I'm considering repowering -
what kind of problems can I expect to run into with Insurance Co. and Coast gaurd.

How do I find out the rating of what the boat can handle?
I wanna increase speed, but not at the cost of my life - I wanna do this safely - just faster!!!!!

Call your insurance company and ask what the max hp they will insure for your boat.

BT

actually - this is on a 19' Wellcraft American.

The Baja is going away ....

Still have the Wellcraft - andf thought I might have a little fun with it.
Currently it has a 140hp 4 cyl with Alpha Drive.
I was thinking of playing with this boat until I have a larger Checkbook for a 33' Donzi.
I don't want to go crazy with it. - it currently runs around 40-45 WOT. I was thinking about going to a small block 350 with mild hp.
What could I expect out of this kind of setup?
I really just want a little more speed, and I plan to do the interior and put some paint on it,
Basically - I want to remove the windshield and add a Windscreen - things that I'll all do myself - it's a project just for fun.
I want to turn this into something that looks like a "mini" offshore looking boat.
I just wanna keep it affordable to run, - and maybe get the guys with deeper pockets than I to look at and say " hey thats a cool project for a guy on a budget"
Hope I'm making sense - I just enjoy the boat and wanna be able to not just afford it , - but also be able to use it.
I'm open to sugestions....

That actually does sound like a cool project. I cannot imagine the insurance company giving you any grief at around 300hp on a 19-footer. Above that, they might, but who knows?

My guess is you're fairly safe (in terms of insurance) because the boat will not be classified as hi-performance.

any idea where I cross the line from "mild upgrade" - to high performance??

about 5 years ago I looked at a 25 Hawiian jet drive with 600 HP - the only ins. co. that would talk to me was LLoyds of London at $3500 a year - a bit high for a
$15000 boat....

I'm looking forward to doing it - and be sure i'll post pics...

thanks for the vote of confidence.,...

I think it has to do with how fast the boat will go Bouyhunter. For some reason 55mph sticks in my mind. Not sure if that is the magic number or not, but seems about right.

BT

Thunder -
is that measured GPS or speedo?? - I can always go to a different prop.... haha

I'm new to this boat tinkering - I don't know what to expect by changing to a 5.7. I'm just in a position where I can afford to play with this boat as opposed to going out and buying something more radical. Plus, the boat suits my needs - small cuddy that is overnightable (is that a word??) - I mainly play on the rivers - a little bit of lake erie travel , but in this boat only when it's nice out - I used to run the Baja to Put-In-Bay even through 8 foot waves - but moving to Cincinnati soon, so I expect the water to be a little calmer than what I'm used to on Erie.

In the General forum someone posted pics of a starcraft that was repainted - this is kinda the idea I have in mind.