I’ve always wondered do you need to strengthen the bulkhead on a boat when you switch to air ride? Seems like that would create an awful lot of leverage pulling up on that section of a hull.

Front view

Seating for 5 on a 14x7 Thurman. Single rear driver, double in the center, and an interchangeable front seat that switches between a single (pictured) and a double. Love it.

Diggin you have a set of those boxes in yours...better make sure there’s no residue left in them LOL. My new one has a set as well.

Just curious about the science behind figuring what taper to bend the sheets of a riveted hull at (stern to bow taper). You look at some of the old Thurmans and they have a lot of taper making the bow deeper. But the later Thurmans, and the newer Benny Webb’s have less taper. The Don Davis’ and Ward...

I agree Rich. But if you talk to some guys, they make it sound like a .125 hull weighs exponentially more. I analyze and research before I do almost anything. I figured the difference to be around 40 pounds. Unless you’re building a pure race boat, .125 is the way to go IMO. I know it says “hull wei...

No brainer on going 7075. I’m no hull builder, but I’ve wondered why more people aren’t building their 7075 hulls out of .125. I did some research two years ago before I ordered my new hull, compared weight figures from multiple suppliers, and figured that a 13x7’2 hull made of .125 only weighs abou...

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I can tell you why that happens initially Seven3, we can call that Phase#1 and nearly every time it is because of the persons budget! Almost every time boaters take the cheaper route to "just get started" You are totally on point that many people don't really know what they want or more importantly...

I know nothing about the Caddy engines, so I’ll stay out of that part of the conversation. But I feel the need to offer some advice with regards to the overall direction you want to go with the boat. IMO, think about what boat you ultimately want to end up with...whether it is DD, gearbox, Water Thu...

Don’t make us wait...who’s building the hull lol.

Man, I’m glad I sold my Thurman to someone else, I would’ve hated to see you remove the 540 and put an LS on it lol. Just kidding, who’s building your hull?

Although I haven’t ridden on one yet, I’ve seen them run. I think they are a comparable alternative to the 540. I don’t think they’re going to outperform a strong 540 (at this point), and I don’t foresee them taking a big chunk of the market away from the 540, but for the guy who hates going to the ...

Those welded boats look like that very quickly if you run any dry. I’ve seen a welded aluminum boat that was only 6 months old that looked just like your buddies hull. You get what you pay for.

So Davie GSO480, I’ve seen the pics of boats you have owned in the past. You and I have very similar tastes in boats (riveted aircraft hulls with 540 power). For your ‘next’ boat, would you stay this DD route, go LS w/gearbox, or go back to aircraft? Good question man...depends what you want out of...

So Davie GSO480, I’ve seen the pics of boats you have owned in the past. You and I have very similar tastes in boats (riveted aircraft hulls with 540 power). For your ‘next’ boat, would you stay this DD route, go LS w/gearbox, or go back to aircraft?

I agree Sniper, this is a good thing. More options are always better, especially when you’re talking about cheaper options in a very expensive hobby. One thing that is causing me doubt is that prop. That’s not a lot of prop. I have a buddy who runs a 5 blade Alpha on his 540, I believe it’s a 70”, b...

I saw you out there in January, nice boat.

So is that one of the key elements to making a DD work, making the blades shorter so that you can spin it past 3K RPM? I always thought 3K RPM was the limit.

Always things that can be improved, our "sport" needs the constant progress or it will fade eventually I agree, but I disagree. No doubt, this platform will have its place. Just like CM gearbox boats, ecotechs, or even rotax powered boats have their place. Improvements in anything are always welcom...

I have owned probably a dozen 305 powered Monte Carlos and El Camino’s from the 80s...you are looking at 150 to 160 hp tops. My advice is to keep that boat as is so that it doesn’t become a money pit. You could put a box on it and it still might not even run dry. Might be better off putting that mon...

I googled the creek too after watching. Looks beautiful, If you go let me know I’ll come.

This feud you guys are having is both hilarious and entertaining, lol. But it seems like it’s all in good fun. I know this is more of a HP vs TQ debate than a CM vs AC, but in the end that’s what it ends up being. IMO it all comes down to the size of the boat you need to power. 12 foot and under, ge...

CMB I am going to speculate that the direct drive project has been abandoned and you are now going the 7,000 rpm route. On the DD topic, I heard that there is someone (unknown) who has been working on a set of heads for an LS direct drive. Supposedly they are using an epoxy to narrow up and reshape...

I just went out to the shop and pulled my dipstick. I last changed my oil on January 17. A conservative estimate is that I have probably 12-15 hours on this oil, I’ve run the boat 6 or 7 times this year so far. Some quick rides, a couple of long rides, so it’s probably more than 12-15 hours. I run A...