Boat wont plane / Velvet Drive Rebuild??

[62 woodie]

I just purchased a '62 Higgins and am interested in any info on parts availability for a #AS 1 -70B trans. Where to get, / costs , etc. Also is there much to rebuilding one?

Im currently working on the motor.(Graymarine 135 with water in oil situation). When I took the boat out for the first time , I couldnt get it to plane... even tho motor was running over 3500 rpm. Someone suggested the trans may be slipping.The boat had been in storage for aprox 20 yrs. Could there be something "stuck", that just needs some running time? Is there anyway to test trans?
.
ANY OTHER ideas on why boat wouldnt plane?

Thanks for all the help so far!!! Steve :confused:

[Mrleft8]

Make sure you remove the trailer from the boat before attempting to plane....

[Scott Haddad]

Wrong prop, Maybe?

[davef]

What's the prop look like?

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

lots of fluid in the transmission? Shift mechanism is engaging forward completely?
What is the size of the prop and it's pitch?

Be careful if this is happening... it should be howling along at 3500. Don't chew up a transmission, you'll be sorry.

Drain and replace the transmission fluid. Make sure when the shift is in forward, the arm on the transmission is also engaged ALL the way. These are hydraulic transmissions with multiple pressure plates. If they are only partially engaged, it's like a clutch partiall engaged. It's possible the plates are slipping, but only if the transmission is pretty worn.

The prop, (without knowing much here) should be marked on the hub as to the size and the pitch. The first number is size, the second number is pitch. The pitch numeral is the number of inches the boat would be pushed through the water with on revolution of the engine. (a little more to it than that, but this will serve) A boat like yours should have a prop that might be say...12 inches with a pitch that might be higher than the diameter...say 14.. or at least as high as the diameter. Check this stuff and let us know

Velvet drive transmissions were used heavily in the industry, and you should with a little digging be able to find some old salt with lots of experience with them. You can also buy used transmissions with a little luck. I bought two paragons, a left and right, off of ebay for 70 dollars US. To rebuild them with new pressure plates and seals and so on is not cheap, and usually rare, frankly. Hydraulic transmissions coupled to gas engines should survive a couple of engine rebuilds before needing it themselves, provided they were given the little maintenance they need.

[ 09-22-2003, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: Peter Malcolm Jardine ]

[62 woodie]

Thanks for the responses!
.....trailer?...hmmmm.. I DID unhook the truck tho. :D

As for the prop, Its marked 12RH12.How do you know what dia/pitch is correct? The boat length is 17' if that makes any difference. When I measured the prop, its about 10 5/8" dia.Could it be worn that much? It does have a slight bend in one of blades. The boat was starting to vibrate around the 3500 mark.

Peter, it has a floor shift in it. Good idea to check and make sure lever is engaging all the way.

Thanks again for all the help! Steve

[brad9798]

Did you have a load of people on her when you took her out?

Non-original gas tank in a different location?

Innaccurate tachometer showing 3500 when, perhaps, you may have only been getting 2800 on an engine that needs work?

Prop sounds right for that type of boat ...

Brad

[nedL]

Hmm... 12x12 prop on a Gray 135 in a 17' Higgens, at 3500RPM you should be more than planing if it's a 1:1 reverse gear (which it should be in a 17' light boat).
You mention "Velvet Drive" and also "floor shift" which to me don't ususlly go together. The Velvet drive reverse gears (transmissions) I am used to are hydraulic reverse gears which are usually operated by a flexable "Teleflex" type of shift cable with a 'small' shift lever usually somewhere on the instrument panel. A 'floor shift', (like a big old parking brake lever on a truck) which is typically connected to the reversee gear with ridgid pipes & bell cranks would mean a mechanical reverse gear.
Mechanical reverse gears do have clutch bands inside them which require occasional tighening to keep them from slipping.
The 12x12 (12" diameter x 12" pitch)should be just about right, & I bet give you a top speed at 3500 of about 32+/- knots

[ 09-23-2003, 12:45 PM: Message edited by: nedL ]