Fast, Small, Boat Designed Around Mercuiser 140

There's a success story (an amazing one too), now the real story is the number of others that tried the same thing and paid the ultimate price. Take a look at the numbers folks, it's damn scary odds.

 

Seems to be an example of adrenalin addiction trumping the instinct for survival. Either that, or people who get bored with the scenery and want to see something different, real soon !

 

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Great discussion on this thread. I have a speedboat project in the making too and I am trying to gather information on how to best go about designing and building everything.

You could always build your dream boat around this engine and drive then upgrade the power. The LS series of GM V-8's are very light weight, compact and powerful. Most parts interchange from 5.3 liter up through 7.4 liter. Humongous aftermarket support and found in a wide variety of vehicles from pick up trucks to Corvettes. Aluminum block and heads, don't weigh much more than the 1.8 liter iron block/aluminum head Mazda Miata engine, which happens to be a popular swap by the way. Probably lighter than the venerable 4cyl you plan to use.

Not to boo hoo your vision but that boat needed some serious rework, I felt uncomfortable watching it porpoise around worse than Flipper. True, it was just a movie prop but what terrible execution. I wonder if it could even be held full throttle or if it would just go into a tantrum like my older stand up 550 Jetski.

You will commit time and money into whatever project you undertake so a good plan is great idea. Will the end result be something you will enjoy using? Have the access to use it the way you envision?

 

A hot engine will need a new drive. The original poster on this thread was working with an old MR, which wouldn't like to have a lot of HP tossed at it's old gear set. An LS seems a logical choice, if you have that kind of money. There are alternatives with similar weight/power ratios. You are correct in your observation Alumination, in that the Q-Boat was right on the verge of doing ugly things, like "stuffing" it's bow or having the transom get so jealous of the bow's view of the water, it tries to swap ends , just to get a peek (usually quite violently). This was a classic example of someone not having a clue about balance and it's longitudinal stability was on the edge the whole way. Not something you'd be comfortable operating, to say the least.