Lets talk Motors and Reliability not Performance
 

OK, I'm new to big blocks. I had a small block in my last boat. I bought it new, 5.0 mercruiser 225HP. I sold it after 10 years of ownership and had over 2,000 hours on it with not so much as a burp out of it. Still ran strong.

I have a 8.1 now 496h/p 375 HP. The motor is new, just broke in good. How long should it run before needing a refresh?

Now, here is the real question. If I decide to get a boat around 30' and want to run in the 70's what would be the best choice for reliability and a long lasting pair of motors and outdrives?

I'm thinking 525's with XR drives?

Is there a more bullet proof motor out there?

I'm looking for reliability and long lasting motors, not the most HP.

The thing is, if I cannot run in the 70's why bother with running twins.

I like fast and light boats, I don't see many big waves on Lake Cumberland.

A pair of 496's in a 30 ish will get you there and they will last for ever. I think you would be surprised how much more you would enjoy holiday weekends there with a pair of big blocks behind you.

NautiNuff

THANK YOU for starting this discussion

We have a 454 &.4 MPI with a Bravo II -- It currently has approximately 310 hours --- NO ISSUES AT ALL and all maintenance is up to date

I'm not the kind that is going to beat the snot of this motor and drive-- ski,tube and once a while WOT

it is pushing a Cobalt 226

But would like to know what should I expect for routine maintenance and motor longevity

thank you all in advance


3pointstar

I popped for a 525 because I wanted the reliability of a "racing" engine along with the performance. I could have pro-charged my 496 and made more power for less money.

I hit 70/71 mph on a good and flat day and mid 60's all day long with my 496 ho's and I am very happy. Of course I could go faster and we all like that but at the end of the day I am pretty much care free boating at a more than fair speed.

I enjoy the trouble free side of boating as of late.

stock 502 & B-1.

If you want to go faster later just put small procharger on it. My neighbor has 496 with 3000 hours in it. Now I might make some mad here but an engine doesn't know if its in a boat , car,truck,or go cart. As long as maintenance is done there won't be problems but parts fail and there is nothing that can be done about that. It always cracked me up when people say its got 130k miles but all highway. That's great but how does your engine know its highway miles it don't care .... Now as far as highway vs city miles I would think fine for suspension,brakes etc. But not engine. Some say high performance engines dont last but I had a 434 strikers with f2 on it with solid roller and raced and drive on weekends all the time I would say equal to 15000 qtr mile passes. Finally the trans went and it had a 5700 stall in it. Maintenance ,maintenance is all I can say. I change oil every 10 hrs and then use in shop truck. Some say overkill but I like doing maintenance.

My 34 will do 80 with twin MAG HOs. 300 hours, just turn the keys and go!

If you're looking for long term reliability on the drive side, XR's aren't it.

I live in Seattle where we have 4 decent months of boating so reliability is my #1 priority. I am definitely not fast (55 mph) but IMO the best part of boating is just being out on the water with friends and knowing that your boat will always fire right up and run for hours without missing a beat. Stock power is the way to go. My friend has a 496 mag ho in a 2002 Nordic Heat that has over 900 hours on it and it runs like a top--friends with blowers are always blowing up their motors and its just not worth the downtime. If you miss July and August around here your entire season is pretty much shot.