Where is the damn Ilmor Outboard ?!?!?! :whistle:

Awaiting an order for Quads from you!!!

They make one mean bike motor. Seems they could start with that.

Ilmor should take the yamaha 250 sho motor and upgrade it similar to what they do with the viper motors. Make a surface piercing gear case and in the end have a 4 stroke with over 300 hp and still weight around 500 hp. Even if they were 35k each I think they would sell.

How much heavier is a verado than an optimax?

We need much more than a short block. The center section was torn off, along with the lower unit and prop that is at the bottom of Lake Erie!

I hear what you're saying about the weak lower units. We've had our share of problems with them, more than once. In fact, one lower unit was new last fall, and the other was rebuilt, because there was a big delay in getting the case. (Not positive, but we heard there was a quality issue with the cases, and some were recalled, and the ones in stock were bad.) It was our rebuilt lower unit that we suspect self destructed, and took many other parts with it. All I can tell you is that we were very luck to be going slow (70-75 MPH) when it let go. As it was, we went around 1-1/2 times, and stuffed it going backwards. Can't believe we didn't roll it.

The seven marine outboards are very expensive, and very heavy!

This goes along with what we heard as a rumor. Hope it happens, and hope the lower unit can handle it.

I have never heard of a lower unit taking out a powerhead and damaging the cylinders. I had one lower lock up and I snapped the drive shart clean off by the water pump. No other damage to the mid either. Maybe you hit something in the water.
For the one who is asking I believe the Verado is a 100 pounds heavier than the optimax.
With that being said the motor has built in steering so you could save the weight of the steering rams.

I think there's more of a weight difference than that, I believe it's closer to 160 to 175 lbs dry. Wet and with the internal steering I think the 350 Verado is approaching 700 lbs. A 300 Opti is a hair over 500 lbs.