Older Volvo drives, Hornet II resto

[handfulz28]

I need a few lessons on the 270/280/290/DP drives. The Hornet has an old Volvo cutout. When I first bought it I had no intention of using one. But I'm reconsidering because it might make the transom rebuild easier? Plus it would retain originality and I might even try a DP.

Considering I know zilch about these things and I would be acquiring parts from scratch, what can you guys share? Parts and service availability are what concern me for the long term. Prop selection may also be an issue. And like i said, I'd be acquiring from scratch and would hate to be nickled and dimed to death on a bunch of parts I didn't realize I needed when I think I'm getting a great deal on a drive...

Or do I just go ahead and close it up and re-cut for a Merc/newer Volvo? I'm not overly concerned with complete originality.

[Donzi Vol]

There are positives and negatives to Volvos, like anything else. Personally, I really like mine, just because (knock on wood), I've had zero problems. In addition, you rarely hear of problems, mostly due to the cone clutch design. You don't have to worry too much about stripping gears when shifting in and out of F,N,R.

You'll likely have some issues with speed, though. Unless you have a 280T drive, you will not have power trim. This limits what you can get out of the boat in regards to lifting it out of the water. If you want a super fast boat, you'll either need to modify the drive (power trim), do some prop testing, or switch to a merc.

As far as parts availability, you should be ok. There are a lot of parts for sale on here and ebay fairly regularly.

Again, I'm a fan of the Volvo, but I also see a lot of transoms of the other Donzi's at events.

Good luck with the build.

[blackboat]

I also like these drives ,I never had to touch the older 270 volvo on an older Donzi I owned,very dependable drives with a small block.
They dont like a lot of torque from a big block or a highly modified small block.
They do have a good bit of steering play in the helment and bushing design ,but helped considerably when external steering was added.
These drives also need a nose cone over 70 mph due to the big gearcase.
I have ridden in an X18 with a 270 drive at over 85 MPH with no issues for a couple years but the torque eventually caused some gear failure.

[mattyboy]

I would not be looking at using anything older than a 290 I believe the 290 and the newer volvo use the same cut out which is also the merc cut out the 200-280 were different. general parts for the 280 270 and 250 are still around but have become a little harder to find the drive leg gears and seals and such. the uncommon parts on the transom shield are very hard to find and when you do they are $$$$$$$. the 290 and sx will let you go DP as well. the only reason my hornet is keeping the 280T is that the transom was solid and i didn't want to tackle that job yet.

[handfulz28]

Thanks guys. I need all the info I can get. Does anyone have an opinion on the Clymer/SELOC manuals for these?

Matty, are you sure the 290 uses a different cutout? Does that mean different bolt pattern too I assume? Not sure where I'll start to look for pictures/confirmation, but I would've thought the 200 series would be the same cutout/transom bolt pattern? How different is the 290 from the SX/DP? If I start with a 280T, am I SOL on a simple upgrade to the 290/SX/DP? These are all things I need to figure out. :confused:

If the SX/DP use a different pattern and/or are not compatible with the 270/280, I might as well just go Merc since I'd still have to close it up and start over.

[mattyboy]

the 200 thru 280T use the same cutout and basically the same transom housing it is a wide cutout angled like a baseball diamond. the only difference is the additional holes for the trim connections on the 280T.

the 290 uses a different transom housing and trim setup. I was under the impression the 290 was the same as the corbra sx cutout which iI thought was the same as the merc cutout.

the 290 transom housing is rectangular and not as wide as the 200-280 transom housing.

[handfulz28]

Well, looking at some listings on Ebay, I think if I want to have flexibility, I need to fill in and re-cut to the newer opening. At least I can adjust the X-dim if I want to. Matty, what's your take on that? I know I've read these things might be sensitive with going too high.

[mattyboy]

on the sting the x was moved up less than an inch. It was decided that if the x needed to be higher a shorty could be used. Another member of the club has the x up over 2 inches and feels it is too high.

both boats are merc bravo boats these are both benchseats which are short inner straked rounded keel 19 degree deadrise. I believe the II has longer inner strakes and is 21-22 degree deadrise. perhaps you can confirm this?