Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

[Apathetic]

Hi,

I've never owned a boat with Mercruiser drives (I presently have a cone clutch OMC King Cobra), can someone tell me what drives these are, if the pictures here can tell you?

Thank you in advance.

 

[thrasher]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

I can tell you they are NOT mercruiser Alpha 1 gen 2 drives!! That narrows it down a bit!!

Gary

 

[Apathetic]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

Every little bit helps Gary! Once I know what they are I intend to do a lot of research before committing the possibility of buying this boat.

Thank you again!

Anbody know what they are?

Also, they are powered by twin 454 330 HP engines.

 

[tommays]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

TRS do you have tranys inside the boat

Tommays

 

[MurphysLaw]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

doesnt look like my alpha 1 first gen

 

[Don S]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

They are the TRS drives.

 

[jastacey]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

Those drives are pretty good, but the parts are getting hard to come buy, check the transmissions, see it the oil is burnt or has metal flakes in it,and check to see what brand of transmissions are behind the engines.

 

[EricR]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

History lesson- the Mercruiser #1 drive, later slightly redesigned and called the Alpha 1, is a dog shifted type and used behind smaller engines. It is like an outboard foot. Used rarely behind big blocks due to durability. But is the most common Mercruiser stern drive around.

Until Volvo Penta's patent on the cone clutch ran out, Merc used the "TRS" drive in higher horsepower applications. This drive has a transmission behind the engine to do the forward/rev thing.

After Volvo's patent ran out, Merc developed the Bravo series drives, that use a cone clutch.

Anyone feel free to correct any of my mis information.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

I had 4 boats all with Mercruiser #1 Drives, and 1 boat with twin Cobra drives, I heard of TRS drives, never seen one? always wondered what they were, never had an Alpha or Bravo drive either, but I've seen them around.

 

[Apathetic]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

Are TFS drives not good? Should I avoid them? If I change drives, which Mercruiser drives would be easiest to swap to.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jastacey]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

If the drives are running and the transmissions running, and the oil in each is clean and has no metal flakes, them take the boat out for a water test, run the boat hard and see if things hold together, if you do buy the boat .... at some point you will have to replace the drives ... as parts are hard to come by, which means they are also expensive ... I don't know what drives will bolt up to those cut-outs .... some with more knowledge will chime in with there experiances

 

[Bondo]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

Ayuh,.........

Obsolesce is the Only Thing against the TRSs.......... They're a Solid old drive......

Mercruiser sells an Adapter Plate to bolt on Bravo Drives for those old boats with the TRS drive.......

 

[Apathetic]

Re: Name these Mercruiser drives, if the picture helps...

I thank each and every one of you who have replied to this thread. This is why iboats is indespensible IMO. Easy questions are answered, hard questions are answered. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here that is freely given. Thank you.

I won't be able to check the boat in person, it's quite a ways away, and I am shift worker that has a hard time finding someone willing to cover me. So, I am hiring a surveyor to do all that is suggested here and much more, including taking it for a sea trial for me, that is if the broker and I can get ourselves together again....which is another story and another thread.

Thanks again.