I'm looking at a super clean 353 with the 375hp 496 motors. Boat is a 2002 model on a trailer. I'm not sure how much deduction to take off for the engines. I figure the boat runs about 65-67gps on top?????

right on with the real world speed.


honestly with 496's of either ilk, it's gonna be more about the rest of the boat.

but I'd say at that age and $ value range
minus 5-6K max deduction ALL ELSE BEING IDENTICAL for the 375's



I don't know that if the price is right on the boat that 375 vs 425 is notable
other than if someone is looking at either engines in an identical optioned and condition boat for the same $ the 425 boat will be the one sold

If you buy it, you better be prepared to hang on to it. The 353 with 496 Mags is way underpowered in my opinion. Planing time is excessive and top end will be disappointing.

This boat will be very difficult to unload whenever you decide to sell.

define excessive?
my 425 boat planes damn well on 26 Bravos, and it's always heavy.
runs 73 ave top end GPS
is 67-68 a deal-breaker?

I think that has more to do with how it's bought $ and how it can be sold$

alot of people on the other end are giving more thought these days to buying boats with this kind of power used. Do you buy the 3- 500 hour used boat with wiped out blues, or the black motors with another 500-700 hours in them?
What's the real cost of buying/ownership gonna be?
specific HP output per cube has always directly related to lifespan period.

and if you aren't gonna be contesting your buddies or running poker runs all the time who gives a chit about another 5-10 MPH of top end? I mean really? There are perf boat owners who spend 90%+ at cruise, not 90% at WOT.

I can see the next question coming...
because my cruise is still faster than most cruisers top end and on much less fuel

In that era find a nice low hour 353 with 500 EFIs, do 78 all day. Everyone in powerboating know's if you open a 353 hatch and it has black motors, you get that Debbie Downer SNL Waaa Waaaa.......

I have had black motors and I have had blue motors. The color has little to do with it. The blue ones have the primo parts, make more power and as such carry the big dollar. Threads such as this border on nonsense. If the power and resulting speed are of value to you, then pay for the horsepower. If not then save your money, use it to upgrade to a newer model year, whatever makes you happy.

Whole thing is nonsense. Regardless of what many will tell you, in the end you will write the check, you and only you need to be happy with that decision. Search the options, test drive the options, make a decision and be happy.

Couple things here IMO.
You will pay less now for the black power, it will sell for less down the road.
Blue power will cost you more now, will likely get you back more down the road.

It's really that simple.

no waaa waa here, unimpressed

I seldom open my hatch
too busy with Ms. DOWNer on top of it!

more satisfying to me personally than showing off blue paint to other guys...
the same blue paint in thousands of other bilges

unless, when the math is done, you got stuck top-ending both motors or replacing leaky headers on a used blue boat...

Maintainence, replacing of parts if need be, is part of the deal. Will in time be true of both the blue and/or black motors, just part of the deal. This assumes that one does run the engines at some point during the season.

A case can be made for both colors. Like I said, you write the check, make sure you are happy with your choice. Personally I feel that a performance boat is better suited to performance engines, blue in this case, in terms of use as well as resale. Simple as that.

P.S. Please do not think that I'm bustin' on your black powered perf boat, you wrote the check, you say you're happy, good deal.

I could live with mag ho's in the 353 but would be hard pressed to buy it with 375 hp mags. It's a 35 foot powerboat, you gotta crack 70, JMHO. In bay terms, if you're doing 65, twins 311 is right next to you pounding Bee Gee tunes in your ear...ya gotta be able to pull away from that chit...just sayin..