Rob, I was speaking with coen, he said the rear bulk head/seat would come up ( towards bow ) about 1' for the full stagger. I think thats still enough room back there for 3 people with leg room. Well worth any loss of space when she runs 100 mph with 500 x's 2 on regular drives.

Sounds like we gonna have some fun this year Rob! Poker Runs, here we come!

The Shorter The Drive The Lower The Motors Can Be Helping The Center Of Gravity. On Motors Nothing Can Replace Cubic Inch But Some Combinations Are Better Then Others. Also You Dont Want To Be Doing New Lifters And Spring Every Year. Im Guessing You Found A Motor Man That You Trust ?

Zup has a good point...
At 6500rpm, the valve-train components are not going to last vary long.

Rob,
I've been doing a little more research (reading my old how to build SBC books)...
Anyway, don't go for more than a 3.75" stroke in a standard deck block or the piston will eat themselves up do to side loading. This limits you to 383 cubes in a 350 block or 406 cubes with a 400 block.
I don't have any info on tall deck small blocks, but I still don't think more stroke would be a good thing.
As for the cam and valve train parts, the engine builder I work with uses Crower cams in all his small block race engines.
I stopped by to see Glen today. He had a 355 cube circle track engine on the dyno. It made 436HP at 6500rpm. That engine was basically a stock cast iron head 350 with a solid flat tappet cam. He did say that an engine like that would not last vary long in a boat though...

Your on the same track I am Pat... I like to sound like I know all the in's and out's of these motors but I really only know enough to be dangerous. I'll let the motor guru whos building these things dictate what goes in them and what they end up being. I just gave him the peramiters and he does the rest. Hopefully next week I'll have the parts list so we can start rounding everything up!!!!

How about some Ford power Rob! 425HP from 289ci at 6200rpm. Even idles at 750 rpm. Technoligy now a days is cool!

Next your gonna tell me to go with that honda V-tec and nitrious... J/K that is one clean engine!!!!

I would but you have to go all American Iron.

Rob, is the stock 6.2 mercs with the whipples an option for you ????