New guy here people, one question

[pud]

So I have a boat, I attatched a picture. I bought it for $150 from a buddy with everything you see in the picture. Its old and ugly, the engines not to great. I want to put an inboard engine into it, I have a spare ford 302 I would like to use. Whats the best way to go about it? V-drive? Jet? or stern drive?
I really dont know much, but I know a boat wrecker so I could find what I need. How about it ?

[pud]

forgot the pic

I want to put an inboard engine into it, I have a spare ford 302 I would like to use

It's got a notched transom to take an OB, why frig around trying to rig it to take an inboard...whichever way you do it is going to cost a squillion, be difficult (expensive) to maintain, add a LOT of unnecessary weight and so on.

You'd have to marinise the 302 which won;t be cheap.

Why not sell the 302, and the old OB you have and buy a 2nd hand OB thats more powerfull & relaible and spend your time fishing cruising in the boat - than upside down inside the thing trying to make it into something it was never designed to be in the first place?.

Lifes to short.

Cheers!

[pud]

that makes sense

[Willallison]

that makes sense

...and from Touty too - wonders never cease!!
Quite apart from the wise word of my northern friend, an engine that big will a) take up most of the room in the boat and b) probably be WAY to powerful for the hull.
Trouty's a smart guy - stick with the o/b....

[gonzo]

Have you considered rebuilding the engine? It may not be worth it, but check out the price of parts. I assume if you were going to marinize a 302 that you have mechanical abilities.

[grgoyle1229]

I myself am currently switching out an old 302 from my boat to a newer rebuild 302. Now i have a stern drive and only have to work on the engine (I hope) and with a rebuild kit having to buy new exhaust manifilds, bellows, risers ,water pump, plus whatever gaskets that are needed im expecting to spend about $1000 just to swap out the engine. So you can figure atleast that much plus you will have to obviously buy an outdrive tilt mechanism and so on and so forth. Now if you are like me and love the boat it will be a lengthy process and require alot of time money and hard work but I myself would rather build my own and be able to say i created that not i bought that and dont let anyone criticize your vision.

[grgoyle1229]

Also there was a good point brought up as to whether the boat could actually handle the motor u want to use I would suggest havine a qualified mechanic assess whether or not the project is worthy.

[cyclops]

How do is access pictures on postings?

[Skippy]

You mean how to post them, or how to download?

How to post a graphic

To download, right-click on the picture and select "Save Picture As..."

[Arrowmarine]

The boat, although it appears to be in reasonable shape, is not worth the time and money it would take for this conversion.
Disadvantages? Even a 302 is very heavy and who knows how it will effect the performance of the craft. You will have no room left in the boat. If you are lucky you will find a jet pump for 500 dollars, But it will most likely need a rebuild. Where would you put the fuel tank? You will have to marinize the 302 which isnt cheap. A stern drive or vee drive would require extensive rigging. I could go on but the bottom line is: The end product just wouldnt be worth the time and money. You would certainly spend at the very least a thousand dollars and prolly more. I would have your outboard rebuilt or buy a good used one. They are out there if you look hard enough. I paid $600 for my 150 merc and i think i have only put about 80 or 90 bucks more into it. Runs like a top. As long as your block is good you can have your engine rebuilt for about 500 to 800 dollars(guessing) to like new condition. Maybe cheaper. Much less than converting to inboard.
Hope ths helps, Joey

[marshmat]

Old thread, I know, 2003. But I'm just going to put out a word of warning:

DO NOT OVERPOWER YOUR BOAT!

All commercially built outboard-powered boats have a capacity plate indicating how much power they can take. (Home-built boats are supposed to have one too, but often do not, or they have one that is inaccurate.) The reason for this limit is that given the volume, shape and transom width of the hull, the boat would become uncontrollable if a larger engine were run full-out, or would be too stern-heavy to be seaworthy.

Converting from an outboard like the one in the photo to a 302 means you are quadrupling the weight and output of the powertrain. The result will go like a bat out of hell in flat water, but will ride far too low in the water and be virtually impossible to control in any sort of waves.

It is quite possible to convert from outboard to inboard, and vice versa, but it is never safe or smart to introduce such a huge change in power. The boat above, if given a full-height transom, might be able to handle a 100hp inline-four engine as an inboard. Maybe. As an outboard, my guess would be it is rated for 40-50hp. Going over this limit would make the boat highly dangerous and would likely damage the transom. It is quite possible to rip a transom off a boat by putting too big a motor on it.

In summary:
DO NOT OVERPOWER YOUR BOAT!