I have been thinking about new engines and drives for my 03 320. Presently I have 496 ho's and Bravo 1 drives. Want I want most is reliability and long life out of the new engines and drives. I know everyone seems to want bigger power than the other guy and I'm no exception. Question is what would be the most realistic motors and drives for my 320. I "want" EFI no blowers and around 700-750 hp each and leaning toward Konrad drives, cost? but would that be realistic as far as reliability and long life. Another thing I need to look at is the cost of new engines and drive vs the value of the boat. Should I just sell mine like it is and buy a little newer low hour boat with the bigger power I want? Would that be a better value? I wounder what the best option would be and would like some input from you guys that have done this before. I know boats are not an investment. My boat is paid for and runs pretty good with what it has now or should I just be happy with what I have and not do anything but buy gas? If you were thinking like me what would you do?

Can your hull handle that kind of power?
I believe Bravo XRs will live fine behind 700HP on a relatively light 30' twin engine boat.
Raylar has 600HP kits for your 496s. Have you considered those?

My boat has aprox 650 Hp per side and I kept blowing the floors out of the drives but I think that was more the torque because of the superchargers and regular bravos.I replaced the drives with Imco Extreme Sc drives and have been good since.If I was you I would probably look into another boat because by the time you buy the engines and dives from almost any manufacturer,you will more than surpass the value of the boat and will really have no way to get your money back out of your ride.The other thing you need to think about is the 320 hull is indeed a handful when you have that kind of power and running at those speeds,fun but a hand full at times because of the very short pad and it becomes a balancing act.Good luck with your decision in what ever you do and always remember that reliable is worth its weight in gold if you know what I mean.

1. You'll quickly get upside down value-wise with your boat if you go as planned. Definitely avoid the 40K to 50K Konrad investment!

2. You can't use 700 HP in a 320 hull - ask Hyper. I'd recommend finding some rebuilt Merc Racing HP500 EFI or HP525 EFI motors that will push you into the 90's IF conditions are right. You probably can get by with your current drives since the 320 is light and only 30+ feet long.

3. This combination will give you reliability, all the performance you'll ever realistically utilize and while you're never going to fully recoup a power upgrade - this probably offers the best financial value for your 2003 boat.

[QUOTE=1HYPER1;2490679]The other thing you need to think about is the 320 hull is indeed a handful when you have that kind of power and running at those speeds,fun but a hand full at times because of the very short pad and it becomes a balancing act.
Is this hull (32) and mine 1986(30) that unstable? I have yet to splash mine as I am building the two engines approx 800hp,800ft/lbs of torque. There is a lot of talk about ballancing on the pad, what happens if you make an agressive(not an emergency) turn at higher speeds or if you thottle back quickly do you fall off the pad and everything gets real nasty? I have raced cars and bikes and have a pretty good handle of what happens at high speed when you have a handling problem. Is this a dangerous unpredictable hull that I am overpowering? I would like to see 100mph with this power. Any input would be great. Andy...

I type way to slow, Revelocity already replied to my question before I submitted it.

Andy,The 30 that you have and the 320 that I have are two different animals.Your boat is a much better balanced boat because it was built as a 30 foot boat out of a 30 foot mould.The 320 was built in a 41 foot mould with a dam installed for the shorter 32 foot length.I have seen Rays boat which was a 30 at well over 100 and very stable at those speeds but always remember that at those speeds in any boat things happen fast and in a V bottom it can be that much more noticable especially on a pad bottom boat.Your boat is a better handling boat than the 320 version,good luck to you with your project,it will be worth it.
bILL

Andy, Hyper beat me to it, but I would get hooked up with Ray (Notda1) and get some input from him. Or if you want to make a couple bucks on it.................

Dwayne

My $.02, for what it's worth.

Lets say, for the sake of conversation, your boat is worth $60K, you spend $40-50K on new and bigger power, then add the $30- 35K to upgrade drives, transom assemblies and props. Now you have $130-145K invested in a boat that is worth marginally more than the one you started with, faster for sure, but in reality only worth a little more to someone looking to purchase it. The simple fact is that you will be far better off to sell your boat to someone who wants what you have, then take the $130-145K and go out and find a boat that fits what you want to do. Be that faster, bigger, newer, whatever. In the long run your money is better spent. If you love what you have, plan to take it to the grave with you, then have at it. Just figure if you ever do change your mind and go to sell it you will likely get very little of what you spent back.

How much faster would the boat be with an extra 100HP per side? +10 to +15mph is a good jump to me.
Raylar 525 kits for the 496s with the existing Bravo drives would be a nice upgrade with out breaking the bank.