V-Drive

DanWalton86 · Posted: Mar 27, 2003 11:59 pm Post subject: V-Drive

wats it mean by v-drive??? Confused

forwaken · Addict Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 635 City: Turlock, CA

The motor is in the back. Because the motor is in the back, there is a prop shaft that is directed to the front. There is another shaft then that is directed to the back driving the prop hence making a "V" Hope it helps.

skicrave · Criminal Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 76 City: Portland

Here's a diagram to help explain what a v-drive is and why it's used.

Like forwaken said, as opposed to a direct drive inboard where the engine is in the middle and the drive shaft exits towards the stern of the boat, in a v-drive, the engine is turned around 180 degrees so that the driveshaft faces the bow of the boat. From there, it is directed into v-drive unit (input is the top shaft in the diagram above). The v-drive is basically like a transfer case which contains gears to redirect the power back so that the output faces the stern of the boat. From the v-drive the power is sent out (through the shaft on the bottom in the above diagram), and then to the prop shaft and on to the prop.

So the term v-drive used to describe boats with engines in the rear comes from the piece of drivetrain which makes the rear engine configuration possible.

DRAGON88 · Posted: Mar 28, 2003 2:11 pm Post subject:

whoa, thats a pretty cool diagram...

forwaken · Addict Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 635 City: Turlock, CA

difenitely beats my explanation. Good lord!!!! Sorry I suck.

DanWalton86 · Posted: Mar 28, 2003 11:24 pm Post subject:

so basically...
its wen the motor is at the bak of the boat (inboard) and a shaft taht goes down to the prop makes a V shape??
is this rite???
thanx

skicrave · Criminal Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 76 City: Portland

Yeah, that's basically it, but the point at the end of my post was that they aren't mutually exclusive. For instance, just because the engine is at the back of the boat doesn't mean a v-drive unit is employed in the drive line (Fineline Wave is one example). By the same token, just because the engine is in the middle of the boat doesn't mean it can't use a v-drive (Infinity ZX-1).

V-drive is a term coined by the masses for inboard boats which have the engine in the back of the boat. It's generally correct because almost every inboard boat with the engine in the back uses a v-drive unit to maintain the prop shaft geometry.

DanWalton86 · Posted: Mar 31, 2003 11:11 pm Post subject:

ok kewl fellas

umm...
do u get a phatter wake wit hv drive boats then a normal center moored inboard??
im look at getting a boat, the motor is in the middle so yer
any suggestions would b sik
pEaCe

eeven73 · Posted: Apr 01, 2003 7:33 am Post subject:

Your kiwi-english is giving me a headache Exclamation