Carver Owners Forum

I need to know if I have counter rotating engines
Boat is 1991 Carver 2828 Command Bridge, twin crusader 350's with V drives.
Facts I know for sure: Port Engine is standard rotation; port prop is left hand.
Starboard engine was sat in place by previous owner; no starter and is a 305 that needs to come out and be replaced with a 350.
Starboard prop is right hand.
Based on it being the incorrect engine, I can't check timing or anything else to know 100% which way the starboard engine is supposed to rotate.
Does anyone know how this would have come out of the factory?

Thanks, Russel
1991 Carver Command Bridge
Twin Crusader 350's
V Drive

Welcome to the forum.......are the V drives connected to the engine or is there a short shaft between the trans and drive.? If it is remote ( short shaft ) you could turn the shaft the right way for the prop rotation and see that way.....good luck with your boat..

Yes, short shaft. I will check that tonight.

Just to add, that will tell you if the v drive is changing the rotation direction, then you can go from there. Hard to explain but will be obvious.

I turn the short shaft in a rotation that would turn my prop in the correct rotation. How can I be sure it does not change direction in the transmission?

It may do...just want to first establish what happens in the v drive.......then check the serial/model number on the trans and it should tell you what rotation you have.......just cant be sure what trans the other guy put in there that is why i am suggesting to establish what you know as factory first.

My honest guess would be both engines were standard, with the starboard side changed either in the trans or the drive.
You may also be able to call Carver with your hull # .

HI Russel, welcome to the forum. As we don't know the extent of your marine knowledge, it's important that we not assume anything and that we're talking the same language/terms. When you say the port engine is "standard rotation" are you referring to marine standard rotation or automotive because one is the opposite from the other. Marine rotation is determined by standing at the back of the engine and looking at which way the flywheel turns. For standard rotation marine application, the flywheel turns left. Is this the case with yours? I ask because in some v-drive configurations the counter rotating engine is placed on the opposite side as some drives reverse the output rotation from that of the input.

I'm assuming you're talking about Walter v-drives. If so, whether it changes the output direction from that of the input depends on the model and serial number. To do that, an idler was introduced into the design. The units with idlers can only spin in one direction under heavy load (forward) while the others can spin equally under heavy load in both directions.

It’s important to first determine what type of drive you have before committing to a new engine. If it’s a Walter, there should be a small tag on the back side of the housing, opposite the input side of the unit. You’ll want both the model and serial numbers.

Depending on the transmission, sometimes you could tell if a counter rotating engine was used by looking at how the shift cables are hooked up at the remote control. See if they are hooked up to the same leg of the port and starboard shifters. Do you still have the original transmission?

As mentioned before, your best bet is to record the hull number and contact Carver. They should be able to tell you exactly what came out of the factory.

Keep us posted.

There was a similar thread on here not that long ago, suggesting to look at the TIMING MARKS near the vibration damper. On my Crusaders the timing marks are notably different. I posted some pics as an example.

He doesn't have the original engine to check the timing marks.

Viper wrote:Source of the post He doesn't have the original engine to check the timing marks.

Ahh... re-reading it I understand now. I thought he had been running on the 305 and now wanted to put a correct 350 in it's place.