# 4 speedmaster longevity ...

[PARKER RABE]

does any one know how long a number 4 speedmaster will last on a pleasure boat , im wanting to put one on my mirage and run it up and down the river on the summer weekends ... i heard that they should be gone thru and looked at , every 5 hours , the gears would have to be replaced at 10 hrs, along with the drive shaft? . is the rebuild really $3000 with the cost of parts and labor every 10 hrs? i also heard that you should change the oil everytime out .........

any info would be great . im not gonna race it , but i will stretch it out a few times over 8000.

[Mark75H]

Parker, a lot depends on how much horsepower you are going to be running thru it. At 200 hp, it will last a lot longer than the intervals you quoted ... other than oil change with each use. The more power you use, the shorter time the gears will last.

The amount of metal you see with each oil change will tell you how long the gears are lasting.

[PARKER RABE]

i was gonna just run my 280 ... i would think they would last more than 10 hours ? and whats the deal with the drive shafts and gears wearing out ? i can get 200 hours out of a sportmaster....

it just doesnt make much sence to get rid of my sportmaster , to gat a speedmaster gain 7 to 10 mph , and have to rebuild it every 10 hours

saam- u think it would go 50 hours?

[jimclauss]

what kind of #4 is that.. for a outboard? or IO the #3,4,5, are bullet proof on IO.s

[PARKER RABE]

no were talking outboard

[88workcar]

one more factor is the weight of the whole rig, more weight less time.

[PARKER RABE]

my boat weighs about 750 pounds . what do u think ? plus me , gas cooler , prob 1200 by then .

[TABARARACING]

Depending on your electrics system you may need to get one of the Opti 120 gearcases that is a #4 that has a bull gear in it to maintain your 280 RH powerhead rotation.

If you switched it over to the traditional electrics (300 Drag / S3000 / 260 ) then you can run the powerhead LH.

You may want to factor this into your decision as the case did not appear to be advertised as one of those. Most of the speedmasters out there are setup to run left hand propellers.

I worked w/ a couple guys who did the exact same thing with a STV built boats. Propeller selection is a nightmare for the boats. You're going to need some LARGE LARGE diameter propellers to try to hold that boat up.

Good luck on your project!

Brian

[PARKER RABE]

brian- the unit is already turing right hand , brendan powers did the work on it ,it has the extended drive shaft and the edaptor , to convert to a 15 inch mid.... the prop that come with the unit is a 12x22 right hand done by b blades..... this #4 wasd ran on a vey light stv , with one person in it , im gonna try and run with 2 people and a heavier boat ? the owner is gonna let me try it before i buy it .

just dont know if i wanna fork over a good sportmaster , plus cash to have a lower unit , i have to go into every 10 hours of just cruzing .:confused:

[PARKER RABE]

you think it will have enuff diamiter to lift the bow up ?

[MHARDEE]

PARKER RAN ONE ON 600 IB MARIAGE FOR A COUPLE YRS 260 WITH NOS TWO PEOPLE SOME WEEKENDS NO PROBLEM :eek::) Mitch

[R Austin]

does any one know how long a number 4 speedmaster will last on a pleasure boat , im wanting to put one on my mirage and run it up and down the river on the summer weekends ... i heard that they should be gone thru and looked at , every 5 hours , the gears would have to be replaced at 10 hrs, along with the drive shaft? . is the rebuild really $3000 with the cost of parts and labor every 10 hrs? i also heard that you should change the oil everytime out .........

any info would be great . im not gonna race it , but i will stretch it out a few times over 8000.

Pop Hubble , back in the mid 60's, told me that as long as do not use a prop bigger that what the unit was designed for it would last. I would guess that is why he used overdrive units on the OMC low RPM motors for record runs. He said that RPM will not hurt the unit however trying to control high HP with an over sized prop and your in trouble.

[PARKER RABE]

Mitch - how did it feel compared to a big case ? Did you run it all summer ? How many hours did u put on it . ?? Do u have anypictures of the set up? What kind of prop did u run ?

[Chummy]

Parkie, if a speedy ran on my barge it will work just fine on your boat. Buy it and go play!! Chris will tell ya they are a blast. Going to bolt his speedy on my boat again before too long.