X dimension of 33 Powerplays
 

Anyone know what the ideal X dimension is for the 33? Reason I'm asking is I have a 94 and it seems like my drives are awfull deep. They are 6" below the bottom of the boat. I'm trying to figure out if it would be worth my while to put 2" shorties on it or just leave it alone.

Thanks,
Frank

33 PP I/O SportDeck Drive Heights...
 

Frank...In 1994, we cut your X-demension at 17 1/4" x 34". In 1994, the standard Bravo One drive was it. The low water pick-up drives, or the ZX or XR drives weren't introduced yet. 17 1/4" drive height was the max for water intake cooling and coincidentally the maximum height that a customer could get on plane with, with the 27", highest pitch available, Mirage propellers of the day. At this installed height, the boat was set-up perfect for rough water/ocean use as well, never loosing its grip & cavitating. Sometimes a slightly lower X works best in the rough, or when always running in consistent large chop, for a lot of reasons. A LOT of testing went into dialing in the 33 I/O over the years. Tie-bar length & proper adjustment is critical to perfect performance, no matter the set-up on any year 33. You'd be surprised how many marine riggers and techs, even in the hi-performance arena, don't know the proper definition of correct toe-in/toe out alignment adjustment. The X-demension was also coincidentally limited to 17 1/4" on the previous years hulls,(1993 & back) which were 4 3/4" shallower, by where the exhaust had to exit, which was through the deck, and also the engine hatch height at that time. In 1994, if memory serves, is when we tooled the newer, higher engine hatch, which from a few steps away, looks the same as the older, lower version. You can tell if you have the newer hatch or not, by the only 1 1/4" top cushion depth recess. Only later, about 1997...all at the same time...when the low water drives, 4-blade Bravo One propellers, and new fuel-injection motors, come together to allow the higher X-demension of 18 5/8" x 35"(wider for headers), became standard cut-cutouts. Top speeds went up 5-8 m.p.h. compared with the same Merc power as before. Depending on how & where you intend to use your 33, it "could" benefit from shorter drives. A side benefit would be a lower CG, versus a complete re-rig. Hope this helps.

You are the MAN Ed! Thanks again!

Would you mind touching on tie bar adjustment for me? I'm spinning my props out right now, and my drives are toed in 1/8" Meaning I'm measuring 34 1/2" at the prop and 34 3/8" at the leading edge of the drive. Is that setup correct or opposite?

Thanks,
Frank

They need to be the opposite, at approximately 1/4", with the props spinning outboard.

Great, thanks ED. So I need to be wider by 1/4" at the front (closest to transom) of the drive vs the back (prop side).

NOWAY they actually should be 1/8 of an inch in looking at the front of the drive ,if you spinn them out !!!!!!!

Actually PP like the props to be spon in, if stock setup .
(Then it should be out in the front)

That's one thing I haven't tried yet. Spinning them in.

Incorrect on both accounts.

You are correct.

So with 2" shorties, 34" drive width and some 4 blades, the older boats should run as good or better than the newer, taller,35 width,drive height boat?

YEP, thats what i think ......also keep in mind the older boats are 6-10 inches longer.
And ED knows alot ,but he can be wrong sometimes too.
My 1990 PP33 was exactly like i said and i started to spin them out after i put boxes on.
Also the angle on the transoms from PP are diffrent then usualy (manyothers) thats wy they love it to spin them in.
4 blade Hydromotive is what mine had when i bought it with stock 454 mag 365HP damn thing ran 76 MPH on GPS in freshwater.

And i will buy an other PP anytime soon and race it.
If i dial a boat in you can bet on it it is going to run the way it should.

So ,your saying if the props spin out ? The drives should be apart more in the front then at the propshaft ?????????????
I think your missleading people here !!!!:eek:

If you think about ,they actualy should be perfect lined up with each other, but since at high speed there can be handling problems ,,,,,,,thats wy someone had the idea to set the
"tow out" just like on the front axle of a car.
To keep them from going difrent directions !!!

But :Whatever:

In any case.

If Frank picks up an additional 5-8 mph. There isn't a V-hull on the bay that's going to touch it in rough water. The hull on his 33 is just incredible. Everything that was thrown at it just got eatten-up.

Do you have anymore pictures of the interior, boat looks great!

Sure do. Frank and myself heading to Rock Hall

Franks in the process of making rear dropouts.

And of course my second favorite PP.........Small World......LOL

Short Vid...

Thanks for the pix Rick!

XPRESS 33PP - Thanks for the compliment! I went out to the garage and took a couple of pix for you, but it doesn't look like I can post them anymore:mad: I can e-mail them to you if you like.

Frank

Thanks Frank I'd like that ([email protected]). Thinking of re-doing the interior at some point. Still in good shape but a pain in the a## to keep clean looking. The original material is heavy duty but has deep grain in it. It collects the dirt and marks up easily.

Rick, your correct it is a small world, thanks for the pictures it's the only ones Ive seen from the Onieda Lake run. Nobody in my crew remembered to bring a camera! Including me! :ernaehrung004:

Well then I'd better post these too.

33 PP...easily in the top 3 of my all-time favorite offshore boats. Both the boats in this thread make me chubby!! :cool-smiley-027:

Thanks again Rick, were you in the Pantera? - Did I meet you?
I didn't know to many people there, hung out with the guys from Lake George most of the weekend. Chuck (36 NT cat) and Anthony (38 NT V)

Knot 4 Me, Thank you for the compliments:ernaehrung004:

Yes I was in the Pantera. I think we talked briefly at the first stop in Sylvan Beach. Chuck's boat ROCKS!!

Nice Pantera Rick. I looked at a all blue 36 in Florida before I bought the Powerplay, nice old school boats A buddy of mine has a 28 with Twin 525's that boat is off the hook. Wild ride!:cool-smiley-027:

Nice pics of those 33's.

I have twin outboards and I'm currently spinning the props outward.

Had a fellow who races boats tell me the same thing this summer.

He told me to run the props in for more speed and also toe in by 1/16".