Which Merc motor is best for my 1966 Starcraft Holiday??

[zm008]

I have been asking around marinas and shops here and cannot come up with a good motor to place in my 1966 Starcraft (18 footer.) Some people are saying I need to find an old Merc inline six but others are saying a newer (1982 and up) four cylinder and outdrive off of a donor boat. How is the 3.0 and how fast will I be able to go? I know speed isnt everything but if I have to buy a new motor its gonna be a nice one (and hopefully a fast one.) I have read a lot of good information about both motors in question but I cannot get it out of my head someone told me the old inline sixes have problems. I appreciate any information-advice on this topic. Ideally the motor I get needs to have readily availible parts... I want to stay with Mercruiser because I like um'.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Which Merc motor is best for my 1966 Starcraft Holiday??

Ideally the motor I get needs to have readily availible parts... I want to stay with Mercruiser because I like um'.

Ayuh,... So go with the 3.0l,... You don't have enough boat for a bigger motor...

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Which Merc motor is best for my 1966 Starcraft Holiday??

you mentioned speed 2-3 times

how fast do you want to go?

3.0 will be a good starting point, should push your boat about 35
4.3 will be the next logical upgrade - will push your boat up to about 45
if you want to go faster, buy more engine.

 

[zm008]

Re: Which Merc motor is best for my 1966 Starcraft Holiday??

Thanks for your advice. Do you know of any problems with the 3.7 mercruisers? I can find a load of those maybe one or two of the 3.0's though. Also if I go with a 3.0 can you change the prop for more speed? Im obviously a first time boat owner and don't know much about them yet.