Blackhawk 22 minus the Blackhawk if there are any questions...

[Lenny]

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/0/4/90672404.htm

454 and a 4 blade on a Bravo.

[olredalert]

------Guys family has a summer home on Harsens Island (south channel). He ran with us one time at one of our small get-togethers, but I cant remember his name. Sam may remember if he sees this post.........Bill S

[VetteLT193]

Is this the one that was named "Rum Runner" ? It seems like it's been for sale forever if it is. Nice looking boat too.

[joel3078]

I've seen a few now for sale without the BH drive. Rum Runner is in Wisconsin and had 6 of 40 painted on the back. Seemed silly to me to have a BH boat without the BH drive. But I seem to remember reading the BH boat was offered new with or without the BH drive.

Here is an add for Rum Runner
http://www.ablboats.com/details.asp?ListingID=74769

[MOP]

Bob one of our semi absentee members pulled his Blackhawk off, he liked the boats drivabilty with the Bravo. He said he lost a few miles an hour top end but low speed and around the docks manners were a ton better. Like mentioned above several have tried Brovo's some left them on, many are not as concerned about speed as they are about a boat with good manners.

Phil

[DonziChris]

Looked at the boat this weekend, The salesmen thinks that the current owner removed the BH drive. Also said that he had a deposit.

[Sweet little 16]

I'd ask him if they removed the motor too, thought all the blackhawk LE came with a 502???

[Lenny]

No, some BH 's came with 454...

[Sweet little 16]

I know they made BH rocker hulls with 454's in standard colors but did they make a BH LE in a 454???? with the black bird and the gold trim I do remember some talk of a factory boat 454 with the colors and trim of the LE but not the plaque with the number X-XX of 40??? if so not really an LE boat??? but i could remember wrong????

[roadtrip se]

The Blackhawk hull was designed for the Blackhawk drive. No bravo option was offered by the factory. They did authorize some retro-fits to appease a couple of customers who kept blowing their drives up.

The 502 was the only engine package offered by Mercury paired with a Blackhawk. The engine was calibrated to idle higher via the ECM. The 454 boat in Detroit was a 502 engine replacement. And then there was Bryant's which is a unique piece all on its own with many custom touches not found on standard LE boats.

There were about 20 BH hull boats sold in sheeps clothing colors. They are very easy to spot due to x-dim, gas tank, and just taking an edge to the hull to find the rocker.

I've driven the boat with and without the BH drive. The boat is a thrill a minute with the BH and the proper setup, including steering and worked props. Definitely not for everybody though, as it can scare the bejeasous out of someone not paying complete attention. The boat is a disaster with the the bravo. Wants to porpise and dive, with a whole other mix of bad handling habits. Better off to buy a straight hull or buy the boat with the intent of selling the bravo and putting it back to the BH config.

[Lenny]

The Blackhawk hull was designed for the Blackhawk drive. No bravo option was offered by the factory. They did authorize some retro-fits to appease a couple of customers who kept blowing their drives up.
The 502 was the only engine package offered by Mercury paired with a Blackhawk. The engine was calibrated to idle higher via the ECM. The 454 boat in Detroit was a 502 engine replacement. And then there was Bryant's which is a unique piece all on its own with many custom touches not found on standard LE boats.
There were about 20 BH hull boats sold in sheeps clothing colors. They are very easy to spot due to x-dim, gas tank, and just taking an edge to the hull to find the rocker.
I've driven the boat with and without the BH drive. The boat is a thrill a minute with the BH and the proper setup, including steering and worked props. Definitely not for everybody though, as it can scare the bejeasous out of someone not paying complete attention. The boat is a disaster with the Bravo. Wants to porpoise and dive, with a whole other mix of bad handling habits. Better off to buy a straight hull or buy the boat with the intent of selling the bravo and putting it back to the BH config.

Todd, my purpose of posting this was that I KNOW some folks want to know what the BH 22 does in sheeps clothing (sans BH drive) and few have ever replied or given good insight on the 22 rocker hull... that's all. Here is a chance to question the seller and try to get some straight goods, or at least his/her opinion. ( I included the "her" as Jill now runs a Scorpion in an 18 so she just climbed about 3 notches in my "RESPECT-O-METER" ... she is good to go :) )

...but, as well, I believe you will find that there are more 454 BH's out there, (not retro-fit) than you think there are. Byrants as one, but obviously "special" , but a few more... The other "mix" to this, is not all BH's came out at the same "X" dimension, so what exactly are we modifying here? Some are modifying the 2" higher X dimension of the BH and going to BRAVO and some are modifying stock location 14 1/2" "X" 's on rocker hulls from Blackhawks to Bravo's with (obviously) better results...

Such a confusing mess and so hard to pin down.

:)

Now, what I would LIKE to see, (without my monetary contribution) is someone to take a REAL BH 22, with the 2" higher "X" , from the factory, and try to eleviate the death porpoise, 2-3 bounce scenario, by putting on a stand-off box or a stern-jack and see what the additional waterline BEHIND the hull rocker results in effect ???

I feel with a "perceived" running length longer than the status quo, it might trick the hull to behave a bit better. A higher "X" dimension could also be pursued due to the set-back...

???

[Sweet little 16]

Todd,
thanks that is great info to have on hand when looking to buy one

[MOP]

Lenny I doubt if any drive train change with make up for the rocker issue, bend the hull and you have to learn to drive it and live with it.

Phil

[VetteLT193]

The Blackhawk hull was designed for the Blackhawk drive. No bravo option was offered by the factory. They did authorize some retro-fits to appease a couple of customers who kept blowing their drives up.
The 502 was the only engine package offered by Mercury paired with a Blackhawk. The engine was calibrated to idle higher via the ECM. The 454 boat in Detroit was a 502 engine replacement. And then there was Bryant's which is a unique piece all on its own with many custom touches not found on standard LE boats.....

So, did Donzi paint any regular hulls with the Blackhawk LE paint scheme?

And, is the Mastry Yanmar/Bravo 1 boat a rocker boat or standard. It has the LE paint.

Just curious more than anything:)

[Ranman]

Boat in question is Freeplay's old boat. Original 502 and BH removed and replaced with a 454 Bravo.

[gero1]

no stand off box needed on a true black hawk boat with a b/h drive. YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO DRIVE THE BOAT ON CALM WATER!!!! READ THE WATER MORE THAN 50' IN FRONT OF YOU. these boats ride aired out at a very slow 55mph, took me a full summer to get used to being 3-4 foot out of the water all the time. it's the greastest thing i ever bought!...still go's 79 mph and is bone stock. i love my black hawk

[roadtrip se]

I'm with you Lenny. Somebody needs to try a couple of combos on the rocker and see what happens. Unfortunately, Gero doesn't seem willing to let me experiment on his ride, even though I constantly torment him by suggesting different combos that would be interesting to try. Arneson?

Before I go further, let me state that I feel that taking a BHLE and putting a Bravo on it because you don't like the handling would be akin to buying a Mustang Shelby GT 500, pulling the supercharged motor, and replacing it with a 2.3 four cylinder because you don't like that nasty rear end wheel spin or the fuel economy. Please pull out man card, tear it up, and go away with head hung low.

The boat that I did test drive with the Bravo also had a two inch spacer. This could have been the problem, but the porpise, the lean, the slamming, and the foul handling of this beast made the normal Blackhawk ride look benign.

I also am aware of a BH with a shortie. Total mess.

Stevie and Tom proved that the higher you go with the x-dim and a BH drive, the better. But on an 18 hull, unfortunately. I think this is where the secret lies with the x-dim on these things and where I would start on a 22.

Hydraulic steering does a whole bunch to settle these things down and minimize a lot of the really scary stuff. I wouldn't own or run one of these for very long without it. I just don't think there are many guys out there that have truly mastered these things, so the practical knowledge pool is pretty small.

So Gero, what do you say. Ready to try an Arneson?

[glashole]

if someone had an arneson

and it wasn't much damage to the transom:smash:



I would try it

[Pismo]

I have always thought a BH rocker hull with an Arneson might be a good combo. What do you think?

[BigGrizzly]

I am with RT. I have ridden with gero and Bateman, Gero has got his wired and it was fun riding with him. He loves that boat and I was purely comfortable with him at the wheel. I too would like to reconfigure the hull slightly. I would than play with drives like the bravo and an Imco shorty and space them than prop the heck out of it. According to Bryant at Donzi there was only ONE out of the factory withb a 454 and that was his. Bill Bateman, Road Trip Bryant and I carried on this conversation for a hour at a Rally years ago. I think that was the year I jumped 3 sand bars before being beached.

[smokediver]

i went out with bryant a few years back . i think he got the hull from donzi and did everything himself ...ie engine choice .. he did have a nicely built 454 in it and it was not factory rigged ... the paint job he did was awesome as all graphics were painted , not stickers ... i think he also had stainless hardware , not the gold ...

[roadtrip se]

i went out with bryant a few years back . i think he got the hull from donzi and did everything himself ...ie engine choice .. he did have a nicely built 454 in it and it was not factory rigged ... the paint job he did was awesome as all graphics were painted , not stickers ... i think he also had stainless hardware , not the gold ...

All of the LE series had the Imron paint scheme. Love it or don't love it, hard to mistake it for anything else. Okay maybe a TransAm out of a Smokey and the Bandit movie. Does it bother anyone else to see Sally Fields on television pitching osteoporosis medicine... but I digress.

Bryant's boat was sweet. The rigging was NOT standard Donzi issue. The engine bay was not standard issue with that hyped 454 in there. The serial number will throw anyone who researches it, a 1995 model with a 38 sequence. All of this made it similar to other BHLEs in color scheme only AND it ran great!