Drive Shower

[Kahuna]

I am getting a '21 Aftershock Skier with a 6.2 Merc and I wondering if I need to get a drive shower.

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by Kahuna
I am getting a '21 Aftershock Skier with a 6.2 Merc and I wondering if I need to get a drive shower.
I would, I had them on both of my Bravo 1s on my Eliminator and I have one on order for my Ultra with the Alpha...

[Mrs. Bordsmnj]

Hey Kahuna,
We had to have one put on ours, same boat as yours.
Looking forward to seeing your new boat!
:)
Linda

[rivercrazy]

A drive shower is a great idea. Well worth the money.

[OLDRAT]

Good idea and cheap insurance. I have had one on my Bravo
for 6 years.....probably one of the main reasons it hasn't
grenaded off the back of the boat.

[Ziggy]

its cheap insurance/assurance for you...Just do it.

[Pointerman]

Sheepishly asks "What does a drive shower do?" Seriously, I have seen them in pictures, but don't understand the purpose. Is it to keep the outdrive cool?

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by Pointerman
Sheepishly asks "What does a drive shower do?" Seriously, I have seen them in pictures, but don't understand the purpose. Is it to keep the outdrive cool?
Yes it is....
It will cool the drive by anywhere from 30 to 60 degrees according to the articles I have read.

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Get one. As stated above, cheap insurance. Also, it prevents the minerals that are in the water from collecting on the top and sides of the drive. This would be the fugly white flaky stuff you see on some outdrives.
RD, would you suggest a drive shower on an outdrive that had the prop on the front of it? :p

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Originally posted by RiverDave
All these guys above.. Well if they showed up on race day and someone that won had a scoop on backwards.. You'd see them out there flipping there's around too becuase it's gotta do "something" even if they don't know what.
RD <--- talkin shiznit.. LOL :D
Where can I get one of those backward scoops?!?!?!?!?!:p :D

[Kahuna]

If all it does is keep the white crap from building up it will be worth the price. Also it does looks cool and isn't that why we get boats in the first place. :p

[Party Cat]

Originally posted by RiverDave
454Mag / Bravo I and I run the piss out of it, 400+ hrs no problems, no drive shower..
But RD...probably 200 of your hours are from idleing in and out of the lower sandbar 5 mph zone....and how hot can a drive get when ya have to slow down every minute to avoide the lake lice on the strip :D :D :D
If ya did some 60+mph runs from the dam to the Topock, I'd bet you'd notice a difference....also there are some drives that characteristically run hotter....I think Alpha's and Bravo III's....
P (I got one and it looks cool) C :D

[BADBLOWN572]

Kahuna, you do not NEED a drive shower. Typically, they do not have the white stuff build up until you really start spinning it hard and with a lot of power. The Bravo drive is well within limits of the 6.2 and you should never have any problems as long as you do routine maintenance. However, $200 or so is cheap insurance in case for some freak reason your drive gets hot. Once it gets hot, that is when you will start having drive failure.
To answer your question, no you do not need one, but it is good for a little extra peace of mind.

[bordsmnj]

being's that i have the same set up i'll chime in. HELL YES,get the shower. i thought i wouldn't "need "one. i ended up getting one 'cuase basically i run wot most of the time. i haven't had to clean scaley crap off of the drive since i put the shower on,but before it was pretty bad all the time. and it looks cool too:D

[MagicMtnDan]

Braided hose drive shower (I've seen tubular versions as well)...
http://www.raysoncraftboats.com/OMCoutdriveshower.jpg

[bordsmnj]

and another thing - i'd spring for an extra set of cleat's too(centered) just tell paul or alex that you want them done like steve c.'s boat (sorry steve:D )i'm gonna have some put on mine soon as i get around to bringin' the boat out there.

[DEEZ NUTTS]

Other than the white crap what gives. I dont have a drive shower on the axle of any of my cars or trucks. They never seem to get hot enough to break.
I do have them on my newest boat, but they where already there.

[rivercrazy]

There are a bunch of temp tests done on drive showers. The result of these were 30-50 degree drop in overall drive temps. That has to be a good thing. The cooler it runs the better.
I know for a fact that the top of my drive used to get hot enough to leave those white deposits on the upper gear case. Since I got the shower, they are gone.
If your running long distances, the drive will really benefit from the shower.
And no Parker is not long enough to warrant a drive shower unless your running some big power!

[DEEZ NUTTS]

No doubt that it will run cooler with a shower, but how hot can it possibly get any way. The drive has got to be getting some kind of spray from somewhere even if intermitantly(sp). I would think that even at full throttle you would have to stay in it for over an hour to burn the lube.

[rivercrazy]

Gotta agree to disagree with this one RD. The tests I've read said on stock big blocks, the drives get over 180 degrees. Higher performance motors get the drive even hotter. That is hot enough to cause more than normal evaporation on the drive.
Bottom line is that cooler temps are better for the drive than hot temps.

[rivercrazy]

Your comparing an internal combustion engine that needs to run a certain temp to atomize fuel with a gear set imersed with a very limited supply of gear lube. And the gears are loaded very hard with a load at all times. And the bigger and heavier the boat and longer run times, the higher the temps.
And water constantly being poured on top of a light metal cast part has to have a significant cooling effect. Water works at controlling the temperature of many engines/motors, etc very effectively. Again some of the test's I've read indicated as much as a 50 degree drop in the gear lube temps of a drive. While I wasn't personally there to verify the drop in temps, I believe the tests.
Lower gear lube temps = better lubercation properties of the lube.
My common sense suggests that more temp flucuation = more expansion and wear on the gear set and bearings.
I have no scientific proof that the higher temps are bad for the drive but its pretty universally accepted that higher temps are bad for just about anything mechanical.
Whats the scientific proof that hotter temps are good for the drive? And Merc is like any other company motivated by profit. When drives eventually break, they generate additional recurring revenues.
Adding a shower cannot hurt and only help the longevity of the drive IMHO.:p

[MagicMtnDan]

Bottom line:
1. cooler = better
2. drive shower = cooler
3. drive = $$$$$$
4. drive shower = $
Result: go for the drive shower.
Next! :D

[gnarley]

Originally posted by RiverDave
Well if they showed up on race day and someone that won had a scoop on backwards.. You'd see them out there flipping there's around too becuase it's gotta do "something" even if they don't know what.
RD <--- talkin shiznit.. LOL :D
Must be why some guys wear their hats backwards to :D

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by rivercrazy
Gotta agree to disagree with this one RD. The tests I've read said on stock big blocks, the drives get over 180 degrees. Higher performance motors get the drive even hotter. That is hot enough to cause more than normal evaporation on the drive.
Bottom line is that cooler temps are better for the drive than hot temps. \
Even if it doesn't matter, it looks cool and it is cheap.....
I do think it is a positive fo stress on the drive...
:D

[LASERRAY]

:D

[cola]

Cooler drive temps + - . Cooler drive oil is thicker & requires more HP to drive. So will the drive shower slow your boat down. Oil temps are safe well past 200 deg.
So I installed a drive shower & took 25 HP off my boat when I insured it. Saved the cost of the drive shower. :p J/K
Late, Mike

[Party Cat]

Originally posted by RiverDave
I've run my boat on Havasu Too PC....
I can think of 3 times in the last 2 years that the Nodick has hit the waters of Havasu....The Nodick Regatta, a poker run and OP6V (where all ya did was launch go to a cove and party) .....
And probably at least another 150 hours of your 400 are from cocktail cruisin in parker.....
I guess I'll have to agree to disagree with ya on this one.....Bartender....another round :D :D

[Jordy]

Originally posted by RiverDave
I've never heard no "sizzle" and that's fo shizzle..
RD
With 1.21 jigawatts of stereo I wonder why.... :D :D :D
J"couldn't sit this one out"P ;)

[rivercrazy]

Originally posted by Party Cat
And probably at least another 150 hours of your 400 are from cocktail cruisin in parker.....
I guess I'll have to agree to disagree with ya on this one.....Bartender....another round :D :D
And a new drive a few years ago due someone's cowboy hat! One GG&T coming up PC! :D

[gnarley]

IMHO, drive showers may be good and certainly CAN'T hurt ;) but whats better is changing the drive oil every 50 to 100 hours depending on use. The shower might help keep'em lookin purty but changin the oil might keep you from spending bigger bucks $$$

[superV]

You can get a nice one for a Buy it Now price of $60 on ebay right now!:D Bravo or Alpha:eek:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2453722210&category=31283

[CBLavey]

I ran a 350 Mag/Alpha 1 for five hard seasons without a shower and had no problems whatsoever. I removed the alkali buildup once a year with a $5.00 bottle of Lime-A-Way and fifteen minutes of elbow grease. Five years later the drive still looked new.

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by RiverDave
Well we went over this last time...
Prove it.
How do you know that hotter temps (or normal operating temps of 180 degrees) aren't "better" for the drive? How do you know that your not letting your drive come up to "nominal" operating temperature? Is colder always better? If so, then why run a valve on jetboats and adjust engine temp? Why not just run it wide open and let it cool the motor as much as possible? etc.. etc..
If the damn thing needed one then Merc woulda put one on there. Or recomended one on certain applications.. I.E. Merc sais pretty much flat out over 70 ITS / or Hydraulic steering.
On those tests that you read, (which I'm pretty sure is the same one I read) it said "oil temps" reach 180 degrees etc... Well how hot does that make the case? How much is putting water on the case actually cooling the oil?? Most importantly do you even want to cool the oil?
Bottom line, they look cool and there cheap so people buy them. Are they a necessity? well I can tell ya every chaparell deckboat, bayliner, etc.. running a stock Merc application seem to be running fine and 99.9% of them aren't running a drive shower..
RD
Well lets see RD. I think Merc integrated a drive cooler in the Bravo 2 and 3. That should tell us something....

[mtndewdrops]

IMCO makes a nice one for $120. I have one from www.EddieMarine.com that I paid $145 for. It is chrome and covers the entire top of the bearing housing. It comes with a steel braided pickup tube. I installed it myself in about an hour, it is pretty simple. They include a template to locate the 2 holes to drill for the pick-up tube fitting.
Tools required:
Center Punch
Drill motor
1/2" & 9/32" High Speed drill bits
Countersink tool
12pt 3/8" socket

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by mtndewdrops
IMCO makes a nice one for $120.
That is the same drive shower I used on my Eagle. I don't think that IMCO makes one for the Alpha though...
:D

[phuggit]

Lets see...Scoop and hat backwards for more speed. No damn wonder I wasn't going anywhere.
I have the Eddie Marine too. Don't know if it really does any good or not, but It's chrome and it looks good.