Who has run an RH prop on a LH drive 18?

[JimG]

Dang RH Ultra's everywhere, cheap! Can't touch a leftie for less than $450.... :mad:

Who has switched the rotation on their 18, and how did it feel? Was it really that noticeable, or would the performance increase of an Ultra negate any bad effects?

Let me know your REAL experiences with swapping... props that is! :D :D

JimG

[MOP]

It will make a little difference, I am thinking you have a port helm. It will tend to lift the right side, you can shift some weight (best) or compensate with the tabs. I moved my battery out and aft on my 17 Formula which allowed me to use less trim tab. The less tab the less drag.

[JimG]

Thanks M.O.P!

But, I do not have tabs. Is it most noticeable on holeshot, or all the time?

[Forrest]

I run a RH (Mercruiser) on my port helm '72 16. Works best with two people in the boat. If you can find a good LH Ultra in the size that you need for $450, buy it. You won't regret your purchase.

[JimG]

Forrest, when you say "works best with two people", how bad is it? Is it bad on holeshot, or all the time while running? Is it a bad list? Or liveable?

[boldts]

Jim, I had a 1969 H/M 18'Classic. Because lefties were very hard to find, I put a right hand stainless from Michigan Wheel on my boat. This has been a few years ago so more and more props are being built today, but as Forest said, since they are not the norm, you pay for them. My Classic had the 250 Volvo drive with no trim and no tabs on the boat. When Beth and I rode together in the boat, there was almost no list at speed. By myself, yes, there was a little, but not to the point where it felt like the boat was running on it's side. Like MOP, I moved as much weight to the passenger side as possible. Amazing what just moving the anchor to that side did. The battary probably like yours was in the middle under the back bench. I did not move it, although I don't think that would be a bad idea or difficult to do. The wires come from the engine area anyway.

My Classic was only doing 50 so there probably would have been more effect if the boat was running faster. My dad and I also experimented with moving the outer trim hole (Hole furthest from the transom) in order to get the bow up and less boat in the water at speed. I think we only moved it a 1/8 inch, but what a difference it made in the boat's performance. If the 22 hadn't come along, I had plans for more HP to get the speed up, but oh well.

Some have said that running the Volvo right instead of left causes the upper gear hold downs to let loose and of course blow the top cap. In the 4 years I ran mine right, I never had a problem with the drive and I love ruff water like Lake Erie. Doesn't mean it wouldn't have happened if I had more HP going thru the drive, it just never happened to me. I owned that boat for 16 years and blew the drive the second year I had it. Had the drive rebuilt by a proffessional who did nothing but Volvo and like I said, never had another problem. Their name is Sayer Brothers on Buckeye Lake outside of Columbus, OH. If the owners have passed the knowledge down to siblings, you won't find a better Volvo shop in Ohio.

Back to the subject. This is just my experience and I'm sure some may disagree, but if your looking for better performance with-out spending an arm and a leg, try a righty!

[Jamesbon]

I swapped a LH for a RH on my old Volvo/GT 21. It was a small shaft nibral bronze prop which replaced a stainless big hub. I noticed a lot more "torque steer," but was probably attributed to the small hub vs. the big hub. (and yes, I adjusted the torque tab accordingly) I might add, I had that tab close to a 45 degree angle to account for the torque. This was all attached to a Teleflex tiller and cable steering system. It wasn't something for a person with little arm strength to drive...

Also had to switch the shift mechanism linkage to "run in reverse."

If I were in your shoes, I'd definetly give it a shot!

...like Boldts said, those Volvo's are TOUGH drives. It's too bad the older ones didn't incorporate the trim/tilt technology of the Mercs. A small adjustment of the "tilt pin" made a hell of a difference in attitude. Like Scott, I ran mine over 11 years with only one failure, which was a result of me using cardboard as a seal between the oil dipstick and top cap housing in a pinch :o

[JimG]

Great answers guys! Just what I was looking for... real experience. I'll give it a shot! Thanks a ton! :D

JimG

[AVickers]

I did that on my 18C w/ a 280 and didn't like it a lot. I was running a 22p RH Ultra after running a couple of aluminum LH Volvo and Michigan props. With wife and kid in the boat (both sitting starboard), I could run level, but alone, I'd list to port. I weighed 230 at the time.

With right hand rotation and port helm, everything works against you...

My recollection is that torque steer was about the same -- viscious.

Tabs would have helped and that's what I'd do If I were to get into the same situation again.

Or, I'd simply break down and buy a LH Michigan Wheel...