New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

[CaptainHook]

I am currently the owner of 2 boats. One Baja 24 outlaw for the go fast and a wellcraft v20 steplift for fishing/crabbing.

The V20 is in awesome shape. i love it, it has a mercruiser 470 that has about 2000 hours on it. Still runs ok but is starting to act up.

Would you spend $8,000 to replace this with a 4.3 220hp v6 or just buy a new fishing boat????

I really do love the V20 but is it worth it???

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

I personally would spent less than 2000 to replace it but then I do my own work

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

8K?
Ouch...

Have you checked Rapidomarine in Miami for a motor?

If I had to pay 8k, I would find me another Wellcraft..Sans a 470 mind you

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

A buddy of mine recently picked up a trashed 97 21' thompson with 88 hours on the 5.7 and alpha gen 2 drive which are in perfect shape for $500 he has the trailer for sale for $1000 the boat went to the landfill and the engine and drive are going in his boat..... Shopping around could save you ALOT.... Even if you paid someone $1000 or more to do the swap it would be well worth a little legwork

 

[CaptainHook]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

I would do the swap myself but the way the 470 is mounted is unusual. At least to me. Not mounts on the stringers like my baja. How would I change it over?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

I'm going to move this to the I/O section.

 

[Don S]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

Everyone seems to forget that changing from an inline 4 to a V6 is not as cheap as going to Rapido Marine, and buying a long block. You then have to get all the other expensive parts. Intake manifoid, carb, electric fuel pump, distributor, wiring, starter, alternator, all the brackets and pulleys, and the list goes on. You then have to find a Y pipe to fit the transom shield, then there is the making of motor mount pads on the stringers for the side engine mounts. The inline engines all have front mount.
Finding a doner boat would be the best way to get an engine, if you could find one with and engine in good condition. But I wouldn't expect that to happen.
The V6 is also a lot wider than a 470, and you may have to make your engine cover bigger and change the seating.
Sure it can be done. but propably not cheaply.
Only you can decide if the boat is worth the expense. IF you have a $1000 boat now with the 470 in it, just remember that same boat will be worth $1000 after the swap.

 

[ken_23434]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

Since there is so much involved with going from an inline 4 to the v-6, maybe putting a 3.0 in there would be the way to go.

Less HP, but more reliable engine, still being made... And, you do the the other boat for go fast days.

 

[Don S]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

With a 3.0L in a 20' boat, it would be a dog. Not only slow, but may not even plane with a few people on board with all their gear. Plus, you would still have all the problem of finding all the engine parts, and exhaust tube, plus you would have to change the gear ratio in the drive.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

Still runs ok but is starting to act up.

"Acting up", how? Running rough, loss of power? I think you should spend a little time and find out what is causing your problems. Do a compression check. It might be something as simple as a head gasket, which you can replace yourself, with a valve job for $500-600. A V6will not be that much of a step up in power, and is no more reliable than a well rebuilt 470, and it will add about 200# to your stern. Since you asked for opinions I think your best bet is fix the 470 or spend the $8000 on a new boat. Good luck.

 

[Juniinc]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

new boat!

 

[djfam]

Re: New Boat or New Motor??? Honest opinion....

Captain...I feel your pain. I am in an almost exact situation and also trying to determine if i get rid of my 1983 V20 since my 470 appears to have finally died (possible cracked block). These are simply great boats. It is a very hard choice to make whether or not to replace the motor or sell the boat. I would not put 8K into a boat that was only worth 4K however, because if you ever sell, chances are you wouldnt get back the bulk of your investment. If you plan on keeping this boat forever and running it into the ground, then knock yourself out. I plan to do whatever I can within reason on my existing motor to get it up and running just because the V20 is such a great boat. If it gets beyond the value of the boat though, she'll have to go. Good luck with your decision.