1994 Victory VIP toal gut

[CrazyDryaton]

I am in the very beginning stages of total gutting and redoing my boat. I fell in love with the way this boat looks so that is why I am so passionate about redoing it. I’m pretty sure that the stingers and the transom are both shot but I haven’t made it far enough to tell for sure. I would still like to redo them even if they are good. Because I plan on keeping this boat for a very long time. It currently has a Yamaha 5.7 sterndrive. I want to get rid of this due to not having any parts readily available. I’m seriously considering converting to a outboard due to the cost of redoing the drive system. Any thoughts or recommendations on this project or just things I should look out for? I am open to all ideas and I really want this to be a successful build. Thanks!

 

[AShipShow]

Honestly, if it were me, I'd try to find a donor boat with a good working mercruiser setup.. pretty much the best sterndrives out there... however, I'm just partial to them.. an outboard could probably more than do the job.. I guess just personal preference

 

[mickyryan]

I prefer a i/o as well only because i know how to work on them parts are cheap and the entire weight of the engine is sitting inside the hull not hanging off back.
pro's to outboards , easily removed/replaced, if you can afford new they have come a long way. can pull engine/unit completely out of water, self draining for winter,mileage is almost exact same per hp.