"Lawrence James" wrote in message
ink.net...


I'm ok with counter rotating engines being around still. My position on
this debate was that you will not find any new, 10 years or less, single
engine boats with them.

Why do you say that?

With the gain in popularity of "wakeboarding" the majority of single engine
inboards have evolved into boats that are designed to create bigger wakes
rather than trying to minimize them. But there are still people who slalom
ski, and while they aren't as popular as they once were they still make
these boats. I would expect that whatever the reason they liked to use RH
engines on these boats 10 years ago still exists today.

Particularly i/o ones.

I agree with that it isn't likely that an I/O would use a counter rotating
engine.


Counter rotation is accomplished with a 'backwards' cam that is driven by
a
gear instead or a chain

No, the cam connects to the crankshaft the same way. The counter rotating
engine (Pleasurecraft) that I have taken apart were based on the Ford V8
block, which used a standard timing chain. The cam was simply ground
differently. The distributor rotated the opposite direction, so I would
assume that the oil pump (which is driven off the bottom of the distributer
drive) is also different.

I believe that the Crusaders use an opposite pitch on the worm gear between
the camshaft and distributer drive, and thus their distributers turn the
same direction for LH and RH engines.

and a backwards starter.

Yep, the starter has to rotate the opposite direction. My first
introduction to counter rotating engine was when my dad replaced the starter
on his counter rotating engine with a standard starter. It took us two days
to figure out why that damn engine wouldn't run!

I have heard (but never personally seen) of installations where a standard
starter was used but mounted on the opposite side, which would require a
different bell housing.

A regular short or long
block can be made counter rotating rather easily if you have those pieces.

I think the water circulating pump might be different as well

Rod