at other alternatives first.

T2x...........

P.S........ I prefer outboards to inboards of any kind...... Maybe this is why;)

1. That may very well be the case. My apologies.

2. Yes, you do get a barrage of questions. I appreciate you answering them good or bad. Again, maybe I have misinterpreted some of them.

And 3. I have known John and his family for 14 years. I always wanted to ask if you remember him. Yes it did in fact start as a mod and he put the beaks on. Pretty cool that you can remember all that stuff.

John now own's "Thunder Bay Marina" here on Grand Lake Oklahoma. He is a cruiser dealer these days, Kinda funny. :D :D

With all this discussion... I guess I'll comment. knowing nothing about either really :D It seems to me, even though our opinions typically clash that T2x is right. There are many more future owners of the boat (resale value) that would rather have the #6's. The when an new buyer looks at an arneson he sees something he can't quite explain. There are many more mercury dealers throughout the country to service the drives. And then on the other hand the arneson shouldn't need serviced.... I mean there is really nothing there besides a shaft with a u joint. I like the simplicity of the arneson and reliability myself, but with the mercury monopoly the #6 is probably the way to go.

what is the price difference?

I think if arnesons sold new and rigged for less then half of the merc they would be the best choice.

Merc can sale their big drive because of the name and reputation behind them. Arnesons are really only found on extremists boats.

Ernie

my bro has arnesons on his 39 express cat...runs great docks simple....would definately say buy arnesons

You are obviously dancing around in this far too much and diverting from the topic. I never said that the Rocker Plates did not create rocker merely that an Arneson Surface Drive does not have to be accompanied by them for a boat to work. The Rocker Plates also create hook, why don’t I call them Hook plates??

You stated your option that they Arneson’s are a mistake, dangerous and need a band aid to work, but at the same time you state that the boat manufacturers are looking for an alternative to Mercury’s drives. If Mercury’s drives are so perfect then why would anyone want an alternative? Why is a K-Plane not a band aid and why would a boat need a drive to pick the bow up and a K-Plane to push it back down with and still be considered great? It’s just the reverse of your negative statement of the Arneson’s.

Also, you should really do yourself a favor and actually get some experience with the said boat this topic is covering. I have and hence I can tell you what it is like. The boat definitely does not need any bow lift from the Rocker Plates in order to run well or fast with the Arneson’s. The Arneson’s also do not make it a dangerous boat or a mistake.

The B.S. meter must not read your own writing as you have more of a biased view than anyone else that post on this board and it is consistently Mercury and negatively towards Arneson’s when the topics arise. If the world only heard your un-experienced view it would be a far worst world. I have provided a proven example of the boat that Trader1 wants with the Arneson’s that is a success and you have not persuasively proven otherwise.

I agree, outboards are amazing. That’s why I use them on the 28’ Skaters that I sell but not the larger boats.

Now let’s let this thread continue without the banter.

You Bad ;)