Prochargers ???????????????
 

Dont really know to much about them, are they hard on the engines, people say to run if a boat has prochargers.

Whats up with them

Take this boat for example
http://www.offshoreonly.com/esvon/page-3657.html


Thanks
Wild

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

I think it depends on who and how they were installed. There is a ton of them out there on boats that have not had a problem. Pro-charger sells them every day. As long as everything checks out you are getting a ton of extra performance for not much more money. they can be hard on the motor if inot configured correctly. The other side of the coin is that any time more performance is desired it is hard on the motor. Blown or NA.

My 2 cents.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

I am on my second Procharger, first one was on a 96 Mustang GT and I installed one on my Crownline last fall. I originally wanted the Whipple due to the fact that the boost comes in right off idle. But after hearing it was going to take 3 months to get one and a few negative stories about ECU reprogramming (not getting it right and sending it back and forth). I decided to go with the Procharger and am happy with my decision. Not to mention the Procharger cost about $1500 less than the Whipple.

The negatives about the Procharger are first: The fuel system, which compinsates for the added air flow by adding an FMU(fuel management unit) which just jacks up the fuel pressure under boost and forces the injectors to let in more fuel. This is a fairly crude method for maintaining proper fuel/air ratio and requires very careful tuning. I started by reading spark plugs and got it close, but over the winter I bought a LM1 meter to read A/F ratio real time. Second: Procharger has limited tech support to say the least, so you had better have a good working knowledge of supercharger setups before you just bolt it on, but that should be with any brand of supercharger.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

BC, sorry if I mislead you, I am looking to buy that boat, not buy a procharger and install it myself.

I am looking for 38cigs and came across this one, and everyone told me to run from the prochargers. but you bring up a good point - how much more fuel do they use than if i did not have them.

Thanks

Wild

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

Personally not a fan of pushing air into an engine in any manner, but having said that, I understand they can be the best bang for the buck. Also as with many engine mods other things must be done or in place to make it all work together and stay together.

Also, the second fastest V-bottom at last years LOTO Shootout was powered by Procharger twins. Setup and maintained by Lake Shores Marina. They are a dealer and can probably help with any info if you're interested.

John
Sunrise Upholstery

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

i would say in general stay away from them, they take careful installation and even more careful tuning to run correctly. When they do, they make good power, just hard to setup sometimes. I wouldn't not buy a boat just because of them, but i would make sure to talk to the person who installed them if possible. You can always take them off and put them on ebay if you really like the boat...

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

They are only using more fuel when you are under boost, so at cruise it should be about the same. When you are in the boost that's another story, but who cares you are hauling ass! I would not be afraid to by a Procharged boat, I would definitely check the motors over good though, but that's with any boat.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

Buying a used boat is risky enough, buying one with superchargers adds to that risk. I am a big fan of supercharging and have a pair of Procharged motors in my Sonic. However I would never buy a used supercharged engine. You have no idea who set it up and how it was run. Supercharged motors are for people who like to go fast! Besides the motors, supercharges can be hard on the drives as well.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

Spoke with Jason Monday and they had one motor on a dyno as is from the Scarab and did some nice numbers. Maybe he will post them here.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

If your not mechanically inclined i would recomend against the prochargers as there is more things you must be on top of. As far as fuel usage,my single engine boat turns a taller prop than when it was stock and around 3800 cruises at 60mph getting about 2 mpg compared to cruising stock at 1.5 mpg around 38 mph,even when the boost gauge is not showing manifold boost the blower is feeding air to the motor making it more efficient. On the flip side at wot it uses a little more than double the amount of fuel it did stock but it is also making 75% more power and going 85 not 62 mph,Smitty

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

If you love the boat and cant find a better choice or dont have the time to look then I would spend some money in agreement with the owner to have the boat looked over by a Knowledgeable! mechanic. Look at and listen to the drives and how they operate, compression check the motors, maybe even leak down test them. Look at the boat and the owner and ask yourself; does this person have enough money to keep this rig up? Did they buy it new and suck the life out and leave you wuth the leftovers? Ask around about the boat. It should show in the maintenance of the boat. I sell homes and you can tell when the owner had the money and took the timeto take care of the home. Kinda the same with the boats. Greg

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

Any motor that is procharged, supercharged, blown or whatever that was not originally built to be, is just asking for problems. Enough stuff can go wrong with a used boat why add to it :(

Will

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

Buy it right & if you need to rebuild the motors, then you will have a killer of a boat. I have owned a boat with a blower since the mid/late 70's I do not think I would own one without one.

I have now been procharged for 4 years. Just tore the motor down this winter. I think this is the first time I tore a motor down that was almost a waste of time. Everything was perfect considering the HP & abuse the motor has been thru.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

I'll have to agree with Will on this one... The thought of down time and up-keep due to supercharging turns me off on the whole idea.

Re: Prochargers ???????????????
 

I am a fan of the pro charger. Had very good luck with it, my motor was very impressive and reliable with it. Having said this, and installing myself, there are numerous pitfalls with the installation that could be problematic and if the set up was not maintained and driven responsibly there could be problems. My opinion is that on that heavy of a boat you might have reliablility problems if you intend on running hard all the time. If you are satisfied with using your power in spurts your going to be ok. The thing I enjoyed about my set up is that the midrange cruise was so good, as previous post said, got better gas mileage. I would not be scared of this boat, but would be skeptical and as a previous post said, have an expert check the installation and perform a leak down test.