V drive conversions

Trevor,    I think you have found the best information that we have on this site, I believe there was one other v drive conversion, but the author escapes me at this moment.   Form& Function was by far the best/most thorough write up though.    You may be able to have one of the other members ping him if they have personal contact info. One of F&F's kids had a health issue, so shortly after the boat was finished, it went up for sale.   The new owner might be able to provide some details as well, if you could track the boat down.   I would also guess that Planet Nautique and some other sites might have guys that have tried a conversion like you are talking about.   This site tends to have more of the old school Keep it original types, but don't let that keep you from building or asking for ideas and advice here.   
Before you commit to a huge rebuild with a conversion attached, you may want to consider just upgrading to a v drive boat.... once you have a baby, your time and your resources will be limited much more than they are now.    I suspect you will have a significant amount of both time and $$ into a conversion, and that unless you are just itching to stay busy and/or have a 5 - 10 year horizon, you would probably be ahead to just purchase vs. build.      Some guys do this stuff super fast, and can do it with Wives and Kids, but I suspect that they are the exception, not the rule.   YMMV.   Good luck though, and with what ever you decide we'd love to see pictures of your progress.

8122pbrainard wrote: Trevor, I went back into Ryan's (F&F) thread to see if he reported the performance after the conversion and couldn't find anything. It would be my concern that shifting all the engine weight aft would affect it and my thought would be for the worse. I sure would track down the person who bought the boat and find out before jumping in on the project.

Looking back on page 18, just above the photo set, he mentions he was pleased with it. Also 84resto said something in there about how well the boat ended up surfing.

Thanks for the replies

Save yourself a ton of time and money- sell your boat and buy a vdrive. I have a nice 1991 barefoot 454 vdrive I'm getting ready to sell. 😀

Don
Someplace is a post of the fleet. I ONLY have 5. You make it sound like I'm a hoarder of excels/Bfn's... the 1991 excel is all the way up to 51 hours now!

Don't forget that most v-drives are 1.5:1 and will likely require an update to 1-1/8" shaft (plus log/packing and strut). Obviously a new prop too.

The conversion in its entirety is a pretty big undertaking. You may want to consider rebuilding the boat in its original configuration ASAP before the warm weather comes. Being boatless during boating season is rather unpleasant for you and others around you. It sounds like you'll have other things competing for your time as well!

A vdrive hull is much deeper than a regular ski nautique . I would say about 2-3x deeper. The cost of a Walter vdrive is insane. I have worked on both types of boats. I'm not saying it's impossible- but I would not recommend it.?

Just put a short shaft I/O in it!!

I think if you are excited about a really neat, almost unique project then it sounds like a cool idea. As mentioned I think the parts will add up quickly on you.

If you have the skills to take on a job like that, plus a stringer replace, then I would suggest you at least look around on various sites for a project V-drive. The early Barefoot/Excel are likely the lowest cost if you can find one, the mid '90's boats seem to hold value. If you could find a project v-drive for short money then you are working on a boat with all the parts in front of you, I have a feeling it would end up less expensive than your conversion.

Go for it!

But know that these hulls are small and narrow. You will gain a playpen, but really not gain storage or room for your soon to be growing son or daughter to bring along a friend or siblings. Compare your 2001 to even more modern malibus or MC 197s, they are way more roomy and a lot wider. So while you are shifting the dog house around, your net gain will be minimal. Also, I argue you will actually lose storage space because you can sure put a lot of equipment starboard side along the doghouse and still get around the boat. Also, with a direct you can have people ride on top of the doghouse. Do not do this with the sunpad and a closed bow at slower speeds -- carbon monoxide will be swirling on top of that sun pad.

If you all have a few kids my bet is you will be moving into something else soon down the road anyway. The lack of space is only worth it when you are a hard core skier, footer, etc.

At a minimum you will need a tower to put gear on.

If you decide to do it, take a lot of pics. I will be interested in watching your mods.

While I love the Idea of a big project for you, I agree with Hollywood.   This sport might be a good option for you...   Toertel's boat is known to several of the Atlanta area guys, and would likely be a nice find.

Toertel wrote: OK...overdue update As of today my next job might take me further away from the Sport....as in potentially Asia... I'll keep you all posted but have to face reality... So if younor someone you know is interested in a 94 Sport with new upholstery/carpet and a GT40 in it...let me know...with trailer 10k as long as she goes to a good owner

Here's a picture of some clown putting his SN into a deep vee, won't mention any names.but it starts with H and ends with d.

hull

I think it fit

Thanks for the input fellas. I will be sticking with the DD

I think it's better to go that route and get to use the boat. Seeing as I've already got the tower, and fat sacks set up to do what I want.

Instead of trying to force it to work. Save me a fair amount of cash in parts and not having to replace an upgraded prop, in addition to the stronger job. Maybe in the future I'll just upgrade.

For now I'll be getting to work on the stringers and have it ready for warmer months.

Good end to this thread.

Cool! Welcome back. Any new pictures to post of your boat?

84resto wrote: Thanks! No new pictures.    I'm curious if anyone knows how many of these conversion have been attempted/completed.   I knew of mine and then F&F and at that point i think i fell off the forums.   Wondering if any more were built.

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None that I know of,   It gets talked about from time to time, but cost and labor are big prohibiting factors now with the cost of a mfg'd v-drive coming down from where it was 10 years ago.     Form and function's build was one of my favorites ever on this site, but I just don't see the cost benefit any more.   Nice to see you back 84.