Surface piering drive?

[OkieDave]

Anybody on here know of experience with a surface piercing drive in a 26' cat with stock 502 power? handling, takeoff, reverse manuverability? cost? durability?

[seanv]

get ahold of rock-it-man

[ECeptor]

There was a guy over at OSO who put a Mercury Blackhawk drive on a cat about the size of yours and saw big gains in top speed. I think the duo-props kept his holeshot about the same.
How's Skiatook this season? We are trying to make it down at least once this year...if work allows.

[SUPERDUTYRHINO]

I had a 22 Eliminator Daytona with a 540/Blackhawk combo, the boat was light and had very good top end, 105+ and acceleration from 50mph and up. No hole shot! Motor had about 640hp and never broke an outdrive, Blackhawks seem to handle HP beter than Bravo's. Eliminator did a 25 Daytona back in 95 or 96 with a 502efiBlackhawk combo and I think it did high 80's and/or low 90's.
Tim

[OkieDave]

Skiatook is good but water level is down some. less traffic this year. maybe due to gas prices. I'm on Skiatook most sat and sundays in my Firehawk. keystone on thurs nites with my jet boat. thinking about a procharger and realizing my bravo probably wont hold it very long. Interested in a surface drive for durability and maybe better speed if thats what it does.

[ECeptor]

The guy over at OSO is "Airpacker." Here's one of many threads on the subject - Blackhawk drives (http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94218&highlight=blackhawk)
Water is down in all KS and OK lakes, I think.

[airpacker]

The guy over at OSO is "Airpacker."
I resemble that guy :)
I do have a BH drive on my Daytona.
The cons, tough docking and loading on the trailer because it lunges something feirce when shifted and idles at 8mph. Harder by far to plane off and won't with 5 adults and full tanks. Broke one drive getting on plane before designing an airation system to loosen the 31's when planing. Lost 5mph at 3 to 4ooo rpm. Lost some fuel mileage at cruise speeds. Trimming the bow up does not happen,period due to the x dimension and no leverage on the hull. Taking corners requires much more attention to what the hull id doing as there is so little in the water at the stern to keep it behind the bow.
Pros, gained 8mph on top. The boat feels more like an outboard cat at speed because of the stern lift the drive produces. The boat rides very flat for a daytona. 570hp and not one drive failure in 160hrs since airation installed.
Oh, and a killer 25 foot high rooster tail at slower speeds and a 10 foot high, 75 to 100 foot tail at WOT. That and the fact that so few boats run them, its a never ending stream of questions from onlookers at ramps, gas stations etc.
I will probably be trying 700hp but with a high revving ( 6500rpm) dry sump motor next year so I can keep the 150 gears and just turn them faster to try to break the 100mph mark without eating drives..
Would I swap back to a bravo setup? probably not.

[acatitude]

would sure like to see what an arneson drive on a single 26 cat would do... any one have or seen this setup???

[STVBOY]

would sure like to see what an arneson drive on a single 26 cat would do... any one have or seen this setup???
A couple years ago they put an Arneson on a 26 howard and ran slower than the bravo.But I think they did not invest enough time to make it work. The problems I saw where they only had like 600hp and they used a cleaver. The cleaver does not give any bow lift and being a recreation hull it does not produce enough lift naturally. Hoss props makes chopper props to fit the Arneson which I think would have made a world of difference with a prop giving the hull the lift it needs.Call Howard I am sure they can tell you about it but it will be all negative because of a bad setup and not trying different props to rule things out.
There is also a HTM I have seen in Havasu with one but have never talked to him.

[fuelcustoms]

would sure like to see what an arneson drive on a single 26 cat would do... any one have or seen this setup???
I have seen a 25 talon with a arneson.It had 900 hp and only ran 105mph.I personaly think it was set up wrong.I talked to the owner he said it didn't just have enough bow lift.The thing is he was running 4 blade cleaver prop when in my opnion he should of been running a 5 blade chopper to get some more bow lift.Also I would of added rocker to the bottom .From talking to the guy i dont think he spent much time playing with the combo.

[Boatlesss]

I have seen a 25 talon with a arneson.It had 900 hp and only ran 105mph.I personaly think it was set up wrong.I talked to the owner he said it didn't just have enough bow lift.The thing is he was running 4 blade cleaver prop when in my opnion he should of been running a 5 blade chopper to get some more bow lift.Also I would of added rocker to the bottom .From talking to the guy i dont think he spent much time playing with the combo.
There is a guy in MD that has a 25' Talon with an Arneson that has about that same 900 hp and he claims 117 mph.
Then again, 900 hp to some is not 900 hp to others.

[fuelcustoms]

There is a guy in MD that has a 25' Talon with an Arneson that has about that same 900 hp and he claims 117 mph.
Then again, 900 hp to some is not 900 hp to others.
At time i talked to the guy the boat was for sale.Maybe the new owner figured something out.I bet it is the same boat I can't imagine that many talons running that combo.I would love to know what he did if is the same boat.

[Boatlesss]

At time i talked to the guy the boat was for sale.Maybe the new owner figured something out.I bet it is the same boat I can't imagine that many talons running that combo.I would love to know what he did if is the same boat.
The boat was originally in GA, but a 502 efi engine with a B&M 250 does not make 900 hp. That's why I said 900 hp is not always 900 hp.
New owner aparently changed to a real engine.

[ECeptor]

I think the duo-props kept his holeshot about the same.
Based on Airpacker's post, I was dead wrong about this. My memory is going south fast!

[acatitude]

thanks stvboy... I had a 81 carrera elite with a blown 468 chevy and arneson #6 that ran right at 100 and never a drive issue. Rick at arneson says there is a 257 carrera somewheres in norcal with one on it but I have never seen the boat on the water....... always wondered about a single cat with arneson..... good info thanks ... I surely dont want to go slower, lol, however I have to think set-up right would at least run the same or better

[ao/al2]

If someone will give me there email address , I will send them my pics of an AO with an Arneson.

[fuelcustoms]

If someone will give me there email address , I will send them my pics of an AO with an Arneson.
I would like to see those pics email sean@fuelcustoms.com

[fuelcustoms]

hey ao/a2 Im also curious what kind of power and speed it runs if you know.

[ao/al2]

Hey fc, I havent really got a chance to dial it in, Im kinda between projects Boat, pool and being a father. so the boat has taken a back seat for now. Took it out a couple times but didnt really want to see what it would do if i laid in to it, it feels a little different being surface driven so im still getting to learn the boat. Wanna try different props but finding someone to lend me a cleaver prop isnt easy. anyways im sending stvby some pics of the project. He said he would post them for me. To be honest with you guys i didnt really go with arneson for top speed numbers but for the reliablity . dont want to do the whole change drive every year thing. so if you guys are holding you breath for my top numbers , it might be awhile. lol plus the pool comes first.

[ao/al2]

oops hey fc ill send you some pics too.

[STVBOY]

2 pics

[STVBOY]

2 more

[DSIDan]

would sure like to see what an arneson drive on a single 26 cat would do... any one have or seen this setup???
I heard that one almost went "through" a 26 cat this weekend, but never saw one "on" one. Bad Joke I'm sure. :cool: