I was gonna wait until I officially had a boat coming before i jumped into what to put in it, but thats no fun so I'll lay it out for you all to help me contemplate....

1) 496HO w/ XR
2) 525 w/ XR
3) 600SC w/ XR?
4) Ilmor 650 w/ TCM Plat.

or what else can you guys come up with? Obvisously money is a factor and a warrenty is important. Too Bad JC never gets on here, would love to hear his opinion... Maybe Rick can play the part or something There lets see what you all can come up with?

Rob

Rob your gonna get us all AMPED UP AGAIN !!!!! As for OUR JC he would more than likley tell you to go with a 496 HO. I do love the 600sci, but $$$$ The 525 is a smart choice, perhaps Mercs strongest mill out there.As for the last choice not enough info or dealer support. The big question here is HOW DEEP ARE YOUR POCKETS $$$$$$$$$$ Rob no matter how you go, i'm sure you threads will be loads of fun through out your winter build...................Gary

Well, I f you want big power, consider me your Giny Pig. I'm sure after they are finished with mine the next one will be a breeze. Isn't that the way it goes! By the way, I have a one year warranty with 801HP. The outdrive, we'll see about warranty. How good are my connections... Afterall the purchase agreement says I have 375HP.

By the way I think my 801hp is about the same as a 525 from Merc.

Good comments here already, it depends on what you plan to do - me, I opted for the base 496 Mag HO to get decent perfomrance for a year while I recouped cash and planned for repowering after the warranty runs out. If I hadn't planned to repower, I would have done the 525.

I've seen a best of 74.1 gps on my 496 - very respectable for a single over 30', and the 496 is proving to be a very solid base engine package. Whipple-ing on the 496 for about $10k can be done later to take the boat to the 80's, and the stock Bravo X drive can handle it, if you don't fly too much....

I like FASTER's approach - big cubic inches and no blowers (yet).....good luck! We'll be watching.....

It's all about how much $$ you have to spend and how fast you want to go.
Like Gary said, JC will tell you the 496HO; It is the best deal from Merc. Those Black and Blue motors will put a hurting on your wallet...
I like the route that Tom went, however I think he went a bit overboard...
If you keep the boat light (without a full cabin) a 500HP will push the boat 77-78 and 600HP will get you 84-85...
I believe that there are many builders that can put together a reliable 550-600HP 540cube engine with a warrenty. And it will cost you a lot less then a Blue motor from Merc.
Good Luck!!!

I would go with the 496 HO and the Raylar package.

Rob, you never told us..........................HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO ????????? Once we know the speed, than we know the HP. Just think KRAK-496 HO......SUPERBABI-600 SCI........OZ-525 HP...........FASTER-800 HP...............It's your turn, either you pick one of the above.?????? ..............OR REALLY GET CRAZY !!!!!!!!!............Rob if i were you i would be the 1st to use a #6 drive and a 1000 HP +

Not a bad option if 525HP would make you happy...

However if you do the math a custom built engine may still cost less.
A 496 HO costs about 12K when purchased as a package with the drive. Like 14K when purchased separately. The kit from Raylar is about 5k if you don't opt for headers. Plus labor if you can not do the work yourself. So you are at 17K plus plus plus...
The Blue Merc 525 starts to look better.

Just as an example:
I know that 1-800-runs new sells 500HP/502 base engines for around 6K and 580HP/540 base engines for around 8K. You can complete one of these with all accessories and headers for under 15K. And you will have a warranty...

Think how fast you want to go today. Add 12mph to it and that's what you'll be happy with for about two years. It's a proven fact. Pat, I wanted 650-700 when I started the project. Three months later I realized the rule and built the 800 now instead of wishing I had it next spring. And yes it only goes as fast as you make it. Nothing like having another quarter throttle you only use a couple times a year!