525SC Carb'd vs 500EFI
 

Looking at two identical boats 38 feet long, twin stepped hulls. The 525SC carb'd has 68 total hrs on it and the 500EFI has about 370 on it. The EFI is a 2000 and the carb'd is a 1999.

What are my pros and cons of these two.

imo, both engines are good but i would probibally go with the 500efi boat,no blower belts to break,and no blower related issues to contend with and no carb to deal with.the 500efi is a more modern engine and will have better resale value.that being said,the sc525 is also not a bad engine and with proper maintenance it will run a long life before rebuild.i had a pair of them and they served me well.

I would agree with above until I reread. 68 hours ver 370!

If the 68 hour checks out I would think that would be my choice.

Everything Mike said,,, Plus,,,The 500's are capable of logging hours so you know its really 370......That said, they are due for valve springs if they haven't yet been done.

68 total hours on 1998 525sc's ??? is that after rebuild,,, new engines bought,,, or just new hours meters installed ( I hate to be negative, and untrusting, but a valid question still ) ?

I love my 500efi's and just did top ends. Now good for a nouther 350 hr run strong and look sweet to

I've got 525sc's and they are great little engines. Thirsty if you let them run. Just did a complete overhaul to one with upgraded internals and am making 600HP. Other motor has not been gone through yet. Hope to make it till the end of 2014 season then I am going to match internals for the freshen up. I have a 2000 38 lighting and have seen 81.5 with them. Standard bravo 1's .

Well that should make for interesting throttling !!!

Those 500 EFIs (502ci) will need upgraded HG and valves springs if they haven't already been done....great engines however.
Pros- CMI headers, EFI, resale, modern tech
Cons- stock HG suck, need a scan tool for diag, may have the dreaded seapump/lift fuel pump combo

The 525sc (454ci) are also good engines. They are carb, but when dialed in they run like efi.
Pros- Easy to work on, older tech so upgrades are easy and inexpensive. blowers sound cool and give midrange pull that the 500efi wont have.
Cons- resale (people scared of blowers) heat from blower causes power loss, especially on warm days. Carbs :D, large exhaust blocks access to plugs and other things.

When comparing hours, brain dead to go for the 525sc's. If these are in a fountain 38 isn't there a big difference in the hulls from 99 to 00? If so you have the lower hrs in the older hull and higher hours in the newer hull, that's a tough choice. If resale down the line is in your thoughts the newer hull with N/A would be an easier sell even with the hours. Good position to be in, isn't it?

From what the owner has told me on the EFI motors the valve springs were replaced at 250 hrs.

The carb'd boat is brokered and the guy is telling me they are 68 orginal hours, no rebuilds no new motors. Guy used it basically once a year for the last 5 years. The marina ran it once a month and once a year to get everything up to temps. Owner just never had time for it I guess.

As far a resale goes not a huge priority. Hope to have this one for awhile. Both are priced the same but I think there's more wiggle room on the carb'd motors. I like the way the carb'd boat looks better then the EFI, hate to say it could come down to looks but I also worry about stretching my summers and those cold days for carb'd motors not always fun.

If its a true 68 hours boat I would go that route just because everything only has 68 hours on it. ( Out Drives, transom assy,,,, steering,,, trailer should be in better shape )

Cold day just means you have to let it idle up a touch longer,,, wouldn't think twice about it.

And if you ever decided you wanted more,,,,,, its easier to play with the 525 SC,,, than a efi motor.

Then it comes down to condition , and colors preference,,,,,, neither boat would scare me reliability speaking.

Not to bad. Rpms stay the same but the rebuilt one is definitely stronger. I have left the rev limiters alone at 5200. My builder said the rebuilt engine is good to 6500 rpms. When I get the other engine to match I might increase the RPM limiter. Will have to consider chiller possible and the RPM's of the 177's on top. Overall, and to be completely honest, I just love the blower wine when it kicks in!!:lolhit::evilb:

Actually you will learn to love cold days with those little blowers :D

VoodooRob makes a good point, what are the boats that you are looking at? That could be a factor as well

99 38 fountain is a fever
00 38 fountain is a lightning twin step

99 Donzi 38ZX
00 Donzi 38ZX

As far as I can tell they both have the same hull.

Here's the links.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o53518-en.html

http://boats.smartcarguide.com/listing/41749149/

If you can find a mechanic that has a rynda tool with a adapter harness for the thunderbolt 5 ignition you can pull the hours out of the modules,if they only have 68hrs should have a lot of life in them,i have seen several sets go over 500,they will burn more fuel than the 500efi but were good engines that are easy to work on

Agreed. 68 hours, that's like a new boat as far as the rest of the mechanicals go. The 525sc is a little stronger than a 500EFI.

Glad your not looking at the 38zx 525sc that has been advertised for a very long time in Cleveland. Since hulls are the same just different colors on the 2 on your list, my choice would be the 525 boat.

After looking at the pictures for awhile longer, I would definitely go for the 525 boat. Cannot beat the condition and hours for the $. Let us know when you snatch it up.

BOOOOOOOOOOST :party-smiley-048:

525 boat hands down. Hours and graphics of the 525 boat too.

So the 525s are 454ci and the 500efis are 502ci. I thought the 525sc's were 502s. Kind of thinking the 502 route would be better.

525SC's are 454's with 177 blowers. They are great engines and very dependable/turn key. The 525SC intake manifolds do not do well in salt water.
Easy to work on and if you can find smaller top pullies, easy bump up to 550hp. Keep in mind, they need 92 octane fuel also.

500EFI's are also excellent engines. The biggest issue as stated would be head gaskets if they have not been done.

Great info there, muddies the water of decision even more. I did not realize 92 octane needed for the 525SC's, that could be a P.I.A. depending on how/where you boat.

The 800sc mercury was a 572CI. The 1075 Mercury is a 557CI. Ill take a 1075 over a 800sc anyday. :coolcowboy:

[QUOTE=4bus;4056875]Actually you will learn to love cold days with those little blowers :D

Yes you will. On a cooler overcast day is when I got to 81.5 GPS. Great little motors.]

Didn't realize the 525 boat had cmi headers. My choice would be the 525 boat as well. Clean with low hours. Yes high octane is needed, but less fuel problems with high octane IMO, it's cleaner fuel.

Don't let the 454/502 thing bother you, it's really not a big deal. That 525 will make 600 with a cam swap and pulley change. If you ddid any upgrades to the 470 hp 500 hp it would also require high octane.

That's a big boat for bravos, I would go the low hour route. The 300 hr boat prob needs a comple drive service right now.

The later year 525SC's came with CMI's from Merc.

The 525SC's will use about 25% more fuel than 500EFI's. They are just not as efficient.

Not sure if I like the high octane choice. I'll trailer most of the time so not a big deal but I'll be up at Boyne for a week and not sure if the marinas up there carry 92. Thought I only saw 90.