long belt drive?

[mudkat]

I'm new to the forum and ,I'm starting to get parts together for a new boat.
I'm thinking about using the long belt drive to get more useable room in the boat has anybody heard any positive or negitive things about them.

[Olf Art]

They're heavy. I run a short belt (CH 3) and I wish there was some way to be able to put it on a diet .

Being able to mount the engine lower in the boat is neat, but you pay a big weight penalty for it with all of the extra hardware that
the long belt requires. JMO

[basketcase0302]

Mudcat,

Welcome. My long belt is heavy as olf stated, does lower your center of gravity though. Kinda rob peter to pay paul type decision.

Basketcase

[Red Dwarf]

When I first started thinking about airboats, I had the idea of a long belt drive. I didn't even know that they made belt drives at the time, and it seemed like too good to be true.

Then I found out what they weigh and what they cost.

Long belt is probably not the best for a first airboat, even though it might seem safer. I think your first boat should scare you just enough to keep you from doing things that you shouldn't be doing, and it should be cheap enough for you to decide if you really like airboating or not without sinking too much in it

[Airboatcapt2]

I gotta admit, I'm not crazy about them but I have built a few.
The weight is an issue but so is changing the oil.
I just dont know if it is worth the additional cost.
Just my 2 cents

[Red Dwarf]

Have to take it to jiffy lube and let them suck the old oil out LOL

[Airboatcapt2]

I can see them now, sitting in the pit looking at the poly through the trailer trying to figure out where the oil drain plug is. *some of those guys scare me.

[Olf Art]

Faron, one of the scariest things I've ever done was go to a Jiffy Lube ........ . Where do they get those guys !!

olf

[Airboatcapt2]

I watched them tell a lady to drive off and they still had the safety chain hooked to the car.


Another time my mom went to Jiffy Lube ang they didnt put the oil cap back on. Blew out at least a quart on the motor.

[Olf Art]

This story is probably killing the purpose of this thread, but .....

An old retired widow lady that I kinda look after called me one morning.
She was at a Jiffy nearby, and she said, "Ken, I'm sorry to bother you but I've got my little car over here for an oil change, and they're telling me that it's going to be $62.00. Does that sound right?"

I got the "manager" on the phone, and by the time we were done the bill for Ms. Shirley had worked it's way down to $16.00 and change.
I hate those places.

olf

[Waterthunder]

I hate long belt drives. I can't beleive people are still able to sell them and the funny thing is they only go on big boats where CG is less of a problem then a 12ft boat oh well. I prefer gearbox's never had a problem with one yet.

[Glenn Hutchinson]

Jiffy lube employees have graduated from Wal Mart tire and lube express Although I'm trying to decide what kind of drive to put on my boat, v-belts, poly chain or gears, I'm lost as usual!

[Airboatcapt2]

I think the Belt Drive is the best my to go on a big boat.

I did drive a long belt drive on an 18ft boat that drove really smooth but I did worry about changing the oil, and worst case scenario *swamping if water splashed over it would hit directly on the motor.
Added cost/added benifits just didn't equal out to me.

[jim]

The inboard ski boat builders screw a fitting into the pan drain with a long hose. The end is fastened up high and when they drain they just stick the hose out the hull drain and remove the plug from the hose. The dangers of this are obvious.

jim

[mudkat]

my concern more than anything is how much the belt would whip being that long.
I thinking now about the 514 ford crate motor and one of the 2.68 ratio gear box.

[basketcase0302]

mudcat,

The belt doesn't really "whip". Procedure for checking tension is simply grabbing the end of the prop and check "slack" or play. About 100 hours and doin' good here,(knock on wood)

I don't believe Franklin makes the long belt drive unit for the big block Ford yet, (guaranteed I'll be the first to have one when they do) I think they do make the CH-3 short belt for it though.

Basketcase

[COLD]

I saw this long belt on Whirlwind's new site. A shot of one of your boats is the first one you see Faron. Anyways this is kind of what I pictured when I tought of a home made long belt. I thought this one was a bit overbuilt but I see it's aluminum. http://www.whirlwindpropellers.com/images/gallery_images/ab200_bayly_15_lg.jpg