Whipple Pros and Cons 502 MAG
 

I have a 99 288 Sunsation and am leaning hard toward placing a Whipple on the 502 MAG. It seems like the most economical way to get 10 mph extra out of the boat. My only concern is the reliability. I understand this has alot to do with how the boat is operated, but in general what if any have been the problems with the whipple setup?

I would love to go that route myself one day, I have heard that "Dustin" is a great guy to deal with at Whipple and apparantly understands the "boat" deal really well.

The only negatives I have heard is sometimes its a REAL tight fit to get everything in there, but, on a 28ft boat with a single engine you should be laughin'

I am sure there are a PILE of people on this boat who can offer better insight!

Michael

The best reliability comes from doing a correct setup. If you buy a kit, many here including myself can guide you thru a good install that will give you many years of fun, trouble free boating.

Smitty

I have the side mounts on my 502s. Feel free to PM me.

Whipple's are excellent superchargers and will give you the best bang for the buck in looks, reliability and performance. Prochargers will also give you the power and speed you are looking for. I don't think you can go wrong with either setup. However, be sure that you do all the other neccessary things to be sure you have a reliable piece. The fuel system will need to be upgraded, as well as a larger oil cooler. You really should consider changing the exhaust vavles and head gaskets. A 10 mph increase will require about a 150 hp increase. This will take that engine to over 600 hp. The stock valves and head gaskets are really not made for that. You will also need to reprogram the ecm.
You should only attempt to do the install yourself if you are a VERY competent mechanic. If not, have someone that is do the install. You won't be sorry. You can have a very reliable and much faster boat if you have the supercharger, and other items, installed correctly. If not, you will have a huge headache. Don't hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way. I sell and install a TON of both whipples and Prochargers.
Eddie

Eddie here did one heck of a rework on my Procharged 502. Custom fuel system and the whole nine yards. I am ready for season number three putting out over 900hp. It is nice to only have to change the oil in a big power engine.

Eddie's stuff stays together.

Thanks Bill. You don't exactly baby that thing neither.:lolhit:

Get the measurements to me for the ram on the big boat so we can round up some parts. Also, ask the guy that you got the pics from what the tube diameter and the ram diameter are of his setup. Talk to you soon
Eddie

I've got a pair of sidemounts on my 454's & they are fun. Spend the money & do the upgrades Eddie recommended.
Do be aware that the drive will fail! 600+hp in a single 28' boat is a drive killer no matter how much you baby it.

Thanks for the input Eddie. Been talking with Bob At Full Throttle Marine about the setup. I have been dragging my feet for two years about a repower or supercharging. My main drawback is worrying about the reliability with the supercharger, as I am not sure my local marina can handle any problems I may have and I don't want a bunch of BS every other weekend. I did see one post that said 60 is faster than 75 on the trailer. I really have not seen anybody really talk about any consistent problems, but of course they most likely are running superchargers. It just comes down to investing that much money in an older boat or upgrading to a 32, which is what I really want to do. Thanks again for your input.

If it is a done correctly the first time, then there should be no problems what so ever. It can and will be as reliable as any other engine out there. The absolutely only thing that will differentiate it from it's original form is a slight decrease in time between rebuilds. It should still last several hundred hours. Give me a shout if I can help.
Eddie