offset sterndrive
 

ok you guys . i bought this old race boat in sydney last year . it is an avenger 24" ,cant find any info on these boats other than it is american. it came out to australia in the late seventies to compete in the sydney to newcastle offshore event and was damaged and put in storage and forgotten about 30 odd years ago. at the moment i am repowering it with a 600hp cleveland and an omc king cobra sterndrive.[originally bb chev and volvo penta]. but my main concern is the position of the sterndrive .it is offset about 2 inches off centre and as i will just be using it as an occasional race ,family ski boat i dont want to refit the new drive off centre if it is going to steer like a mongrel. any help would be much appreciated. cheers tassie boy.

Not sure if it will help, but if it raced Sydney to Newcastle, someone at the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club will know about it. Try www.aopc.com.au and send an email.

If you have no luck, pm me and I will get in touch with Colin Craven, there are very few offshore race boats that have run in Sydney that he doesn't know anything about.

thanks mate ,the name on the boat is timewarp if thats any help .it would be nice to confirm its origins as the previous owner was very sketchy on details. but i still need to know about the offset. cheers tassie boy

i can,t believe the only response has been by another aussie. sounds like i,ve asked a question that the yanks cant answer. i think i,ll just fit the drive in the centre.it was probably offset to counteract the torque of the motor or the boys just had a few too many buds that day. cheers tassie boy

I have never heard of the drive being offset, but that sure doesn't mean it wasn't done for some reason.

I answered your other post about the same issue. I need to see a picture.

I think we would all like to see a picture.

Yes!

C'mon Tassie boy give a Queenslander a look.How would you offset a drive anyway.

offset sterndrive
 

well guys i took some photo,s but i can,t work this frigging phptobucket account out . standing behind the boat ,the sterndrive , engine and even the exhausts are 55mm to the left of the centre .it just don,t look right .cheers tassie boy

Sounds like either someone was trying to equalize the torque steer for the driver, or the load of dope was really causing a severe list to starboard.