Mark, thanks for the reply, great points. I was, of course, thinking salt water offshore, models in my mind, as that's my primary local experience. I didn't even think of the obvious jet pump driven boats when thinking inboards
Maybe a little narrow in my thinking?
I built a couple of inboard jet (we called them sleds) boats in the 70's with 460 Fords and 10" Hamilton pumps and they went so fast I was white knuckled in my ride-a-long with the widely grinning owner. These were operating in the Kenai River which now has a horsepower limit due mine and other builds being a little noisy for the home owners. I don't recall much about the builds, I didn't design the boats but built from plans provided with engine/pump sets provided; but they did run well even in salt water. Low speed steering in a swell was a complaint but the original owners stayed with the boats for years so I guess they figured that out?
I didn't think of the jet drive class boat as one of the obvious strengths for the inboard engine installation. I also wasn't aware of the power to wt and the favorable costs or gas use numbers; these figures are similar to what they used to be decades ago when I built full time. I'm more of an inboard fan than I was!
How are outdrives holding up? I used to install the Merc Alpha and the Bravo drives, even in some commercial net boats (salt water) where many owners felt they'd have too much torque load to stand up. The Volvo drives in the 70's and 80's seemed to be more fragile than the Merc drives of similar sizes but since I haven't installed an outdrive in 20 years.....
Which brands of I/O legs do you see (when you see them) most popular? (If you only sell one brand I guess this question isn't very informative.)
IF your in-house sales guys are advising me on the phone, pre-sales, which brand is the most well respected from the dealer's point of view? (best cost-to-longevity, least maintenance and overall best 'bang for the buck')
What is the smallest size I/O prop soaking up from and inboard package? (I used a Merc 4 cylinder 140 hp package in a 24' lightly built boat and it has performed very well for 22 seasons; giving good mileage and high 20's cruise speed for years.)
Are there any
new generation inboard outboard drives? ( I know that Volvo's 'dual prop' was supposed to be a big generational change in technology?- Do you or the firm have any experience or opinions on that drive? What about any other 'new' drives?)
Which brands of jet pumps drives are the most popular? (I've built with the Tractor [commercial] and the Hamilton but not others..)
There was a 'new' water pump drive that is on a thread somewhere here at the AAB.com Forum.... it was from Down Under and the impellers were not only- not purely bladed props in a venturi; the shafts actually oscillated to create a progressive cavity type of pump/thrusting action. This drive was under testing a year or two ago-not sure if its marketed yet? Are the products you're working with of any newer technology? "Newer" meaning any significant upgrades to the 'old' Hamilton Style pumps of the 80's?
You mentioned hydraulic pumps on the water pumps- is this because of the force needed to position the reverse bucket or the forces needed to move a steering vane or deflector? I'm not sure if the old models I've seen could be used to guide me to ask this question since the reverse and steering mechanism may be much different from 30 years ago?
As to room inside the stern deck area which may be taken up with engine cowling. I saw, but did not build, a 26'er that had a mid engine, and a jack shaft & carrier bearing to the stern drive and found the deck very open since the engine cover/cowling was part of the after cabin bulkhead leaving about 8' of open deck. I wonder why this arrangement isn't more common?
It seemed to me a better place for the engine, amidships, and the I/O was under a 'swim platform' transom overhang so the 'fish-ability' seemed no worse than outboards but all the people I talked with about that idea seem to find fault - some fault. I liked it and would consider one myself if I were building an offshore boat for myself.
I guess it's like so many other design trends, they go in waves and fads but aren't always as logical as they're claimed to be?
Thanks for the reply, it was interesting to see that even if outboards have improved their relative cost of ownership is still not very appealing (to me) for the reasons they weren't 30-some years ago.
If any of your local builders happen to have some photos of any of your engine packages installed in a welded boat, we'd sure enjoy some pictures, especially if they included images of the build sequence, hull accommodations for the drive and other structural details.
Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK