Ilmors in a Fastech 382
 

I am considering a 2013 Fastech with Ilmor 725 motors and have tried researching these boats and/or motors. It seemed as if there was a lot of hype from 2009-13 with Formula and Sunsation using them but it seems like Sunsation doesn't use them any longer and I see they're still offered from Formula but it seems very limited on what can be found. I've talked to Ilmor and they seem to be a top shelf company as is Formula but I am just curious on what others think with actual experience or from what they've heard from people who do own them. Any input would be greatly appreciated. The little bit of information I've found is nothing but positive but I'd like to hear any information regarding rebuild schedules or annual maintenance that should be done along with any personal test data anyone can provide. Thanks!!

i talked to ilmor at the miami show. They are no longer making the indy drives which were paired with those motors. And they aren't concentrating efforts to sell the 710 motors anymore. But you can still buy them from them and they are great motors and a great company. I would think they would still stand behind the drives but might worry about parts down the road.

Sunsation built one 43 with the package.....it really wasn't as fast as a Merc 700 boat and they even built it with a stripped cabin (Poker Run cabin). They built a few Ilmor 288's but I think they ended up in Greece for a dealer there.

Ilmor is a great company and puts out stellar products. With that being said If you are looking at a 382 with 725s, cross shop it against the 382 with 700s at Pier 57. Ilmor and Merc both have their pros and cons, look at support, industry product awareness, and parts availability. My major concern would be future parts availability.

I talked to Ilmor regarding the future availability of parts and service and they said that they have discontinued the motors to the general public but they are still offering them to select boat builders. They said the cost of keeping them in inventory was too high. They did say they will offer parts and service for the motors/drives. My biggest concern is in 5 years trying to sell a boat that was a fad back in 2010 is now a tough boat to sell because the motors, even though possibly awesome, don't have the history and/or reputation that Merc has...

Pier 57 doesn't have much inventory regarding 700s...they have a 2008 for 200k with a pending status and Cumberland Marine has a couple with a 600 and 700 about 200k....there really isn't too much out there in new years to cross shop..

So Ilmor discontinued their v-10's and drives? People swore they would take down mercury. Guess not. Another footnote in marine history I guess.

From what I was told by the Ilmor folks, yes, they have discontinued them to the general public and have removed them from their website but they did say they are still working with select boat builders on a limited basis...I am only referring to the mv10-725 motors...they still offer an expansive line of v8 motors...I really like the idea of the Ilmor but again, in 5 or 6 years if I am to try to sell the boats and these are so limited in public awareness that I may be stuck with a 200k vessel that only a handful of people understand..that's MY biggest fear..I think I will have the support, especially with them in Plymouth, MI and I am also in MI....

Illmor did right by the market coming out with a competitive product which seems to have been better quality. A company can't survive if product isn't selling. Inventory is what will KILL any company.

600 and 700 merc boats were and still are being produced hand over fist. Can't blame in on Illmor for the market not taking advantage of a new product. Marine history? Ya, I guess the market stayed steadfast with what they were familiar with.

I wouldn't be too worried about parts on an Ilmor, there's a pretty healthy Viper aftermarket and they aren't THAT different. But, I think once the general consensus on here turns bad it will murder resale.

That's too bad they have quit selling them largely. I know I'd love to have an Ilmor powered boat.

Not sure that there are very many late model 382's out there.....2008-2012 was slow for all the builders and Formula didn't build a lot of Fastechs

I would imagine with the solid rep they have that there would be a few die hards that would love to get the boat with Ilmors but those die hards would probably wish they were in a different hull for greater speed numbers...the Formula, at least for me, would have satisfied the wife with the amenities and myself for overall speed, roost, and sound...the probable difficult resale is also a huge factor to consider...

So you are looking at a 5+ year old boat now, then worried about selling it in 5 more years.......a 10 year old boat with less than desirable power isn't going to worth much less than a 10 year old boat with Mercury blue power.......both powertrains are going to be 10 years old anyway! Look at the old Fastechs with Volvo power, they are clearly less desirable than Merc but they certainly aren't giving the boats away because of it.

I would agree with that...there is NOTHING out there in the 2009-13 range for pretty much ANY boat manufacturer....when I say nothing, I mean not much to cross shop or look at...

The boat I am looking at is a 2013. I was originally looking at 2007-9 with 700 Mercs but stumbled on the 2013 with the Ilmors..

I have them in my NT & really like them!! I am not a blower motor fan & that's why I chose them 4 my build!!! Support from Ilmor has been great! I would get them again!!! Good Luck!!

Where are you with hours?...have you had any issues?...

I agree 100% with wrinkleface, I would put them in my next boat if I was building one. I am on my second 382 with Ilmors. I built the first 382 Ilmor in 2012, and built another 382 Ilmor boat in 2014. Ilomr and Formula have been outstanding to work with, and they are in the marine business for the long haul.

Pretty intelligent discussion of Ilmor v Merc here:

http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forum...ilmore-vs-merc

Made it Rain, I'd like to talk to you about your Fastechs...I read the thread with you on your 2012 journey and I really would like to get your perspective..can you pm me your number and we could talk?...I sure would appreciate it...I spoke with wrinkle face today and he mentioned you..

Ilmor vs. merc
 

Well if you have anything that has merc and is over 10 years old then you may not be able to get parts either.
I have been around the mercury dealer in my area about 3 or 4 times a week and over the past 2 years I have
seen the merc dealer tell more and more customers that the parts are not available any more. Try buying a
mercury part that is over 10 years old, so IImor is no different.

ok..just my sorta humble .02 worth

Boats are an extension of one's ego purchased with disposable income. Unless an option choice makes the boat truly a dead horse, I'd place more emphasis on getting what I want (if I can afford it) than over-thinking resale. I would think long & hard about doing Volvo power in a performance hull (even though they make great stuff) but if my heart was set on Ilmor power I'd do Ilmor.


The people on the boards that have Ilmor seem to have only good to say about them.

I'm not a huge Merc fan.

We were in the marine biz in the 80's & 90's, in Mi. Our season is short. We had a guy drag his boat in on the Monday of his week vacation. We diagnosed it, couldn't find parts (this was pre interne)t and ordered them from MerCruiser. I specifically told them we had a customer down, on vacation, who was willing to pay for next day shipping. I called on Wednesday afternoon. Merc confirmed that the parts would be shipped overnight but I was somewhat rudely told "overnight was merely a method of shipping and when they got around to pulling the parts they would be shipped overnight delivery".

We started ordering boats with either Volvo power or OMC's (then) new Cobra drive.

We have a kid in college and when he's done - hopefully next year - we're ordering a new boat & we were really leaning towards the Ilmor/Indy package but it looks like now we're back to deciding between custom power and an SCX or Arneson.

Thanks for the input...why the switch from Ilmor to something else?...I have since talked to a few Ilmor owners and more than likely will try to have the deal come to fruition. I also have heard too many good stories about the top shelf service that both, Ilmor and Formula deliver. I am excited about joining two companies that sound like they truly care about their customer. In my business I run with my wife, it's all about customer service....and resale?...I think now, without a doubt, I will have no issue...

Re. "why the switch from Ilmor to something else?"

We're (hopefully) a year from ordering. The boat is about an 18 month build and from what we're hearing Ilmor isn't producing the Indy drive anymore.

The weak link in the Merc pkg is the drive, so if we can't get the Indy drive….?

The total Ilmor/Indy package is what's appealing to me, especially as we're in Mi and Ilmore is in Mi.

We have an XR drive that we're replacing the gears in now - admittedly overpowered - but if I have to pay extra for Merc's next drive up the food chain, or for an Imco, I might as well buy an Arneson and put a BoostPower engine (which we have now) in front of it.

Just fyi the "not over thinking resale" comment wasn't just one of those internet "everyone's an expert with someone else' money" things, I'm living it.

We have a 24' boat with (too much) custom power (Boostpower) with an XR drive in a manufacturer that's practically unheard of on this coast.

Resale? That's a good one…. I love the boat and better yet my wife loves the boat, but I have no illusions about the resale - if we ever decide to sell it - of our package unless it gets sold to someone on the west coast who knows what it is.

So…if you can afford it get what YOU want…life's to short to second guess your recreation….if you're heart is set on something you've no doubt got your reasons for wanting it the way you want it…hopefully when the times comes to resell it you'll find someone else thinking the way you were.

Hope this helps...

If you can get your hands on a V-10 / Indy Pkg I assure you that you won't be disappointed from a sales, support, service & overall performance standpoint. I've owned 2 ILMOR powered cats, upgraded from Bravo style drives to INDY's on my own dime & nearly bought a 3rd ILMOR powered boat recently.

Just 1 man's $.02!

Thanks for your insight. I agree with you on all points. Ultimately, with all things, they do come to an end and when the time comes to sell the boat, I may opt to simply move into another boat from a builder and trade it or sell it outright. I can say though, I am stoked about this upcoming purchase and as you are in MI, I am too so I believe the service will be there and locally to boot.

Regarding the Indy drive and MV10, I talked to Melanie from Ilmore last week and even though they discontinued advertising the package for sale, they did say they will still be offering it to select builders such as Formula amongst others.

Thanks Nascat, I am moving forward with the purchase. I am truly excited about having an engine package that seems to be of high quality and that is naturally aspirated. The sound alone is something that is just unbelievable. I started this hunt looking for Mercs 700 SCI with the NXT drive package and inadvertently stumbled across this boat. I'll be going down to the factory on Friday to see it.

I think you'll be pleased w/ the pkg overall. Make sure you get Nick to give you a quick tour. The small block stuff is all built here in NC, w/ exception of the 570.
Keep us posted.

Virtually ALL of the 2012-2014 Formula 382's were built with 725/Indy packages. The few that weren't usually had 700/NXT's. The performance numbers were very close (mid-high 90's), but the fuel burn numbers on the Ilmor boats were tons better.

For what it's worth, I had a 382 built with the Volvo (Innovation) power in 2000. The 600/DPX package was $37,000 less (not a typo) than the Mercury 575/Bravo setup, and has been rock solid once we sorted out an exhaust cooling issue. I now have 570+ hours on the engines, and the only major service was valve springs at about 300 hours. I scored a GREAT deal on a pair of new DPX drives a few years back, so I have a pair of brand new spares. Long story short - I'm miles ahead of where I would have been with the Mercury package...

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o61236-en.html

This is the 382/700 boat to buy.....I believe the build is well documented on OSO

We chose Ilmor power for our new Saber 34 build twin 725 on indy drive .We are excited for the ice to break to run the 34. The whole team at Ilmor has been great to work with. There are pros and cons to both platforms (merc/ilmor). One thing I noticed when calling ilmor owners is that not one ilmor owner had any regrets in their choice. The other thing is while showing it at the Miami show not one person asked why ilmor and not merc power.

So my wife and I visited the Formula factory this past Friday and had a tour of the plant. I would think if anyone is contemplating buying a Formula, one only needs to do a tour and that'll solidify the purchase. These people were welcoming and friendly and quite unbelievable. We would pass by workers who would look up and smile and they were all busting their butts. Pretty incredible to say the least. They had my boat in the pool so we were able to hear it run and they are selling to us as a new boat. They gave us documentation that is giving us the full Formula guard warranty and acting as if it's a new boat being sold to me. If the service I experienced continues, I will more than likely be a Formula owner for life. The quality of the boat is unbelievable as well. We are truly excited and have a lot of confidence in the Ilmor motors. They are a thing of beauty as well as sounding unbelievable too. It's also nice to know that this will be somewhat a one of a kind with so few Fastechs having the Ilmor motor package.

Where are these new rides gonna call home?

I live in Harrison Townhip, MI on Lake St. Clair...I'll occasionally trailer it north to Lake Michigan and/or Huron but predominately boat in my back yard...I cannot wait to get her home.

Canamman you know my opinion of Formula and Ilmor, they are both great companies that produce great products, you will love your new 382! Hope to see you at Lake Powell!

Well, I took delivery of my boat last Friday. I am in disbelief. The boat/engine package is truly a thing of beauty. While I am still learning the boat, I did see 87.2 MPH yesterday with plenty left on the sticks. The boat itself is incredible with how stable the ride is. I'm looking forward to many years of enjoyment with this boat!!

Big Congrats! ..first ride is always a special day..

Thanks Slippery...I just wonder if every time I turn the key It'll be the same experience as these first few days...that is like a kid on Christmas morning...I had a Sunsation with small blocks prior but with the step up in power and the way these engines fire up, it truly is a thing of beauty to see and hear..

Seen the boat on your lift today. Looks really nice. Have you used it much?

I think we seen you at Brownies a couple weeks ago.. Nice looking rig