Ben Hur cab over (old skool)

[stupidbaker57]

Here's a couple of shots of my Ben Hur hydro. It's a Hal Kelly design from way back.
This is the hull I plan on putting a motorcycle engine in the back and run a surface drive system of my own. The "drive" in the pic is a mock up of wood. The tach will come from the bike. The steering is fabbed up in the shop with a steering wheel from a go kart.
Why I'm so cheap, that I even made my own cowl pulleys.DSCF0006.JPG

DSCF0007.JPG

DSCF0001.JPG

DSCF0004.JPG

[Yellowjacket]

This looks pretty dangerous to me.

The thing that bothers me is that you have a pretty severe shaft angle, and the prop is set way back from where it was with the outboard. This is going to create a lot of lift way back behind the boat.

Add to that the fact that your motor weight is a lot further forward that it was in the original design and you have a situation where the back end of this boat is going to lift like crazy. WHEN that happens (notice I didn't say IF) the back end is going to try to pass the front end in a hurry.

I understand you want to do this on the cheap, but when you look at it, you can buy a decent outboard (like a Merc 500) for about $300 (I know because I just did). You could have a lot of safe fun with a rig like that. This is simply a recipe for getting hurt. Your weight distribution is way different than what the hull was originally designed for and this alone could be dangerous.

[stupidbaker57]

The shaft angle on this experiment is 10 degrees. It looks more like 45, but that's the angle of the picture. The engine maybe forward of the motorboard, but that should move the CG towards the sponsons. The areodynamics of the hull wanting to lift at the bow should be balanced by the extended shaft length and the far forward seating position of the driver.

[zul8tr]

the operative word here is "should" ?

[marchettih2o]

Make it like an Arneson drive....utilizing a gimble joint at transom...a really simple design. Get you a small Chrysler trim cylinder and a Chrysler pump and you can have a trim system. Keep us informed of your progress...good luck, gg

[Ron Hill]

I realize you have bought two props from, not totally knowing what I was selling you. But, Hal Kelly originally built this boat was a ton of "AIR" lift in it (For the ear it was a ton)...and as I recall it has like a 1/2 to 3/4 inch tunnel. Hal Kelly's pictures show the Ben-Hur with a 55-H on it and kicked under, maybe 5 degrees.

Really, I looked at you plan, yesterday, and came back on today to tell you you need to get the propshaft closer to parallel......Everyone here on BRF have given you good advice...

Nice job so far on the boat.....Tell us about your Studebaker!!!!