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500 caddy direct or gearbox

M

mnairboater

Member
I bought a used airboat from florida due to what happen with me with silverdollar but anyway it is all that I can afford right now and It don't look like I will ever see the silverdollar.
The boat that I have has a 500 caddy direct drive and it is 15 foot rivermaster hull. I does ok but I have to be carefull I don't stick it (I have done it a few times and its hard to get it back on the water) The question I have is it worth the money to put a gearbox on the caddy and will the caddy hold up to the higher rpms that it will run with the gear box. I believe it is just a stock motor. I know it was recently rebuilt but it runs great. Who sell them for the caddys or is it worth changing the motor all together.

Thanks in advance
 
What kind of prop does your new boat currently have? No doubt about it the gear box would help but if who ever sold it to you just stuck some old wood stick prop on there you might be able to get by with a swap to a good composite model, If you already have a good prop then sell it and get a box and a a new super wide prop.

what ever happened to the money you gave silver dollar?
 
The boat has a wood prop its seems to be a big prop but I don't know that much about them. Would it help switching props and leaving it direct drive? Right now the motor doesn't rev over 2800 rpms so im not sure if the motor has enuff power to turn a bigger prop with out the gear box.

As for the money I gave him for a deposit, He still has it. I even went down there to Oklahoma to see whats going on and he promised that the boat would get done. Haven't heard from him since. That was over a year ago.
 
It sounds like you might already be maxed on your prop if that torqy caddy will only spin it to 2800. You would probably see a gain in performance by switching to a composite and leaving it DD but I don't think it would be enough to warrant the cost then decide by the end of summer "yeah, it runs a little better but I still need more". If you get a composite now and decide to go gearbox later you'll need to switch props again to fully utilize the box/motor combo. I recomend running it the way it is for now,save your coin up,buy a superwide blade prop and gearbox at the same time and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you're basically through with that aspect of the vessel. Just my two cents though.

I would tell that guy I wanted my money back and if he refuses take him to court. That's too long of a wait in my book. If you got that 15K back you could build a helluva caddy engine,get a super wide Sensenich and a crazy gearbox that would push that boat up the side of a mountain.
 
There is one option that I've seen done that works well ,franklin belt drive with a 1.5 to 1 ratio turn your cadi motor around 3600 rpm and walk the dog with no mods to the engine.
 
Where can you get one or who sells them. Would I have to change all the motor mounts and the cage. I'm sure I would need a new prop too. You think that would make a big difference.

thanks
 
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