pros and cons of lenco drive line vs driveshaft

[badbug]

Is one better than the other and for what reasons. I have a 100 mph plus jet and wondered if I need the solid lenco driveline. I have a ratchet also. I use the boat mostlyu for good ole lake racing and playing around.

[Unchained]

Gary, I asked Tom Papp the same question and he told me that the solid shaft is for racing only and would not be good for any recreational boating.
I think the main reason they are used is for being less weight than the driveshaft with two Ujoints.
He recommended for me to use the Ujoints. I asked around and no one I talked to had ever heard of anyone breaking a Ujoint.
In a car the Ujoints would be under a lot more load because of the torque multiplication of the transmission.

[Duane HTP]

You don't want a Lenco for a lake boat. They don't have a way to be lubricated and will turn into red iron in time. They were used in race boats as a means of quick disconnect from the motor before the devices with neautral were available.

[UBFJ #454]

Duane is Absolutely Correct about the Over Heating of a Lenco in Recreational Use ... They even get a bit warm in a 1/4 Mile Run. Another thing (even when used in a Racer) is they must be put in correctly ... with a few 16ths to an 1/8th play ... Otherwise you can take out your rear main. In sustained recreational use the play required in racing will allow the shaft to keep "Beating" on the rear main and eventually take it Out ... Because of the Heating up of the Shaft and for the sake of the rear main a Lenco Shaft Should Not Be Used where the motor and pump are run continually ... Like in recreational boating.

[superdave013]

They sure seem to hold up in super stocks and K boats. Those guys put more miles on their boats in one weekend then a drag racer does in 2 years.
But if you have the ratchet (can pop it out of gear easy) then other then a little weight I don't see any advantage.

[Duane HTP]

Dave, you got my curisoity up. So, I just weighed a Lenco Driveshaft and it's necessary couplers. It weighed 11 3/4 lb. Then I weighed a drive shaft of the same exact length. It weighed 8 1/4 lb.
You are correct about the K boats. But, they are racers and can remove the drive shaft and lube it every other race. In a lake boat, this is not the normal procedure before every outing. They seem to be forgotten until it's too late. I have repaired more than one hole in the bottom of a lake boat that the lenco let go it. Yes, they can be made to work if maintained properly. I myself do NOT recommend them in a lake boat, but that's just me.

[superdave013]

well now we know. I always looked at weight as a major factor so that's good to know. Alot of those guys gun dill the shafts. They even gun drill the shafts in the v drives too.
I agree with that you would have to keep after it (and we all know that won't happen). But I do see lots of them in all types of v drives. Alot of them are old race boats that are now weekend warriors.
BTW, mine's getting a drive shaft with good ol' u-joints.

[badbug]

is there an exact angle you want your driveshaft to be at.?

[Duane HTP]

If you run a Lenco, it has to be perfectly the same angle as the pump main shaft. If you run a driveshaft with U-Joints, you have a 3 degree leeway.