I am going to post this question on the Drive section of the forums as well..

I am curious to know if anyone has tried a IMCO or Sportmaster lower unit on a 260 hull.. (Mine is 2001).
I am currently running a p5 Hydro on a bravo XR drive.. prop was labbed by Mike at Halls. People keep telling me to go with a 1 inch shortie... But wanted to hear some real world advice on the Velocity Hull..

No real world experiences here, but if your going to buy a short lower, buy a -2".
You can always add spacers if it's too short.
Running a 5 blade should allow you to raise the prop shaft without loosing bite.

thanks Pat.. I have my hands on a Sportmaster -2 right now.. Just the case.. going to build it out this winter..
The question is do I add a 1inch spacer?? Want to know who out there has done this..

John,

There was a post on this topic a while back but for the 280 hull. The concensus was that it didn't deliver noticable improvement. Mikes280 tried it and I believe there was another person as well. Being that the 260 is a shortened 280, I think I'd wait to hear from someone that actually had success with a 260 first before pulling the trigger on this project. As a rule of thumb, the twin Velocity boats seemed to benefit more from the shorties then singles since you have more to gain given the resistance from two drives.

Rick

Thanks Rick

I saw that thread.. But the way I read it was the jury with a 5blade was still out? I will go re-read it now.. perhaps I missed something..

My lower has some issues and will not last beyond this season anyway..

John,

Understood and it sounds like you have nothing to lose other then the cost of tweaking your 5 blade. Steve Stepp set up the Hemi VR1with a high X and a 5 blade (it threw a big tail!). Steve will steer you in the right prop/X dimension direction if you give him a call. Good luck!

Rick

Again, just an educated guess here; I think the 260 will benefit from the shorty more than a 280 would.
When ever I’ve read about short drives / high X dims not being successful, it’s been on bigger / longer single engine V bottoms.
Even though the Velocity hull has the pad bottom, it still needs some leverage from the drive to lift the bow to run fast.
You need less leverage to lift a 260 vs. a 280.
I would have chosen the P5X vs. the P5. The P5X is more of a neutral prop and provides overall lift, somewhat like a B1. The P5 is a stern lifting prop, but maybe the mods have made it more of a neutral prop.

I had a -2" Sportmaster with a 1" spacer on my 260 when I first bought it. I could not get the Bravo Prop to bit. Once up on plane it would slip very easy, Even with a 1:27 gear ration it would spin from 3000-5000 RPM with a quick hit of the throttle. I switched it back to the standard Bravo. Much Better. I imagine it would have been even worse with a hydro IV as it is a stern lifting prop. A 5 blade prop would probably help it bite a bit better.

Definitely need a 5 blade's bite for running the higher then normal X as Steve's factory set-up was optimized for the 4 blade. Bravo vs. Hydromotive is another post topic because results very with hull size and indeed driver preferences!

The prop does complicate things a bit..
I am going through my 2nd set of lower gears in the outdrive in less then 80 hours. running a p5 hydro right now.. does not seem to have the bow lift I am looking for..

might go back to a 4 blade and stick with standard height drive