I need to get this back on track i went to the local machine shop to get my wheels in motion.I was going to buy a reman 350 and he sugested a 454 (wake the boat up) I HAVE A CAR 350 AND A CAR 454 SO REBUILDING IS AN OPTION .
my intention was i wanted 300 hp from a 350 drop it in and go
325 from a stock 454 not much more money
im on the fence big or small?
i guess ill just get a JASPER 350 and sell it 10k sounds like more fun
bottom line is it all comes down to the money

Price the merc remans , long block 350 mag 270 hp should run you like 3 g with a 2 year warranty! Complete 383 quicksilver 325 hp drop in , like 6-6500 same warranty.

1-800-runs new .com
300+ hp 5.7l carb to oil pan 3500.00.
I've got two w/ Alpha SS and have run the snot out of them for 140+ hrs
0 oil consuption, no noises, start first turn of the key.

Is the block bad?? why can't you just build the existing 350. 350HP out of a 350 is not that hard now a days. Have a friend that had a Merc 300 Tempest (small block) in a 22' boat. ran great. There was also a 330 package in the same boat and it didn't run that much better. with the small block it ran higher in the water and was easier on the drive. You would also have to redo the engine mounts if you went with a BB, wouldn't you?
my $.02

well the boat was never winterized so the block and heads are junk.

I have a complete 330hp 454 that runs great that I will be selling shortly. It is still in the boat so you can hear it run. I am working on a 540 to replace it.