Business class 101 states that if you don’t continuously improve your own product, somebody else will. With that being said, here’s the new “Big Box”. The Big Box is a new and improved split case 10 degree Vdrive. The case uses the same gears, shafts and bearings as a Casale Vdrive. This case was designed for big Horse Power for high speed cruising and performance. It was designed for River Cruisers and GN (Grand National) Race Boats. No more needing to cut out the water jacket for large gears. Big Box Features 1.   7 inch inside wall diameter which will hold a 0% to 100% overdrive gear (1:1 to 2:1 ratio) while still having the water jacket intact. 2. Wider oil cavity. 3. Oil sight hole relocated higher up to hold more oil. 4. Longer water jacket on back case for better cooling. 5. All standard gears, shafts, and bearings. 6. Available in 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch mid plate thicknesses. 7. All standard external components. Case Dimensions: Standard Billet Cases 9“ wide / 12“ tall Big Box Cases 10“ wide / 12-1/2“ tall • The Big Box Cases do not get any lower than the standard billet cases, they are a 1/2” taller. Notes: These cases will have their own mid plate and gaskets. They also have two separate water systems. Recommendations: We recommend using Casale HD (Heavy Duty) Shafts and HD Gears. Below is a photo of a set of 2.18 gears, with still 1/4” of clearance with the water jacket! Here is

Here we go finally! Let’s see how many Connolly’s we can get together all on the same weekend to have some fun and make some good memories. Personally I plan to come into town on Thursday night to enjoy 3 days on the water. Hotel info: Blue water resort, I am currently in the process of getting a group code for the Blue Water and including marina slip boat parking from Friday - Sunday (for those interested). Plans: Friday - let’s enjoy the river and on Friday Night, let’s meet for drinks and dinner at Foxes’ Floating Bar. Saturday (Regatta Day) - after breakfast 10 amDamn Run and float. 1 pm - Pirates Den & Resort (Water Front Patio) for lunch. Pirates will be providing us special happy hour pricing for us. There will be a section of their new marina boat slips reserved for Connolly Boats. After lunch - upper sand bar (across from Fox’s) Sunday - free day, enjoy the water. Event Shirts: refer to picture. Event pricing: FREE (minus the shirts)! Goodie bags: If anyone can assist with donations so we can do a raffle for boat owners, it would be appreciated!

Had a great time at the Classic Performance Boat Springs Regatta, as usual John did an incredible job with the event.

Bass Lake Cruiser Round Up. Saturday June 17th / 11 AM / $25 entry. @millerslandingbasslake, following Willow Cove & Sandbar at 1:30-EOD. Limited lake pass requirements lifted. All Cruisers Welcome: Day Cruisers, River Cruisers, Mini Day Cruisers, Cabin Cruisers, ETC. All drive types encouraged to attend. Awards for: 19’ & Under, 20’-21’, 22’ & Up, Most Original, Best Paint/Gel, Best Engine/Rigging, & Millers Choice. Unsanctioned, Unaffiliated, Unofficial. All Lake Laws Apply. Boat At Your Own Risk. Lodging available at Bass Lake & Oakhurst. #basslake #cruiserroundup #daycruiser #rivercruiser #minidaycruiser #cabincruiser #meetup #meetngreet #vdrive #jetboat #inboardoutboard #outboard #classicvdrives

Classic Performance Boating will be hosting this event once again at Pirates Cove Resort in Needles California on the Colorado River. This event is about getting all the Classic High Performance Boats together and enjoying good company while showing off your rides. We want to see them all. V-Drives, Outboards, Jet Boats, I/O all makes and models. We will have static display of boats, along with boats in the water. Price is $150 Per Boat This will include: Entry for two into Pre Party @ Detail Specialties in Lake Havasu Arizona 1045 Aviation Dr Lake Havasu City Az 86404 2 -Event Shirts 2 -Meal tickets 2 -Wristbands for entry into pre party 1 -Boat eyelet band for reserved beach, dock, or static parking lot 5- Raffle tickets for event prizes to be drawn the night of the party Additional wristbands can be purchased for $25 when you register online. These will get you into the pre party to enjoy food and drinks! Additional event shirts can also be purchased for $25 per shirt. Friday May 19th: 5pm-10pm Event Party @ Detail Specialties in Lake Havasu Arizona 1045 Aviation Dr Lake Havasu City Az 86404 Food and Drinks will be served. We will also have music playing along with various games. This is where you will receive your gift bags which will include wristbands which must be worn at pre party and at Pirates the day of the event, your bow eyelet for special parking on Pirates beach, your event T-shirts, along with raffle tickets for prizes the night of the party. You must have a wristband to enter pre party. These will be handed out along with meal tickets once you pick up your bags! Saturday May 20th: 9am @ Pirates Cove all boats will get together and enjoy food, drinks, and music. (CLICK HERE) To Register!

When buying gifts for your significant other, finding the perfect gift can be difficult. Yet at the same time, it can be so easy if you keep things simple. Here are a few gift ideas I've come up with to help for holidays and birthdays. Women: Sweaters, Blankets, Coffee Mugs, Drink Tumblers, and again Sweaters lol. I like to buy gift which are useful and practical. This year I found a new product and decided to give it a try for my wife and she loved it. I bought her a Peltly Towel that keeps you warm just like a blanket! It gets you dry, then blocks the wind with extra thickness. The best part and what I loved the most is the quality in the stitching and that it is manufactured in the USA! Visit www.peltly.com to check them out today! MEN: Boat Parts, Truck Parts, Engine Parts and in general any Performance Part. Currently I'm building a Big Block Chevrolet Supercharged Marine Engine. So anything for my current project is a giant plus! Oliver Racing Connecting Rods was at the top of my list! A Whipple Supercharger would have been nice too, but maybe for Valentines Day.

This winter we at Classic V-Drives are building Big Block Chevrolet Blower Motor (Engine). It is going to be used in a 21' Connolly Ski Bum (Day Cruiser) V-Drive, as a river/lake boat and not a race boat. Well there might be some river racing going on occasionally, which is expected, but not the sole purpose. Engine Specs (So Far): 8:1 compression, Dart M Engine Block, Bryant Billet Crank, Oliver Max Plus 6.535 Connecting Rods, AFR 385cc Rectangle Port Aluminum Cylinder Heads, ISKY Hydraulic Roller Cam (unknown specs so far), ISKY Ez-Roll X Solid Bushing Roller Lifters, Whipple Intake Manifold/Intercooler Combo, dual 1150 Holley Dominator Carburetors and with hopefully a Whipple 8.3 liter Blower (Supercharger). Current situation: Which Piston company should I go with? CP Carrillo, JE, or Racetec? Here is what I found so far, all three of these companies use the same Casting, with a similar yet different machining process. I've been told Racetec previously were the owners of JE in the 90's, but over the last 20 years they have started a new brand. Obviously JE and CP Carrillo both have the long standing name and reputation of being one of the best. I also think that no one could really complain about any of the three brands, all of which are top quality. Manufacturing Timeline: Racetec - 4 weeks JE - 6-8 weeks CP Carrillo 12-16 weeks Opinion (thinking out loud): Since we are building a boosted engine, and not an N/A (Naturally aspirated) engine..... With 8:1 compression and about 10 lbs. of boost, would I even really notice a difference between any of these brands? What is your opinion and experience? Comment below.

Maintenance is one of the most over looked and undesirable things about owning any boat. Winterizing is no exception, none of us look forward to this, because its just a reminder that summer is over. There are several different ways you can winterize your boat, these depend on how cold winter gets in your area. I am going to talk about my way, it may not be the best, but it works for me. I'd like to hear your way of doing things, so share below. Step 1: Drain the water from your hull! It may seem basic, but sometimes it can be difficult to get all the water out from under seats and under false bottom floors. Make sure you remove your seat cushions to allow things to dry so mold does not grow when you park it for the winter. Make sure you jack your trailer up as high as you can get it, allowing all the water to drain out the back of the boat. Step 2: As your letting your interior dry, drain the water from you engine. In colder climates, some winter nights are below freezing. No one wants to deal with a cracked engine block, burst water lines or cracked exhaust manifolds in the spring! I disconnect all water hoses on at least one end of the hose (usually the lower side). I then use compressed air to blow into the engine block, just to get a little more water out just in case. Does this drain it all? No of course not, but it doesn't take long and its worth the effort. Step 3: Carburetor maintenance! Unless you run your boat out of gas completely, there will still be gasoline in each carburetor bowl. Letting this sit for months can cause gunk to build up inside the bowl and the ethanol in most fuel over time will slowly dry out your gaskets. This can cause leaks in the spring. I use Marvel Mystery Oil as my cure. I use a small plastic syringe, similar to those kids use for medication. I fill the syringe with Marvel Mystery Oil and slowly squirt as much as I can into the carburetor fuel bowl vents. I've found the oil lubricates the gaskets and its prevents gunk from building up inside the bowl. Note: I use the syringe, because attempting to pour into the small vent hole does not work very well. I also use Marvel Mystery Oil as a fuel additive during every fill up. Step 4: Fuel Treatment Do yourself a favor and try not to park your boat with a full tank. Most v-drive boats are carbureted and not fuel injected. I know my boat, does not like 6 month old gasoline. Unless you want to drain your fuel tank every winter, make it easy on yourself and add a fuel stabilizer to your tank. I personally like Lucas Fuel Stabilizer, but any other brand should work. Step 5: Disconnect your batteries. Even if your ignition is turned off, there is still the possibility of a small electrical draw on your battery and over a few months they will be dead. If you want your batteries to last, get a battery maintainer! If you are lucky enough to store your boat inside with power, get a battery maintainer/charger. If you store your boat outside, get a solar battery maintainer. I personally like the smart Suner Power waterproof solar charger and maintainer, it has worked well for me and stood up to the elements. Suner Power has 5w, 10w and 12w options. These are some of the steps I do each winter. By no means are they all you should do, nor am I a performance engine builder. These are just basic things boat owners should be able to do on their own without having to pay a shop. Let me know your thoughts at Classic V-Drives!

Why is it important to select the correct Tiller for your Rudder and style boat? This is a billet aluminum 6061 Tiller. It is 5" from the center of the rudder to the center of the Heim Joints for a dual steering cable set up. The C channel design for the Heim Joints utilizes a 1/8" spacer on the top and the bottom of the 1/2" joint, preventing it from binding as older style tillers did, which did not have the C channel. But what options do you have, and what do these dimensions mean? We offer a standard 5" Tiller, which is a standard (quick) steering ratio. In my particular 21" day cruiser, it still takes me 1 1/2 revolutions on the steering wheel (each direction) to reach full lock. I personally prefer the quicker turning ratio. However, if you are looking to slow down your steering ratio, we can custom make a 6" Tiller. The 6" length is currently what Schiada Boats run on their new production boats. Shaft sizes? The shaft size is the diameter of your rudder shaft. The most common sizes are 1" or 1 1/8". So which length is best for you? Every part of your boat is specific to your personal preference, so the correct length is up to you. Let us know how we can help you.

We are so excited to have completed another production run of these beautiful split case 10 degree billet v-drives cases, with and without water jackets!

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