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thatgirl
11-28-2011, 05:41 PM
i have a 1980 two plus three classic that has a new transom in it.i have any opition bought bills motor that just arived today thank you bill for such a good pack job and a great looking motor hope it runs as good as it looks.merc one drive came out of it never hade good luck with merc drives partial to old scooll volvo 250 /280 series.
leaning towards a berkley jet drive . please this web of knowledge help me decide.
thank you
anthony
aka
thatgirl !

biggiefl
11-28-2011, 08:20 PM
WTF are you actually asking and what is your gender ;)

Mercruiser drives are about as good as it gets, not that others are not except the early OMC's.

thatgirl
11-29-2011, 07:25 AM
[ QUOTE=$originalposter]{$pagetext}[/QUOTE]:pimp:thanks for your input

woobs
11-29-2011, 07:58 AM
A very smart person once told me to ...
"Make it how YOU want it, after all it's YOU that have to live with it".
I thought that made good sense.

BTW, it was in reference to a classic woody boat that some might consider "scarce".

mattyboy
11-29-2011, 09:31 AM
I am an old volvo guy

if the transom has just been re-done and is solid glass

i would NOT cut an old volvo into it, i would NOT make it a berkely squirt boat both have flaws in their technology and will eventually come back to haunt you. the volvo 200-290 are strong but not fast and parts will become an issue in the future. prop selection is limited but there are some good ones availble. high performance parts nose cones shorter lowers are very hard to find.

squirt boat are gas guzzlers and need big power to perform, rough water handling and resale will suffer as well.

I would only cut a newer merc style into the transom. that leaves you the best options both economically and performance wise. the sbc you just purchased should hook up to a merc fairly easily a bravo would do nicely and can take power upgrades from the sbc.

Just Say N20
11-29-2011, 09:34 AM
Tony,

I'm glad the engine arrived safely. I was curious how it would survive the trip. We built the "cradle" as solidly as possible, but you never know.

It was running at least as good as it looks when I pulled it. I would still replace the secondary carb spring with a lighter one.

The engine was hooked to an older Volvo A290 drive. I have owned a couple older Volvos (270 and this 290) and they both were trouble free, and capable of handling a lot of hp. They aren't quite as efficient as the Mercruiser, but other than that, they are great. I would find one with power trim. That is a nice feature to be able to trim while underway. But, what Matty says is true about them getting old from a parts stand point, as well as prop selection and high performance options.

The jet drive option. . . .

. . .would be a LOT of work, because of the way a Berkeley Jet is installed in the boat, you would have to fill in the transom completely for the new jet cut out, and would also have to cut out part of the bottom of the hull where the jet intake is. It would be very cool when done, especially if you had the "Jet-O-Vator" option to throw a huge rooster tail. Performance would be less than an outdrive, and if you boat where it is rough (get a lot of air with the boat), the jet will require more attention to the throttle to keep from blowing the engine.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c111/streb2005/BillinGregsLaborDay2010Cropped.jpg

Sweet Cheekz
11-29-2011, 09:35 AM
Ditto what Matty said Best call

Parnell

Ghost
11-29-2011, 11:12 AM
I think the modern Volvos use the same cutout as the Mercs. My recollection of Bill's motor is that if you wanted to go Volvo, any of the standard drives (as opposed to the big money DPX) would be more than enough. And as with a Merc, you wouldn't be putting a huge hole in the new transom, and what you were cutting would be Merc compatible. If that matters.

Someone please yell if I am wrong about the cutouts.

MOP
11-29-2011, 08:16 PM
That Girl needs to empty the mail box!

Greg Guimond
11-30-2011, 06:33 AM
[ QUOTE mattyboy] squirt boat are gas guzzlers and need big power to perform, rough water handling and resale will suffer as well.

I agree with Matty. Cost of fuel (high) and resale (low) aside, I think you would be surprised at how much HP it takes to run a jet to a performance level you would be satisfied with. Are you saying that the transom on your 18 Classic has not been cut at all at this point? Post a pic.

PMZONER
11-30-2011, 08:54 AM
Merc Bravo 1, lots of parts, lots of props, lots of options. As for the jet, used jets skis are cheap. :yes:

biggiefl
11-30-2011, 02:38 PM
Now I still would like to know if you are Marlo Thomas fan or..... :eek: