Agree with all that 100%, BBC it`s always fuc king something.So tired of wrenching and spending weekends in the bilge.
You boat on the Chain of Wakes mainly?
If there was an OB cat that handled Lake Michigan like an I/O I`d be all over it .

^^^^^I have to agree with that, not very easy on the eyes for me.

But I will never have the cash so who cares what I think it looks like, if it is selling for them, great.

[QUOTE=CheckmateScarab;4940612]I love both outboards and sterndrives but it's disingenuous to say I/O can't run WOT. I/O can sit WOT for hours at a time and if they can't I would question the builder or the hours since a refresh - I definitely see the rest of the points for outboards, though[/QUOT

Stock big blocks maybe can run 5400 rpm for a while. 500 EFI and 525's are an example. I am talking about 1000 hp and up. I have owned 572 CI that produced 1000 hp each. I have also had 598 CI that were 1300 hp each. Spinning 6000+ rpm will not last long. I do not care who the builder is, big power breaks everything. You will need at least twin 1000's I/O in a cat to run the same speed as the twin 500 hp O/B big cats.

[QUOTE=Brad Zastrow;4940644]You are stuck in the old days my friend. Current screwcharger or turbo 1,000hp -1,350hp pump gas, big block engines will run long distances (100+ miles) at 5,000-5,500rpm and 6,000+ for moderate distances (50+ miles). I never had an outboard boat stay with me on any run with my Stage 2 Merc 700/36 Skater setup, so I don't know where you're coming up with needing at least twin 1,000s in an inboard cat to run with the 450/500 outboard cats. Chris Lamorte will tell you his same stories about always being in front of the 450/500 outboard cats with his Stage 2 Merc 700/36 Skater setup on all the runs he attends. I attend several of the big events every year and I see as many outboard boats stuck at the docks with gearcase and electronics issues as I do inboard boats with their issues, as well as had plenty of my own issues with my 400Rs when I had them (electronics/guardian mode/broken propshafts). Back on topic of this thread, I just don't see why anyone would spend the same for a quad outboard cat as you can get a twin Merc 1350 cat for that will eat its lunch in every possible performance comparison. That's not even taking into consideration how much more dangerous that quad outboard cat is going to be at high speeds (140 and up).

[QUOTE=Skater30;4940646]Correct me if I am wrong. But a stage 2 kit on a 700 is 900 HP. I have been in a 39' MTI cat with stock 700's and it made for a sluggish boat. Closer to 1000 hp makes the boat come alive like your 900 hp 36'. How many transmissions have you blown? The stock 700 comes with a very weak trans.

[QUOTE=Skater30;4940646]Was not aware of this being a thing. This is what nobody talks about. At least I have not seen any posts about it anyways. Interesting...

[QUOTE=Brad Zastrow;4940672]Stage 2 (ECU flash, water routing to intercooler upgrade) 700s are right at 800 HP, you can barely squeeze 900 HP out of a Merc 700 by throwing everything at it possible (Stage 4 - ECU, pulley, cam, porting, etc.). Even then, the cooling system won't keep up, and you can't run them WOT all day like you can when they're stock or Stage 1/2/3. I agree with you that stock 700s are not enough power, and even mine at 800 HP were not enough power for my liking - that's why I've got a set of Whipple/557/1100 HP motors being built right now. I never had a trans issue, as my 36 had 1075s in it originally and when they put the 700s in it, they kept the BAM 1350 trans in the boat. All I'm trying to get at here is that even with just 800 HP motors that you can run WOT all day like an outboard, there's no 450/500 outboard boats going around and leaving us on any runs where we all have normal fuel and passenger loads and normal water conditions. Then when you step up to what 80% of the 36' - 46' cats at the dock are running for power, Merc 1100s or 1350s, the outboards just aren't even close.

[QUOTE=Diamond Dave;4940673]None of the outboard guys like to talk about all the problems they have, because then they can't cling to their argument that they're way more reliable than the inboard boats. And I'm not bashing outboard boats, I have a triple 300X/32A down at my dock right now, and I've owned more outboard cats than I have inboard cats, I just seem to be the only honest outboard guy on these boards. I've owned twin engine outboard and inboard cats for over 25 years now, and they all have their issues. There is no such thing as "trouble-free" performance boating, period.

A 36 NT will do high 120`s- 130 with stock 700`s.
That`ll keep up with almost all OB cats..
I have 1050 Hp and 155mph easy.

OB`s still have their issues but you can easily put 700hrs on a 400R with very little issues.
BBC`s it`s always something.

[QUOTE=Skater30;4940675]I appreciate the honesty thank you for that. We need more of that in the industry lol.