Originally Posted by Sonic30ss

I’m happy for you that you’ve gotten the boat in the water.
I want to share my experiences and another’s experiences (47excalibur) on the site with the Excal.
I put 540s making 640hp/700tq in my boat Matt had something like 1200 hp blower motors. We both had 2:1 B3 X drives, in my case I was pushing the vertical shaft through the top of the older X drives, when I switched to the new versions with the rib cap it would twist the shaft in two, if the shaft survived 10-12 hrs it would eat the gears. I also had cavitation burns on the props so bad pieces were missing. Brett did an awesome job getting the props to bite and not burn, however the drives would disintegrate faster.
The bravo drive just cannot handle the torque and weight of this combo.
We both went to Arnesons, Matt’s boat is still running on a big lake (LOTO?) I just dropped mine in the water yesterday and I’m working on a few new boat items, I should have it sorted by the weekend to take some test runs.

Im not trying to discourage you, merely trying to let you know what you’re doing has been tried before and trying to save you frustration, dollars and lost boating time.
Feel free to call if you want to discuss further Joe eight six O eight 83 six 8 nine six

Lots of blade surface area

Originally Posted by Fasterboatman

Hi Joe, what pitch and rake did you use on this setup? My engines dyno at 680hp634tq at 5000 rpm. Looking to start somewhere close sa these props are expensive. thanks!

Originally Posted by Sonic30ss

i let Jim Hering spec the props, they are 20x21x16. They were actually built/finished by the new owners of Hering.
I’m working out new boat gremlins so no serious testing yet, feels like they may need more cup than they were built with

Originally Posted by Fasterboatman

Hi Joe, what pitch and rake did you use on this setup? My engines dyno at 680hp634tq at 5000 rpm. Looking to start somewhere close sa these props are expensive. thanks!

Originally Posted by Fasterboatman

Hello all,

An 8 month project plan took over two years. As with most boat projects,it always cost more, takes longer, and never quite meets the goal. Covid, and issues with a "bubba" rigger had prevented me from getting this project finished per the plan but I am getting really close now to being back on the water ad having fun. The 572 engines from Skip White have been flawless so far. Huge thanks to Skip for his consult on cam and compression choices. The XZ drives seems up to the task, but props are my current issues. Bblades is being very helpful with their testing program. Anyone who is looking at props should go to their site. Brett is very helpful and their staff is the same. bblades.com

I have a bunch of pictures of the build up and installation, but I will need to work on getting these into albums. I will tell you that Greg Ray of Plano Marine has been very helpful in making sure I am getting back on the water. I wish I could have found a professional rigger that is in the North Texas area, but I ended up paying a lot for work that never got done. With many helpful friends, (thank you Chris, Bob, Greg and John!), and of course many of you on this forum that helped, it is now nearly done. Thanks to all! Oh, yeah, and of course the CFO (Thanks babe!). Also kudos to Jeff Stull at Hardin marine! Always has a great feedback and helps however he can.

I have about 30 hours of testing and engine break in, and thus far, except for not yet making plane, everything is going pretty well. A few glitches with the power-steering, and some every hard to trace electrical issues, but otherwise im happy to report progress is been excellent. Of course, with these engines, and such a big heavy boat, Im sure everyone would like to know how fast etc. I will keep you all posted.

The Edlebrock Pro4 fuel injection is awesome! It is proving to make this whole process be just a smart pad away. Very cool.


So far I cant get enough prop bite:
Mirage 21" 4b, and blow out before plane out at 3k rpm
Rev 4 25" blow out at 2500-2700 rpm.
Next test is a Maximus 5 24"

I suspect that a 6 blade may be in my future, but hopefully the 5 blade will provide some good data and get it on plane. Ill keep you all posted!

Finally on the water in Texas,
-j

Originally Posted by 47EXCALIBUR

Joe has a 45 Excalibur and had to make those modifications to the underside of the swim platform/transom. On the 47 like yours and my old one,you do not. The only thing i had to do was move the engines forward2-3 inches. Easy to do in that boat. I have photos somewhere of how i did it.

Originally Posted by Fasterboatman

Perfect! As always, thanks!

Originally Posted by sutphen 30

all the info you'll ever need to know about the conversion.osha approved () engine moving shown too.

Boatfreaks <--------------- enjoy