"Sweet" find at the shop

[bverd]

They were just finishing putting a new motor in this Sweet 16 when I showed up and I thought I would pass along a pic that I took of the motor.

This is a SBC Stroker completely built up in a Sweet 16. Talk about a crazy ride. :eek: WOW :eek:
http://www.verd.com/photos/donzi/p0002462.jpg
Man it sure looked sweet and I bet the owner is going to have a handful. Have yet to meet him, trying to track him down and see if he knows of the board as well as Sarasota. Not to mention, I am always looking for fellow local Donzi freaks to go boating with. Of course I will be playing catchup, but I am getting use to that. --Brad :D

[PaulO]

I can only say that with that Volvo setup, I hope he has external hydraulic steering on the way. That will be one really unsafe ride otherwise.
PaulO

[mattyboy]

it's a pretty yellow, canary yellow!!
I bet that bird sings :eek: :eek:

Paulo, what makes the volvo steering unsafe?
is it inherently unsafe or just when you run high hp thru it? I have it and need to know
Thanx


Matt
liking the color yellow more and more...

[Moody Blu']

I think big grizzly has no power steering.
I don't either.
Its great for the forearms, plus when people ask you why your forearms are like popyeye you can tell them its from your boat. ;)

I actually like the feel, It gives you more of a grasp of reality.

Whoever owns/works on that boat is gonna have a hell of a time changing the belts if they break!!
:eek:

[PaulO]

The Volvo is a great drive that takes a lot of abuse. The steering is sub-par both in regards to safety and control. A single cable connected to a tiller arm is iffy at best for a performance boat. The arm is contected to the helmet in such a way and the bushings are such that it is virtually impossible to eliminate all slop and it does not have the most confidence-inspiring connection to the helmet for big torque loads such as the amazing amount of torque-steer you get with these setups. Risk can be minimized by being vigilant with the bushings, making certain your helm and cable are in good shape, and fortifying the anchor of the cable end to the stringer or transom. Also, I would recommend a torque tab on the drive or maybe that new fin that Grizzly is using to try to keep torque-steer loads to a minimum. But, to be really safe, get an external hydraulic setup.
PaulO

[mattyboy]

thanks Paulo,
now i know alittle more about my boat,
mine doesn't have alot of slop and drives very well, in rougher water it's an arm full,
my cable is fairly new, and show no signs of external wear, should they be replaced on a set schedule so may years or seasons????

Matt
doing donuts in a donzi at 60 doesn't sound like fun

[PaulO]

I think those cables can last a long time. The first signs of trouble are stiffness and corrosion. If you have neither, its probably fine.
PaulO

[Moody Blu']

My cable is from 1971 ;)
there is no slop in mine. I remmeber the first run after I dropped the engine in I checked the nut and it was about to come off :eek: after that I tightedned everything up and lubed everything up

[MOP]

Nice to look at but damned if I'd ride even near it, it an accident looking to do some real harm to someone. Is that an autherized shop? If so do they realize the legal ramifications that can be directed at them? I know having been a foreman of a very large small boat marina. If they are a good shop you should have them ask thier attorney I know he would have a stoke!

Phil / Long Island

[Tomahawk]

Scott - it appears to be about steering control when connecting new power to older steering components.
See you in a couple weeks. I'm looking for sheepskin sling straps for Tomahawk. :cool:

[Perico Harbor Marina]

Sweet.

[BigGrizzly]

My steering yoak on the Corsican is a upgraded squar receiver and my cablr is a rack type mounted inside directly to the outdrive itself. I made my own bushings for both the helmet and the yoke. It does have slop compared to outboard hydralic yet it is less then my Criterion. Yes it pulls hard but I.m confortable with it. BTW a company does make a cable that hookes up like the hydralic ram to solve the helmet slpop problem. Also our sixteen had a V8 from day one and never had any trouble with it yet and we bough it in 1966. Here is the deal, if you don't feel safe don't drive that fast. The volvo doesn't have the fin. I will bet mine handles at least as good as Cdma's Merc and PaulO old one. Our 16 isn't any slouch either. If you don't want to ride near me thats OK I probably would not want someone that nervous around anyway.

Randy

[mattyboy]

Thanks big griz,
I just want to make sure I'm not driving something that was recalled years ago, I always check the engine compartment before starting and now I'll also check the yoke,
I know performance boating has it's risks,just want to keep them as low as possible. If people don't feel comfortable riding fast I don't ride fast with them or they ride the float boat, and I always drive within my capabilties,
Thanks again guys
looking forward to meeting some of one soon

Matt

[Gearhead99]

At the least you should cotter pin or safety wire the bolts on the tiller and cable connections. They won't fall off or vibrate loose.

It's easy to do. Buy castle nuts and drill the bolts.

[mattyboy]

good idea,
that sounds like an easy winter project


Matt

[BRIAN73]

Brad,
Look's like a sweet ride. I like that motor color. Your going to have a lot of fun in the rough stuff. Being a current owner of a 16 with a V8, I must give my two cents. My boat has a volvo 270 with the same tiller steering setup. I put a internal hydraulic setup to the tiller, because of wicked torque steer. It still is hairy but safe in the hands of a seasoned donzi guy. I have been running 350HP+ in that boat for 5 years without one steering mishap.
Without offending everyone, It has been my experience that you don't have to worry about the little guys with volvo setup's and big HP. It's the guy who jump's up to blower's and other radical mods after one year of owning a donzi. That scares me!. Time breeds Hi-Perf experience not money.

Brian
Wishing It Was May In The Adirondacks Again.

:D :D :D

[CDMA]

Brain,

I think that is a very good set up. I might have done that in retrospect.

What it all comes down to is that there will be constant debate on the board of which is better and so forth regarding volvo vs. merc. You have to choose the drive you want for the application you are using it for. There is no question my power steering on the merc is 10 fold better than the old volvo. I do think that with full hydraulic steering ( internal or external) the volvo could be just as good. The only thing that I just can't bite it how a single cable non power assisted telefex steering system is the right set up in an 60+ mph boat. Maybe I am "nervous" or maybe I just can't afford to injure myself or anyone else. I have spent a lot of money over the last 2 years improving the steering and the handling of my boat that sure as well could have gone into more power for more speed. I just can't even bring myself to go the more power route now until I address the counter rotation of the prop that bothers me now. Some can just add power and hold on and as Brian said those are the ones that you have to watch out for. There just is no point of all that horsepower in boat if you can't control it safely and comfortably.

Just my $.02

Chris
Here is an AWSOME volvo set up...only topped by this memebers current set up...http://albums.photopoint.com/j/PopUpIndex?u=1265596&a=9 365857&size=large&sp=1&vt=&p=30614986&frame=pu_viewer-large (http://albums.photopoint.com/j/PopUpIndex?u=1265596&a=9365857&size=large&sp=1&vt=&p=30614986&frame=pu_viewer-large)