I have discussed this topic all summer. My car never hits 5000 RPM but cars and boats are different. what is a good RPM operation?

Depends how much money ya have...........

yes. absolutely..

the basics>>> stock 496-525>>> No engine lives long with her throttles always aginst the firewall. Shure its o.k. to stretch her legs but their are more then 2 speeds, other than idle and WOT. Where is the illusive sweet spot, the spot where the engine is at max efficiency, sync and performance.
Lets say its a garden variety, run of the mill day on the lake or bay, smooth water and the boat is set up just right. I would
say 3400-3600rpm @ 50ish mph, boat lenght is 35 feet and 8000 lbs.

496 HO - owners manual says if you want longevity 3/4s throttle or less will give you the best chance of not beating the snot out of your engines. It is a machine - WOT all the time it will wear out fast and yes they do break. It aint a car and it is under constant load. Treat it with some respect.

best answer of all!

I once ran my boat wide open at 4800 rpm for 30 minutes.......

i have run stuff hammer down for extendid period's of time. try it you ll love it.

some of these engines even enjoy it.



































or atleast until that violent rumble accompanied by the horrific bangs and stuff happen.

When I am going on a long cruise and want decent fuel economy I run 3,000rpm my 35 is going about 45 mph there and burning about 21-22 gph. When I want to get somewhere fast I run 3500-3800 rpm and go 55-60 mph.
On occasion I will stretch it's legs and go full throttle, but not for more than 10-20 seconds. I just think it is abusing the machine to run any harder than that for an extended period of time. Also hard on valve springs on my 500 efi's.