Have you spoken to him ? Yes , I understand the ten clicks we all have that disease .

Well I can relate... Had many questions about the motor that was in my last boat. Why is it new, why did you put a blower on it, whats the reason for the big oil cooler, was it over heating because I see you put cross over cooling and no circ pump, why this, why that! and many wanted "Stock Merc Power" and moved on. To me the motor was built bigger better and louder than any stock power I ever had in a boat and ran better than any stok motors i have had. Turn key for many hours. Some people have a "factory" mind set and I hate to say it but they sell quicker than "built" set-ups in my mind.

You have everything to make a 600+ pkg. Alum heads andvsome other odds snd ends you will have what looks like a stock 500efi and runs like a built up hot rod. All on 87 octane.

The reliability of turn key stock power is hard to beat.

Yes Sam, I spoke with him and about a couple different options.

Yea...for $10k+ with new heads/valve train, throttle body, intake porting, upgraded fuel system..

I'm not overly impressed with the "turn key" reliability mine had to be honest.

I sorta agree on some Aluminum heads, cam, and rebuild what you have. I don't think you need to many extras. If you want more then what a rebuild, heads, and cam give you then add a procharger later on. But in all reality you will HATE life when you start blowing outdrives. And there really isn't a perfect outdrive solution, especially for a single engine V. So rebuild what you have for not a lot of money, if you can add a little more power great, but just remember you WILL start wearing outdrives out faster and faster with more power. Slow on the lake is better then fast and broke at the dock!

Yes people like STOCK blue and they will never know if you "jerry rig" your current stock blue internally and then sell it, even though that's not the right thing to do, but its no different then fixing a wrecked car yourself and it never shows on "carfax" but some people ONLY buy what the magical Carfax says!

I personally love built up modified custom etc!

Best bet is to spend the least amount, or a tiny bit more because overall its the best bang for the buck. Because like most boaters you will want to upgrade boats or HP again, prob sooner then later. So whatever extra you dump into the boat now you prob wont get back out of it anyways.

This man knows what he is talking about. Rebuild the 500!!! It will be cheap, reliable, and have best resale value. Never in boating do you get all 3!!!! Take it!!

well you are asking about resale so I think the most important issue would be who is buying the boat. a majority of the buyers are not on this site and have no idea who Chief, Zul, Sterling, Eikert etc are. they look at the boat and know who Mercury is and where the local Mercury dealer is so they feel comfortable with the name. if you are truly worried about resale then rebuild the HP500, if you are going to keep the boat for years go with who you feel comfortable with.

Wait a minute son..... You left out speed, dry exhaust, and a bad azz rooster tail..... These are the 3 things that are most important in a offshore performance boat.

When I looked into repowering my Kachina I thought about trading for something with the power I was seeking vs repowering & was told that my boat with stock power would bring more than custom power. I decided to repower & keep what I am already familiar with. My engines are not big name power but they aren't Billy Bobs backyard specials either. I had a couple of teething pains first thing,(sending unit issues). I have been spending time dialing in props this summer & am close I believe now. I guess my point is I decided to keep what I have, fix it up for me & enjoy it & I have been doing so all summer long. I also have to give thanks to many members on here for advice, etc. I know I will never get money wise anything near what I have in the boat but enjoyment wise, It's only gas money. BTW I went from 70mph to as of yesterday 86mph on my gps speedo. Randy:poopoo: