Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

My 82 21' Eliminator has a SBC 350 in it and what we have come to the conclusion of a Volvo Penta 250 (or 270 no tag) outdrive which works well. My only drawback is the lack of an ability to trim the drive while under power and power steering.


Forgive me if I use the wrong terms But the plate that goes from the motor to the transom would stay the same? All I would need to find/buy would be the gimble (i think that is the name) housing that connects to the back of the boat and then the stern drive..


I'm going to be pulling the boat apart this winter for some cosmetic upgrades as well (new paint interior etc.) and wanted to make this as user friendly for my girlfriend and son to drive along with giving me the ability to trim the motor under power and while docking/getting to and from the sandbar...

Thanks everyone!

Steve

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

Nope! Adding power trim requires pretty much everthing from the flywheel rearward to be changed....better off selling it and buying a boat with an SX drive!

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

Whoa, that does kind of does put things into perspective I really do like the styling of my boat, maybe I'll get lucky and find another boat cheap that has a complete drive and swap things out.

Starting to wonder if it is worth the effort for the trim and steering upgrades.. Maybe a re-vamped paint scheme and interior are in order and then sell it for the upgrade

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

The hole in your transom is bigger than an SX cutout, so you'd have to redo the transom as well.

Sounds like you need a different boat.

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

captmello said:

The hole in your transom is bigger than an SX cutout, so you'd have to redo the transom as well.

Sounds like you need a different boat.

Click to expand...

Thanks Capt I do know that who ever had the boat before me did change the drive at some point,, there are four large bolts in a square pattern to the bottom and side around this 250 drive now so there will be some patching to be redone this winter when I have it apart.

I've been in a situation almost everytime I go out where the ability to trim the drive up in forward or reverse would make things way easier and save some prop dinging as well. Power Steering would be a huge plus for my girlfriend who really dosen't enjoy driving because of that.

I'm not opposed to doing the work, (fully restored a few cars and motorcycles in the past) and actually kind of enjoy that sort of thing. But am begining to realize that maybe this just isn't worth it for this boat. I love the style, it fits the entire family perfectly and otherwise has been a fun addition to our toybox

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

Old boats are going to be more difficult to operate than a new one. By the time you switch everything over, new drive, transom..., You have so much time and money into it, that you could have bought a different boat.

If you're resourceful, you might be able to find a donor boat with a good motor and outdrive and do the full conversion yourself, but it is a huge job. If you decide to do it, the guys on this website will help.

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

Thanks CaptMello, I really like the style and layout of this one. If somewhat feasable I'd like to stay with this one rather than buying another boat.

I'll post a few pic's of what I am working with, and by the pictures you can see there are four mounting bolts that just go through the transom. At some point it looks like someone must have changed the boat over from what the boat originally came with. Not sure what yet, I called Eliminator and the records do not go back that far, but by looking around I am fairly confident that it did not come as a jet.

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

Any Volvo experts out there that can tell if the mounting is the same from this drive pictured, and a 290 drive?

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

The mounting is NOT the same on a anything earlier (250 to 285 model) drives. The 290's had several different changes, including transom shield and trim mounting.

Re: Volvo Penta 250 upgrade to ? ? 290 ? SX?

I think there was a 270 or 280 drive that had external trim rams, but rare as hen's teeth....I've only ever seen one. 275 maybe?