NJgr8ful

I'd like more info on this whole deal too

I am curious what the train of thought would be there? With speedmasters (#6s, #3s etc) I am wondering why wouldn't they work 'well'

And to EXTREMEMARINE's comments about everything on the right is on the left ... does the wire harness extension loom, ILMORdude mentioned, solve all those issues?

Quent nice boat BTW, you seem very pleased and say "Whatever the process to put an Ilmore in your boat, its worth it." ... Just how painful was the conversion? Could you offer info on who did the work?

Marginmn

iTrader: (1)

I have a 38 Fountain that I switched from Mercury 525's over to 625 Ilmors. I like the Ilmor engines. They are of sound design and reliable once in, but if I had it to over again I would go out and buy a boat with factory installed Ilmors rather than do a Merc to Ilmor conversion.

I had a well know racing rigger do my Ilmor conversion and my gwad it was a nightmare for them. They estimated that it would take 3-4 weeks and it wound up taking nearly 4 months to install the Ilmors and both of us wound up taking a bath on the rigging costs. The Ilmors didn't fit the stringers, they had to reglass the transom and raise the drives to get them to fit, my once perfectly dailed in X dimension was way off once the Ilmors were installed (taking 600 lbs out of the back of your boat may not always be a good thing) so the boat didnt' perform as hoped and is still in need of tweaking.

Would I buy a new or used boat with Imor power - Yes, in a heartbeat. But let the factory do it where they can set it up and balance it properly from the get go. Would I convert a Mercury powered boat to Ilmor power? GWAD NO!!!

Sonny Spectre 30

I would not reccomend Teague Drives behind them. My 625's on a 36' Cat made light work of them.

Quent

NJgr8ful, I did not have the Ilmor 710 installed in a boat that already had another engine. My boat was new. The V10 is longer and more narrow than a BBC. It requires different motor mounts and wiring harness.

If I were going to keep a boat the Ilmor would be a good option for repower. BBC's are great as well but if you want something different and turn key with a warranty, the Ilmor is a good option. In my case 700 hp is 700 hp, BBC or Ilmor. The boat doesn't care. But I do.

LostinBoston

Where was your failure? Clutch, gears or shafts? What props were you running?

Rebel_Heart

Spoke with the guys from England running King of Shaves. They are running 625s, tuned up to about 645hp. Running Arneson drives - what a sweet set-up. Spoke with Knight from Fountain, he really liked how this boat handled and runs. The boat is a 42 Fountian and is kicking some butt in KW.

Sonny Spectre 30

Lots of metal on the magnets. Teague re-built both under warranty. I bought a Bravo XR as a spare and blew the upper to pieces in less tham 20 HRS. I was not wave jumping. Fresh water lake use. Bravo 4 blade and Throttle-Up 5 Blade CNC props.

RunninHotRacing163.1

WOW ran Teagues behind 1050 ponies at 138 mph in a 33 Daytona and never hurt them ,switched to bigger power and put on imco S/Cs and destroyed them about every 3 hours .If i did it again i throw the Teagues on in a minute

Steet

I am not sure why the merc to Ilmor conversion was so bad. My boat is a 41 velocity that had 2 KE 675's and was converted at the factory to 2 Ilmors and it was not that bad. Sure, it was not a direct switch, but it was a clean installation. When you make the change you are probably raising your drive height about an inch or inch and a half because of the 700 lbs that I deleted. They are bullet proof engines. I only wish their drives were out. I understand they are still hoping to release them at the Miami boat show. I hope this happens.
I am ready for bigger Ilmor power.