2112

Did you do the install? Were they take outs as well? Are they closed cooling?

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spectras only

pm sent

twistedvelocity

okay I agree with no replacement for displacement. Also agree with a big block being capable of higher hp and doing it more reliably.
But to say BB parts are cheaper and small block part are more scarce is crazy in my opinion.
Yes exhausts will be harder to find and marine specific items.
BBC are more common in performance boats.
But when it comes to performance engines period the SBC is the most common performance engine in the world.
Jump over to the automotive world. When it comes to a long block your gunna use all the same parts basically for a car as you would a boat except say a camshaft.If you wanna crazy HP numbers you have to go BB but if you wanan stay under 500hp why not save some money and go small block.
I want to get in on this cause I also don't know if I want to go sbc or bbc but I also have a smaller lighter boat too.
The idea of being more reliable is drawing me to the big block but the price isn't

Rookie

iTrader: (4)

Let me state that I am not against SBC's in a boat, I just don't believe that that SBC's are good for his setup. My best friend has a 27' Advantage with some nice 355's 450-500HP. They finally died the last weekend of this summer. His boat runs in the low 90's, but it also weighs 4500lbs with engines. 2500lbs less than the Panther.

twistedvelocity

I just wanted ot get in on the debate cause its been floating around in my head. My boat is a 23 1/2 footer and is 2948 lb
Personally I was thinking a 383 in teh 500hp area for my boat

endeavour32

iTrader: (4)

Looks like this subject never dies! I was in your shoes this spring/summer. I really wanted to build up a small block. One reason is I had a good block, rods and pistons. But to really make the kind of power you guys are talking about your going to have more money than a comparable big block. You can build 450-475 hp with a pair of 049 or 781 iron oval port heads, cast crank, good cast pistons, ect.... That small block is going to need forged crank, aftermarket rods, forged pistons, ported AFR heads, ect. Everything needs to be top shelf.

If you look hard you can get some great deals on BBC stuff as said before. I picked up a 454 destroked to a 427 + .060 so a 440 CI. With forged crank and new pistons, rings and all machine work done. Everything was fresh from the shop and balanced and ready to assemble. I got everything for a $1000.00, the guy had bills to pay I guess? I'll have another $2-2,500 into it and have a great 550 hp roller engine, that will thrash any small block in the same boat. The weight difference is only around 150 pounds compared to an iron sb so its not that big a deal. The torque as others have said is substantially better and thats what really matters.

twistedvelocity

personally I don't think its far to compare those one off deals.
my old boss got a 350 block all machined ready to go with spayed caps for $60.
I personally got a free forged rotating assembly one time.
So if I put those together I got $60 in a fully forged bottom end now lets get a set of good used heads for $400 and so on and ill have aroudn $1500 doen and running if I get a bunch of deals and ill be around 550hp too.
I think a more far comparison would be to look at crate engines that are in the 500hp area. You can get small blocks all day for around $5000-$6000 show me a 500hp big block crate engine for that much.

endeavour32

iTrader: (4)

Those deals are not that hard to find! I just picked up a set of new merlin bare casting 269 ovals for $500 shipped and a new Weiand Stealth oval with carb spacer and gaskets for 165.00. There are deals out there you just have to look. The only issue with this build is that there are 2 engines involved and all the engines have to be identical, which does make this kind of deal searching harder.

The issue with the 500 hp crate small blocks is that there reving to the moon to make that power. Your alpha drive will not take that. I'm going to be spinning my 427 at 6100 and I'm questioning how long the bravo will last. I went round and round with this last summer, and I really wanted to do the small block thing but the deeper I dug the more I realized a small block will never keep up to a big block in a boat. A car is a different story but a boat needs torque and a small block is at a serious disadvantage on so many levels compared to a BBC.

fireboatpilot

Why must some always try to re-invent the wheel. Don't you think if small blocks could do the job as well for less money, less weight, less fuel consumption, that everyone would be running them? Do you think boat mfgrs would install them in new boats? Theres a reason that millions use big blocks. It's been tested, tried and found to be the best choice. Sure they can be used but is it worth the trade off in reliability, endurance and longevity. 5-6K rpm vs 7-8Krpm. First time those small block props come out of the water spinning *k and then get slammed back into the water, what's gonna happen? If something doesn't break I think the sudden load on the props is gonna bog the small blocks down from the lack of torque. Cubic inches hands down.

twistedvelocity

The small blocks can make there power under 6000rpm no problem.
I am also running a bravo not an alpha
I never said the small block was better I was saying its cheaper.
I don't know what your getting with the 5-6k rpm vs 7-8k rpm the small blocks will take the revs better then a big block.
Any boat that comes out of the water is at risk of breaking something no matter the engine.
If you wanna look at the manufacturers in all boating there is probably more small blocks out there then big blocks. Not in performance boats but boats in general.
I was considering going bbc myself for the reliablity aspect but the cost of parts is so much more
This thread in away is giving me drive to go sbc just so i can blow away the bbc boys.