Got stuck on the water , belt broke on the water pump pulley and the boat over heated …

changing oil and replacing belt but I had a question …

when I looked at the broken belt it looked like someone used a lawnmower belt . The pulley has a deep grove so I’m assuming it needs a v belt .

im having a hard time finding a high quality belt , would it be ok to use a serpentine ribbed belt ? Or what kind of belt should I use ?

The engine is a 70’s 454 bbc

thanks

As far as I know you only have four styles of belts, round, V, flat and toothed . Usually you will find the V style and tooth/ ribbed belts in marine conversion motors . Ie mercruiser.
they are not interchangeable. The V belts are sized by width and length. Usually the part number will give you at least the length and you can easily measure the width. A little time at the auto parts store should produce a replacement if you cant find a factory replacement. Grab two they are cheap .

I think it needs a vbelt. But having a hard time finding one that isn’t a lawnmower belt

A lawnmower belt? Are you looking at an auto parts store? I dont know what a lawnmower belt is, you can use a car belt on a lawnmower.

Yeah I went to two auto parts stores. They just have low HP vbelts . Unless they just don’t know what they are talking about

Just download the gates catalog, auto parts stores are not staffed with the same caliber of counter help that they use to have. You may have to do the leg work yourself

what's a low hp v-belt???

If your engine arrangement is anything like in the link below, they are a standard auto accessory v-belt (lawnmowers are usually Kevlar reinforced and either green or tanish colour)....

belt for late 80's 454 is 30'' 9or you can take a length of rope and measure the length to replicate your loop running the pullleys
https://www.mercruiserparts.com/bam/.../31808/961/230

Most of the early BBC my 427 in the 69 vette included have deep V pulleys to keep the belts on, when a standard V belt is used it sits way down in the groove and doesn't fit correctly, is your engine from a car ? you can clearly see the difference

Does your old belt have a number on it ??? Did you bring the old belt with you to the parts store for them to try to match ? Do you have a NAPA store near you ? They seem to have slightly more knowledgeable counter people.

"Normal" V belt widths are usually A B C, etc.
Your boat will use a normal V belt.
Kevlar (green) belts are designed to tolerate slipping without totally trashing the belt (this keeps mowers from breaking/flatspotting a belt every time you snag a root or rock.
All you have to do is determine if you need an A or B width, and then figure out what belt length is "almost too short" with everything adjusted all the way in.
Yes, there are severe duty belts, etc. But you don't need anything magic. You just need a standard no frills V belt.