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Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
Just a small piece of advice. From my experience. Before you go and spend sick money on Hydraulic and any other power or handling upgrades, You may consider a bigger faster boat. A full hydraulic system can cost as much as 5k. and race tabs (K-planes) another 3k. Bennet tabs dont work well at speeds of 70 or better.
Just my .02 |
Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
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I understand your not wanting to spring for hyd steering,your boat is a accident waiting to happen without it but thats your choice! I built new stainless trim tabs to replace part of my bennets (i'm cheap sometimes) and it also helped,Smitty
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Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
Hey Artic, can you email me that picture. I'm not a paying member yet. [email protected]
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Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
In all the chinewalking demon boats I've had, a shorter drive has HELPED chinewalking. Keep in mind, that you still gotta lift the bow, and a shorty won't lift as well. If you don't need a lot of trim to get her aired out, then a shorty may work better than you'd think.
But don't even THINK about running a 80mph chinewalking boat with stock steering. You'll never have the solid link between the steering wheel and the drive that you need. Before spending any money, you may want to remove the power steering and hook the Morse cable directly to the drive tiller. This will give you a more solid connection. It'll kind of suck cause you'll lose the power steering but it will be safer. It will also make your arms bigger. |
Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
well I measured how far bellow the stern of the boat the centerline on the prop shaft is: 8 1/2 inches. Does that seem like a lot? Anyway lifting the bow is not a problem with this boat. I am going to put a drew marine stabilizer on the boat also.
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Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
8 1/2"....That is deep. but, thats the way pleasure boats are set up. Non Stepped Race boats are usually around 3 to 4 inches below the bottom of the boat. If you put a 2" shorty on you may see some increase in speed and handling.
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Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
Originally Posted by ACrooks69
Well like I said it start at 72-73 and the boat goes 76 so I do have to drive through it and it has been doing it for a couple years so I have gotten pretty good at reading it. I won't let anyone else drive it at that speed because I don't know what they will do.
Anyway I tryed a Bravo 1 22 in prop a couple weeks ago, but it did not perform very well. It vibrated a lot at speed, but that might have just been a goofy demo prop. It also rocked back and forth a lot sooner than the 3 blade. I'm running a 21 tempest right now and this has been the best prop I've tested since it came out. I'd like to put the hydraulic steering on it, but 3500 buck for that... I might as well sell this boat and get a bigger one and start over. |
Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
Originally Posted by mcollinstn
In all the chinewalking demon boats I've had, a shorter drive has HELPED chinewalking.
I take it you mean reduced the chinewalk ? I think he is referring to Speedo speed @76 not GPS. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: |
Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
yes. In outboards, jacking the motor higher on the transom usually REDUCES tendency to chinewalk.
Steering torque goes thru the roof, and you'll grow a gorilla arm, but chinewalking reduces and speed goes up. |
Re: Reasons for using a shorty drive
The motor is turning about 5400 RPM and yes this is speedo indicated. I don't have a GPS redily at my disposal.
Yes I mean to reduce the chine walk. So if my drive is currently at 8.5 inches and the Alpha SS drive will cut 3 inches, that gives me 5.5 inches. I was pretty wowed when I saw the cavitation was nearly even with the bottom of the transom. Will there be an adverse effect having the top side of the prop blade spinning slightly above the stern. Or is this going to allow me to run a lager pitch prop due to the slippage? |
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