Originally Posted by Jassman

This is my take on it...This should also be asked in the gen. forum.....Boat Manufactures want to sell what sells easiest for them, all of them, and also what they have come acustomed to installing. The Quicker so many times you do it means more profit. They dont want to do R&D on something different, why fix what's not broken. Custom isn't custom anymore, and then what happens is sometimes the boats get set up wrong, so now it's the Surface drives fault. Hustler is the only one that ventures somewhat on the wild side by putting surface drives (ARNESON) on their V's. Beleive me, the boat drives as good, docks as well, no clunking into gear, way more dependable, gets up on plane as good.... if rigged and propped properly, but resale sucks because of the lack of knowledge of general public cause the dealer or boat manufactures doesnt want to educate them, nor has the time to educate their own employees or themselves, in sales and service. So now it becomes a morfadite. Internationally, like the races today on Spike, all the V's had surface drives, what do they know what we dont, or dont want to learn. Servicing them is easier, again once you go through them, just like anything else. Its unfortunate that Mercury has such a strangle hold on this industry, kind of like racing, but I will shut up on that. My next boat will have trip ASD-7's with a manufacturer who is willing to set the boat up right for my application.

Originally Posted by Jassman

If enough people with balls got together and said the hell with you Mercury and your prices, (I commend Ilmor) and relized there were other alternatives that were more effecient out there, and were given a chance to not be banned in racing like(Weisman) and a few others, the competion would make Mercury improve (like on their bravos) and lower the prices. Mercury has to much control, again just my take on it.

Originally Posted by License To Thrill

Arneson BPMs make the Trimax drives look like toothpicks. However, Tommy Bahama used them and as far as I can remember never had a problem with the Trimax. They had lots of other problems but not with the drives. Callan uses BPM drives also.

Properly maintained, neither drive is going to break.

Originally Posted by License To Thrill

Yes, Randy Scism says he prefers the BPMs for that reason. Anyways it's good to see somebody do something different in a pleasureboat. But what about docking with those fuel-sucking turbines? Have you thought about a jet-powered outboard like Jet Set has?