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Woodsy
08-07-2001, 11:21 AM
I have been thinking alot lately about upgrades to my 22 Classic so I am no longer the slowest boat on Winni. I did post about a few small 454 Mag upgrades, but the big question is drives, more specifically, I would like to put on a Blackhawk. Aside from raing the x dimension a couple of inches, what other problems and issues might I encounter. Also, what is a good price for a blackhawk drive? New or used?

Thanks

Dave :cool:

Formula Jr
08-07-2001, 12:34 PM
From what I've read, the blackhawks had a very limited, effective trim range. 22's in which the drive was installed were altered to have a rocker so the trim would be more effective.

RickR
08-07-2001, 02:28 PM
The Blackhawk drive is VERY limited production. Surfacing a drive like that is hard on parts. Props are already hard to find.

I'd find a better way! There is no substitue for cubic inches. :D

Jamesbon
08-07-2001, 02:59 PM
Bigger big block and an Arneson :D

GEOO
08-07-2001, 06:40 PM
Dave,
The BlackHawk drive would not work well on a normal 22 Classic. Donzi reworked the hull and added rocker to give bow lift on the BlackHawk addition. I think they may of had a different mold? GEOO

BigGrizzly
08-07-2001, 07:35 PM
Don't qast the time and money. Just buy a imco super shortie and leave the X dimention where it is. this mod will net from 3->8 mph depending on Horse power. One more point Merc dropped it for several reasons, the maine one is that it is weak under a high HP big block.

Randy

blackhawk
08-07-2001, 07:36 PM
From what I have been told the blackhawk Classic's are a totally different mold. They have a rocker built into them, the strakes are different and a couple other small differences. In order to get a blackhawk to work you would have to get the rocker in the hull either by getting it re-worked or with some rocker plates. But you would still be taking a chance on if it would work or not. Kind of an expensive gamble.

blackhawk
08-07-2001, 07:53 PM
Mercury dropped the blackhawk because it was a "niche" outdrive and not many hulls responded well to it, especially V-hulls. Heck, Donzi made a hull just for the drive! But a lot of Cats responded very well to the bow lift they produced. The drives themselves are very durable.

Woodsy
08-08-2001, 07:05 AM
Thanks for all of the advice guys... I guess Griz printed what everybody else I have contacted ahs told me... leave the transom alone and go with an Imco shortie. So I will start hunting around for one of those. But the next question is horsepower... I have a fresh motor, so I am thinking supercharger... maybe a procharger? or a whipple? What do you guys think? The wealth of knowledge here is amazing!! Thanks for your advice!!

Dave :D

freeplay
08-09-2001, 05:36 PM
Guys, i beg to differ on the Blackhawk drive. I currently have a Black Hawk #36 with out the surface drive. Donzi ended up eliminating the Black Hawk drives on the later models.

a guy i know here in Michigan has had his drive rebuilt already twice, The third was a no-go! He had to replace the drive @ about $15000.00............not good. :eek:

blackhawk
08-09-2001, 09:06 PM
I know guys that have re-built their Bravo drives 5 or 6 times or bought 2 or 3. Does that mean that they are no good? All I know is I have seen the blackhawk drives on some cats with some serious horsepower and have talked with a couple of Donzi owners that were running superchargers. They are definitely not bulletproof, but they are just as strong as the Bravo.

roadtrip se
08-09-2001, 10:33 PM
I did a lot of research on the blackhawk drive and the Donzi 22 application. Decided to pass based on prices and the styling of the Limited Edition, which doesn't light my fire.
The hull is completely different in weight distribution, x-dimension, rocker, and strakes. The boat rides very high, responds very little to trim, and tabs are important. Very cool ride for those who have the patience to learn to drive it. I would still like one in regular trim at a normal price.
Putting a black hawk on a standard 22 hull won't work due to all the performance tweaks.
Parts, props, and drives are still available at reasonable prices. I found several parts houses with this stuff. The props, shaft, and shell are pretty much the only unique pieces from the bravo. I had one parts house quote me at 4K with room to haggle on an entire drive with props. Props could be of better quality. Unique parts will become an issue sooner or later.
Every blackhawk donzi left with the 502 and blackhawk drive. I have driven the boat with a bravo on the transom and it felt like it was going to hook over. The 502 was setup for a lower idle speed to help around docks. No other merc was setup for this drive.
There are several cats here that have this drive running big power. They don't blow up any more than a abused bravo would. 502 power will not hurt this drive at all.
Blackhawk. If you ever want to sell your boat, let me know. Todd

blackhawk
08-09-2001, 10:58 PM
Todd, I will let you know if I ever sell it. I had it for sale once but decided to keep it when everything else that was in "excellent" condition was a dissappointment. I usually want to sell it about mid-winter. :D

Sagbay32
08-10-2001, 12:06 AM
Hey blackhawk.......you in Davisburg?

PaulO
08-10-2001, 03:45 PM
Be careful with the Imco shortie!! Truth is that the effectiveness of this drive depends on a balancing act. With a straight bottom hull (no rocker or hook) it is a crap shoot. If you have enough weight toward the stern and therefore don't need the trim to "air the boat out" you may get speed gains. Remember: shortening the drive unit reduces the amount of leverage it has at positive trim angles so that the effect on the hull (getting the bow up) is lessened. If you have to run greater trim angles, you will lose potential gains by by running the drive at a very inefficient angle. Drives are their most effecient running parallel to the surface. Trim too much and the bullet shape of the lower gets pushed through the water at an angle and thrust is wasted when aimed at the low pressure water near the surface. Most boats of this type do not benefit from the shortened drive and in fact, some have lost a few miles per hour. I did the research! If in doubt, call Imco they will give the straight scoop.
PaulO