Made a deal on an Awesome 31. This will be my first large go fast. Currently my only experience is with smaller performance boats and outboards. Hydrostreams and checkmates etc.

I am purchasing the boat without power. It is ready to have big blocks dropped in.

I currently own a set of counter rotating crusader 7.4 350hp engines. They are in excellent mechanical shape and have 800 hours of mostly low rpm and idle time.

Basically I have very limited experience with inboard motors and outdrives. Any advice or technical issues I’m heading towards to make me aware of? I’m pretty mechanically inclined and I have a large indoor shop , 3 ton fixed job crane etc etc. Engines R&R and rigging is in my wheelhouse. Rebuilds and machine work obviously are not.

My biggest concern right now is figuring out what is needed to mate the Crusaders to the Bravos. I’m assuming possibly a different flywheel , bell housing and adapter? But I have no experience.

Also I’m not opposed to having the engines freshened while they are out but I know how project creep works and how fast costs add up.

Basically what would you guys who have a grasp on this type of thing do if you had this situation in front of you?

I can budget 12-13k or so for freshening these crusaders and adding some power. I know the boat will be slow with 350hp per side ….70ish mph from what I can gather. It also sounds like I need 500hp or more per side to get the hull through the hop zone and I don’t think my budget is realistic for that unless there’s a path I’m not seeing.

Either way , I’ve lurked here for many years dreaming of owning a go fast boat for Lake Superior and hopefully Lake Michigan and I’d love for this boat to check this off the bucket list for me. Current owner seems like a good dude and I trust his assessment based on our interactions.

Thanks!

Congrats Ben!
I would suggest buying a pair of take out motors for your new boat. Trying to upgrade what you have will not get you much. You'll be surprised on what you can find that's out there. Many go fast boaters have more money than time so they'll upgrade power and try to recoup whatever they can with their old power. You're going to need 700 plus per side to get the hull really flying, good luck!

From my personal experience and being very passionate in this sport you should not buy that 31 project boat.

It's going to cost TENs of thousands more than you plan.

It's going to cost thousands more per year to maintain than you think.

It's not going to be the least bit fun if you can't get through the hop and enjoy a cat like it's made to be driven.

Your engines are not a good fit for an offshore performance boat, sell them and start with something better.

99% of the time trying to build a project boat costs more than buying one turn key even though most people think they will save money doing so. The real benefit is building exactly what you want.

I wish I had better news.

This is good advice but I’m somewhat hesitant to buy used motors. I think I’m better off just having some built.

Trust me , I’d have been retired 10 years ago if I applied the above logic to every go fast project I spent years pouring money into only to end up parting it out at the end lol.

I also realize the crusaders are poor candidates for performance engines. When it comes down to it I’m perfectly willing to scrap everything on them aside from the 4 bolt blocks and build 496s or something. If it ends up being 8-10k per side to build them properly that’s fine.

Are you making a general comment on project boats or do you have specific knowledge of the boat I’m purchasing? Just curious?

The boat itself appears in excellent condition. Owner says he’s been through every bit of it and it’s solid with no gel or fiberglass issues. It is complete with all rigging and extension boxes , outdrives , emi exhaust etc etc. Your advice is good advice but I do love getting my hands dirty and pissing money away as well.

Ben,
Offshorexcursion makes a good point here. I purchased a project boat years ago for 30K. It had a junk motor with a new TBS 871 blower and a tired Bravo 1 outdrive. I didn't do the work myself but after a new motor, upgraded outdrive and a laundry list of other things to make the boat water ready I was in the boat for about 100K. Now I did enjoy the boat and really enjoyed seeing the progress of the transformation. What I didn't like is the cost of making the boat water ready. My current boat has a pair of take out custom engines installed from another boat and they are awesome! I purchased my current boat for 70K and after a year of beating the crap out of it the only thing I've had to replace is the port side starter. The engines are making 700HP plus and pushing the boat to close to 100mph. In my experience buying something that someone else has finished is a much better investment than trying to complete a boat that isn't water ready.

Aside from building the engines I will be doing 100% of the needed work. I have spun wrenches on everything from a dozen or more outboard powered boats to 700+hp turbo cars and 300+ hp snowmobiles and my excavators and other heavy equipment. I’m quite capable of handling things like fuel systems and plumbing and outdrives. I’m a controls and automation electrician by trade so that type of stuff is easy for me. I’ll learn as I go where my experience falls short.

Your advice is good but I’ll say that I’ve had plenty of issues buying things that were supposed to be turnkey as well. There is something to be said for getting your hands dirty with your toys and fundamentally understanding all aspects of their construction , various systems and their performance.

Also I’ve purchased the boat , I’m dragging it home in two weeks and I’ll be making decisions on the engines and where to bring them and to what extent they are built in the next month or so.

If the thread was ….. “Should I buy this cool looking boat that is basically guaranteed to be a poor investment and massive waste of effort” ..well I already knew the answer going in and I just haven’t learned enough lessons yet to resist lol.

Also I’m post whoring so I can get to 10 posts and then provide a few pictures. Maybe someone here is familiar with the boat and can provide some more insight.

Well there you go. You purchased a really cool boat. I’ve always wanted one of these hulls. Keep us informed with your progress, should be a lot of fun getting her dialed in.

I think your original plan has merit. Have the initial goal of getting the boat in the water this season so you can determine whether you like it (cats aren't for everyone) and if it meets your expectations on the big water lakes. If all seems good with the boat and you're fine with your initial investment, you can figure out your power upgrade scenarios during the offseason. Best of luck

Purchased a pair of PSI 8.8 535CI engines to have built. Decided to spend a little bit more and not use the crusaders. Hoping to have them come in right at around 500hp per side which should move the boat pretty well.