Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

3 Choices--- 525efi xr/its sportmaster, 600 efimerc/xr itssportmaster, Ilmor 625. teague platinum or imco extreme or Konrad 540. If the Ilmor and 600 packages are about the same money and the 525 package was 10k less which one would you put in a 35-40; v bottom for reliability and resale?????

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I keep telling you, but you are not listning :p :D ...MERC is over rated, what reliability, they have their own issues. A reliable custom builder will give you more hp for same money. TMP comes to mind, they have a 650 efi, JC, Pfaff, and Im sure there are a few others...Good luck.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

If I was concerned about resale I would go with the 525EFI's. If I wasn't too concerned about resale, I would go with the 600EFI or custom power in the 600-700 HP range.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Are the 600's closed cooling and smartcraft?

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Yes and Yes

If I were concerned about resale blue motors are the only choice. If your going to keep it a while then go custom. I think you can get the same money but your prospect list will shrink when you go to sell because many people want to be able to have their local dealer work on the motor and or drives, not have to yank it out and ship it off to get it worked on.

I would pick 525's if resale were the #1 factor because:

1) 87 octane
2) no super charger to maintane

Second choice would be the 600 and 1st if I were buying a boat.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

How much more are the Ilmors over 525s.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

10k more each

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

JC, Zul, Mesa, Chief... etc.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Out of those 3, I'll take the 600's assuming money is not the prime factor. They probably won't be worth .01 more at resale versus the 525's, maybe even less.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

EFI and warranty is the key to resale these days. Warranty speaks volumes for a companies product. Everyone says they can build you anything, but very few back it up with warranty, dyno sheets, and customer testimonials. Also, ease of maintenance is important. Alot of the custom engines offered aren't serviceable by anyone but the builder, making service very expensive.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I see newcomers buying stock power with warranty and being happy right up until their first poker run when another similar boat with custom power smokes them. :evilb: Then they want to supercharge and the drives won't take it. Maybe the compromise is 525EFI with Konrads. They will never break and you can supercharge when you're out of warranty.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

What HP are the Konrads rated too? And how much torque will they hande?


I would also recomend custom power and a good drive. Either Imco or the Teague Platnum also looks dependable. And put the rest of the money in your pocket!!! For Gas

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

[QUOTE=Titan]What HP are the Konrads rated too? And how much torque will they handle?

The Konrad 540 is rated at a very conservative 740 ft lbs of torque. Although they have been tested to much higher levels, (without failure) they are designed to handle up to 800 hp or so.

The Konrad 540 was designed for the US Navy where drive failure is not an option. They are extremely rugged.

As most of you know, last season I had swapped out my Merc drives on my heavy old CigaretteTop Gun for a pair of the mighty Konrad 540's. Since the conversion to Konrads, I've totally eliminated outdrive failures. It sure makes the boat much more enjoyable not having to worry about your drives blowing up. As a matter of fact, I was so impressed with the product and the company, that I went to work for them last April.

Well enough cheer leading :D and back to the original question. Out of the three choices that Wiggler has presented, I'd go with the Ilmor 625 and back it up with a Konrad 540. I feel they are both light years ahead of the competition as far as reliability goes, and that to me is the bottom line. Enjoy your toys.

Kurt

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I'm going through this decision right now. And these are the 3 engines in the running. Just considering what I like best, Ilmor first, then 525 and last is the 600. Still not sure what I will do. I plan to keep the boat for awhile. If I focused on maximizing value, I'd go 525s. But if I focus on maximizing value, I'd probably get out of boating.

I'm not worried about the service aspect of Ilmor. I think they will build their network. And right now their factory folks are much more responsive to problems than Merc is.

Last I talked to the engineers at Ilmor, about 4 weeks ago, they were offering a 1 year warrenty with the Teague or Imco drive. Are they offering the packaged warrenty with Konrad now?

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Jeff, how close is your delivery?

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

They only have warranty on the teague. To get imco, you have to buy from them and deal with them on warranty. I've been talking to Fred at Konrad for some time now. Got a chance to spend alot of time with Bob of Ilmor at the chicago poker run. I'm very impressed with their motor. I'm going to call Fred at Konrad this week, I'm surer he would love to be included in the Ilmor Konrad package with a bulletproof warranty. Biggus, you might mention I'll be calling . Bob at Ilmor is interested as well. Putting first Ilmor's in a Nortech next week,with imco extreme's. anxious tto see how they do. Ilmors have been tested to 500hours and all dyno within 3hp of 625 and come with dyno sheets. they also can polish the manifold aND custom color the engine. The motor has alot of ass and is set up very mild and conserrvative. Motor is capable of alot more. thanks Jim

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I will have to agree with wiggler 4490. I have the Ilmor 625 package with Imco and not the teague drives. I could not be more happy. They perform flawlessly. I have had the 550 Ilmors and they too are a very good package. They are extremely efficient engines. I believe that anyone looking for mid 500hp to 600hp should look at this package. Ilmor is going to be around for the long haul and is at this time completing a large addition to their already large shop. You can count on them being there for the customer as I can attest to that. There are already several Ilmor packages sold and coming to Lake Norman this summer. They are expanding their service network as we speak. They are a top notch company that will compete with Mercury.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Steet, what performance gains did you get when you went from the 550s to the 625s. We talked about 6 months back. Are you getting as efficient fuel use, or close, with the 625s as you got with your 550s.

Wiggler, let us know how your conversations go with getting Ilmor and Konrad together.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

10-4 guys will let you know after I speak with Fred at Konrad. I know the brand new 39 mti delivered at the Chicago poker run had alot of get up and go . We ran next to it for about 25 miles. was very quiet, must of had big time mufflers. Motors looked awesome very well rigged, . Ilmor has Penske and alot of money behind them, ultimately i believe they will produce their own drive, but really the Konrad is perfect for the 625, with a tranny and 600 less pounds on a set of motors. the package is awesome. The motor is very easy to work on and now has knock sensor, billet pulleys, and further enhancements to make it even more reliable. very efficient and non supercharged. you can get insured on it. I think its a great package for the cats. Would like to try in my next 36 Nortech. would probably be a 120-125mph boat and save a ton of money on drives and props from a six, and still be reliable for poker runs, andplenty fast. Jim

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I don't know where your at but I believe I got the best deal around on big naturally asperated power. 801 Hp 598ci. and a price I could'nt pass up. The only thing is, if your not close to the builder, do you feel comfortable buying long distance? Adrenaline Marine, PM me if your interested.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

he wants to plug you alright :D in a stecz kinda way :evilb:

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Kinda like that Judge wants to plug you :D in a say Scar Face kinda way "Say Hello to my little friend:p :drink: :D just a joke, Now, don't go postal on me.

JC, your perception on this board speeks for itself, your satisfied customers is whats its all about. More for you guys, less for Mercury.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Wiggler, we are heading down to LOTO tomorrow for the weekend. If time permits I'd like to get together and talk about this subject. Friday morning I have a meeting set up at 9am pertaining to some new construction we are doing. I will try to give you a call hopefully Friday afternoon to see if we can work out a time to talk for a bit.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I had to run to St. louis will be back down to loto Thursday night, give me a buzz 636 236-4141 jim

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Drive reliability there is one choice that comes to mind, Arneson. engines definately EFI and naturally aspirated but mercury has had alot of problems with there new motors. New models new problems! I would go with a reputable marine engine builder and they are easy to find on the board. Konrads require transmissions and some boats don't allow the space where the Arnesons put it in the ext. box. Draw back to Arnesons is resale though.
There are two ways to build a boat for yourself or someone else!

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

steve schmidt racing 585" 980hp 825ft pounds trq. 27k each in stock for immediate delivery and merc ssm#5's! thats the shizit. heres a link for steves site. steve schmidt racing engines i can think of a badder n/a package or drive...for the money

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Ratman, did steve build the engines for that E-Ticket 28?

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

The konrad Tranny is why I love the drive. It can also be put inside the transom or in their own extension box, Very fast drive with Tranny and Bravo style prop choices with 1 year warranty up to 740lbs of Torque, and priced very reasonable, great customer service, and awesome track record and used by the government in the most extreme conditions. This drive is built and if you've ever seen one compared to a bravo you'll see how well built it is. The Arneson is good for offshore, but has its limitations in tight areas and your right resale is very bad, Boats at LOTO with them cannot be given away.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

So basically what you're saying Jim is that if you have a Nortech with Arnesons you would pay me to take it off your hands...... :D :D :D

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

In response to rbr2328, Wiggler is correct. Konrad also offers an extension box that locates the transmission inside the box.

Konrad offers several length stand-off boxes. Our most recent addition to our line has been designed as a direct replacement for any vessel that was originally designed for Bravo appplication only. (no room to move the motor forward)

The dimensions of this unit are very similar to the Merc ITS and can be bolted in directly in its place.

[email protected]

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

It says this on their website about these engines:

• Runs on Regular Gasoline
• 10" of Manifold Vacuum
• Great Idle
• Terrific Throttle Response
• Built To Run 100's of Hours
Before Maintance

I just have one question....How are you going to make that much power N/A and have it last 100's of hours and run on regular gas????

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but to make that much HP you have to have quite an aggressive cam and some compression (with only 585ci). Something's not adding up for me :confused: :confused: ...but it's got my attention!!

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Biggus, w/ the extension box, you dont need external steering?

Also, have many boat manufacturers done Konrad installs? If so, which?
Would you say that a manufacturer willing to do an install can do this properly? How about a good rigging shop? or would you say the best thing to do is to send the boat to Konrad like you did?

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I agree OLDSCHOOL, How do you get that kind of power with good manners. A car with a stick or high stall converter would be different.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I will try to get in touch Friday.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

N/A and big inches= big power and more reliability

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Out of curiocity what is hp loss through Konrad?

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

Great question. I have seen a 5 to 6 mph gains from the 550's to the 625hp's. The engine package is awesome to say the least. The fuel economy is a little less than the 550 package, but is just about identical to the 525 merc package according to our trails. I ran a fun run with several boats and after fillups I was within 23% fuel usage of the single engine 28' boats. Running the same speeds and running the same rpm, I was able to compete with fuel mileage. I am very satisfied with the fuel efficiency of the Ilmors. A superior package with superior customer service from my experience.
If tomorrow I was building a single engine boat, I would use an Ilmor engine package in it. No questions asked.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

These engines are all very close in price and warranty. 600merc, 625 Ilmor, 750Zul. 625tmp, Pfaff 700, Eickert725, nortech 725 . I guess it just boils down to who you feel most comfortable with, or just buy the 525 merc , save the 10k and be happy with 540hp.I think for resale or new go blue if it was my personnal boat Zuls are cream of the crop, have personnally spoke with all of them, they are all great guys and have great warranties, but you dont win 3 boat of year awards for nothing.

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

if you're buying to sell go merc. if you want to go fast & have fun buy one of the above!!

Re: Which Engine/Drive Package???
 

I realize you are relatively new to the boating scene and do not have any real experience with the numerous setups out there, but do yourself a favor and ask some one like the owner of the new 388 Hustler "Mean Streak" Eric Smith or ‘388 Hustler” Dean Peters both of whom have Arneson's that can dock and maneuver through the marina's without any problems.

Give Hustler or Chip Fendt a call and ask them which docks better, a Bravo boat or an Arneson.

You might be surprised that your notions are a bit off base.

Rik