what would you buy???
 

OK, need some info, please look at this question as if you were a buyer.............

I want to repower my 2000 38 Avenger. Im thinking I will go one of two ways.

Opt #1. Add blowers to my current 502s and have the drives upgraded to XRs

OR


Opt #2. Sell my 502s and buy 525s, and do the same to the drives.


So here is the big question, will blowers/superchargers scare off the "normal" PQ buyer? How do you feel as a group on repowered boats? It looks as though the money is pretty close either way you go, 525s being a bit more, but I can sell my 502s. When I was looking for a 38 I looked at one with blowers and wasent real comfortable with them. :eek: Am I the only one who thinks like that?? I felt like it hurt the boats value, that being said do you go 525s??

Thanks in advance!! :rolleyes:

Re: what would you buy???
 

Hands down option 2. The 525's are rock solid motors. Blowers on black motors scare me away from any used boat. No matter how well the install is done, you accelerate the time frame in which the motors will need to be freshened and introduce the potential for motor failure that you don't have with NA motors. Just my .02. Good luck with whichever route you decide to go!!

Re: what would you buy???
 

Thanks Not4me.. Here is one more thing I forgot to add..........

How much will 525s add to the resale, if any????

Re: what would you buy???
 

What type of 525's? HP's with closed loop cooling. If so, there is no question!

Re: what would you buy???
 

Merc 525s, you know the blue babys!!! :D

Re: what would you buy???
 

A buddy of mine had his 502's in his Cafe' redone somewhere in Mi. and they are now rated at 525 hp, he had to add exh. and that was it. He had them paint the motors blue and a new decal made for the top that says 525hp . They run and sound great. :D He has not done the drives yet since he has not needed to. You could do this cheaper maybe. If you are interested I could find out who did his rebuild. Good luck.


Rich.

Re: what would you buy???
 

Rich, that would be great if you could get me the info on the builder. Do you have any idea how much he spent?

:D Thanks a ton

Re: what would you buy???
 

you could try this guy...

http://www.crockettmarineengines.com/

Re: what would you buy???
 

good tip Lennyk :D
I just called hin and that gives you 100 hp, or so Im told. That could do it :rolleyes:

Re: what would you buy???
 

Repower with the 525's

Alot of buyer's will be turned of by blower motors

Re: what would you buy???
 

Blue all the way. As soon as I see blowers I go the other way.

Re: what would you buy???
 

OK, IM thinking that blowers on my current 502s might be a bad idea.... :cool:
I really like the sound of the Crockett Marine 502 upgrade, says it gets you 100 HP :D
Is there anyone out there who has done this or know anyone who has had it done? Im thinking I may go that way, 1/2 the money, over 525s. I know the 525s will be worth more in the long run, but i will have tons more in them from the start.

So next question is how does the group feel about "warmed over" 502s? will that send you screaming :eek: in the other direction??
That would worry me less than blowers.

Thanks for all the input :D

Re: what would you buy???
 

Myself I tend to lean towards stock power. The thought of buying something with modified power always concerns me.

Just my two cents. :D

Re: what would you buy???
 

iF YOU ARE GOING TO MESS WITH THE BLACK MOTORS YOU WILL GET RESISTANCE ON RESALE..
[COLOR=Blue]If you are going to keep the boat for another 300 hours it doesn't much matter as by then you will have blow them up and will have to replace them.
My suggestion as a three time PQ owner is go blue, factory blue. If you like blowere look for a set og 575sc's They are rock solid and sound really sweet.

Re: what would you buy???
 

It probably depends on how long you want to keep the boat. I'd lean towards the 525s. My guess would be any upgrade you do to the 502s will cost you on resale. If you are selling within the next year or two, leave it alone. If you are keeping it longer, go 525s.

Re: what would you buy???
 

powerquest 380,

I think you need to tell us more. What are you trying to accomplish? How long do you plan on keeping the boat? Is your haul stepped? I assume you want more speed.

I don't know why everyone is so down on blower motors considering the 575, 600, 850 & 1075 are all using blowers. From what I here whether you have 500, 525 blues or the bigger blower motors you are always rebuilding the motors every 200 - 250 hours regardless of choice. It's just the cost of going fast.

I believe your 502's are 415hp and the 525's 500hp. The 525's sound like you would be spending a lot of money to only get 85hp more per side. If it takes 17 - 20 hp per mile an hour I believe you will only see 5 - 8 mph increase. I am not sure if that same rule applies to twins. Since you boat in fresh water the closed cooling probably isn't as big of a necessity

Regardless, the 575's sound like a better choice than the 525's and are probably cheaper.

The Tyler Crockett option sounds like it's just slightly cheaper than building up the 502's with blowers.

If you plan on keeping the boat for a while and really want to go fast I would consider having your 502's professionally built with blowers and new engine internals to achieve the biggest bang for your buck. I believe I've seen packages claiming 200hp per side.

You probably need to get some professional opinions. You may want to contact www.bakerenginereeringinc.com out of Nunica, MI they race Cat Can Do, or Phil Hall at Coastal Performance Marine since it sounds like he is the one trying to purchase Powerquest. I have also heard of Millennium Marine in Muskegon. I think there is another Marine High Performance engine builder in Hudsonville or Jensen which I have seen at the boat show.

Good Luck with the project and if you ever need a crew member to share Poker Run expenses let me know as I would love to tag along.

Re: what would you buy???
 

Milennyum Marine is in Harrison Twp, MI. As for Tyler Crockett, talk to Raypanic on this site, I believe Tyler helped build/dial in some blown 502 black motors in Ray's old 380.

Re: what would you buy???
 

I agree with the Blue engines BUTTTTT you do not need to change drives enjoy the turnkey 525's and the regular Bravo combo. Just behave going up on plane and they will last. Remember our boats are very light compared to another make that would be a Bravo eater.

I'm at 550hp per side with 0 problems! :cool:

Re: what would you buy???
 

I agree PowerQuest boats are lighter and with a stepped hull you don't require a lot of hull lift to get loose for speed.
Stick with a naturally aspirated engine with reasonable power and enjoy years of trouble free boating.
If you want best combination of speed, reliability, and ride quality try merc.575 integrated transom extension xr drive package. Probably pick-up 7-15 mph and not over work anything.

Re: what would you buy???
 

Sorry, haven't been on in awhile. I talked to my friend Scott and he told me that Baker enginering on the west side of the state did his motors and he would recommend them again and again. I believe he spent around $12,500 to 15,000 but he did have one bad motor and had to add the exhaust, and other items. I dont know what new 525's cost but that is something to think about. I would have no problems with a rebuild on the 502's if you dont go CRAZY on the power. You're only talking about an extra 110 hp per side, or less if you want, and you can paint the motors blue anyway. Good luck, if you need the phone number let me know.


Rich.

Re: what would you buy???
 

I think the most reliable, cost effective option would be to upgrade your current motors without supercharging. Tyler Crockett has a kit-cam, head work, exhaust, ECU reprogram, etc that should add about 100HP per motor. Checkout his website. Your current drives should be fine and I believe his kit costs about 7500 per motor.

Re: what would you buy???
 

Thanks Offshoreginger, Ben does all my work and he will be the one doing the upgrade. I have not heard good thing about the Baker work too, but everytime i drive by the place is packed with boats so it cant be that bad........
As far as Ben goes, I would HIGHLY recommend him to any one in the West Mi area, the guy does what he says he is going to do and that is a hard thing to find in a wrench. Plus his work is top notch!!

Re: what would you buy???
 

Yea!! That is mine, its the only PQ there. Are you the guy that does/did the Skaters? I never followed up on that, and I have done some new tunes, TV and both covers so Im getting pretty close to being taped out. But I want to do the motors and the hull but some of that will be put off till next year, but I would still like to know how much. If you get time you can get with Ben on that, or feel free to e-mail me.