454 Engine: Remarks?

[farleygroup]

I'm going to be looking at (and hopefully buying) a 1992 Mastercraft ProStar that has a replacement engine. Stock engine was a 351 (or 350) and was replaced in 1997 with a 1997 carbureted 454 engine. Is this a significant upgrade? Will this deliver more power and/or speed? Worse in gas consumption? Any thoughts on the engine would be appreciated!!! Thanks!

 

[horndog]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

454 over a 350? thats a BIG difference in torque alone. Yes, the 454 gets the gallon per mile, so hopefully they put a BIGGER gas tank in there!

 

[farleygroup]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

The seller is calling the motor a 1997 Chevy 454. What would the marine name be for that motor? Would it be a Mercruiser, Indmar, etc? Are there various models of this marine engine for 1997? Should I look for anything specific when I inspect the boat? Thanks so much to all of you smarter than me (and that's a lot of people!).

 

[Bondo]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

What Kind of Drive ????<br />What Brand ?????<br />454 is a Real Work Horse of a motor....

 

[snapperbait]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

Hi Peglegger... Mastercraft Prostar 190 maybe? 454 huh? Going to do some show sking, are you? <br /><br /> Unless you plan on towing a pyramid of skiers or three big barefooters from a deepwater start at once, the 454 in a Mastercraft is total overkill and a waste... <br /><br />The 454 will drink some serious gas (almost twice what a 350-351 would) without adding much more than 2-3 mph on the top end... <br /><br />The Mastercraft's stringers (I believe in 92 all mastercraft stringers were 100% composite/no wood) were not made to take the weight of a 454... If you should decide to buy it, before you do pay extreem close attention to the stringers in area around the motor mounts.. Look for cracks or areas that look like they have been repaired...<br /><br />Ask the owner why he put the 454 in, in the first place... He's either a total wingnut , or a show skier ... <br /><br />My $0.02 worth, keep looking...

 

[farleygroup]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

Thanks so much for your feedback. It's a ProStar 205 (1992). I did find out that it is an Indmar engine, but that's all for now.<br /><br />I will look closely at the motor mounts (excellent point).<br /><br />He's the second owner and the first owner installed the new motor in 1997 right before the current owner purchased it. No idea of the purpose for the 454.<br /><br />Do you think the motor is so mismatched to the boat that I should take a pass? I have my eye on two other fairly comparable (year/price) models, although not MasterCraft. Not too worried about fuel consumption, but I am worried about the potential mismatch.<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[magster65]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

A 454 Chev. is called a 7.4 liter. Before you write off buying the boat take it for a test run and see how bad the economy is. Amongst the group of guys out here on the west coast we have somone owning just about every combination of boat / power there is. A 7.4 will not double your fuel consumption. As a matter of fact you may find the bigger motor under certain loads / rpm will use the same or less fuel. Torque moves your boat and a big block has a lot more but they are heavier. This is a proven fact. It's dependant on the load (vacuum) vs. engine displacement.

 

[Doug Durako]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

I've been skiing for 30 years and I find ski boats limiting and overpriced---unless that is all you want to do. The ride is rougher than the same size I/O and you can't comfortably seat many passengers. That said, for no-wake slalom skiing on a competitive course with tight turns, or for running in shallow water, the ski boat is best.<br /><br />If you want speed and a smooth ride, in addition to the low end power for skiing, drive some I/Os in the same length/power options before you make up your mind.

 

[chris in va]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

Holy moly...a 454 in a 19' boat?? And I thought my Volvo 5.0 was a boat anchor...<br /><br />Really though, you're better off putting a 4.3 FI in that size boat. 205hp isn't too shabby! Look at it this way, my 302 puts out 190 hp and sucks gas like no tomorrow.

 

[farleygroup]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

Boat is a Mastercraft Prostar 205 (20' Boat; 2550 lbs)<br /><br />Engine is 7.4 liter Indmar<br /><br />Overall, would this engine be a general plus or minus over a stock 351? <br /><br />Not going with an I/O. Had one for years (Sea Ray Seville), recently had a 175 hp OB on a 19' Glastron, but really want the inboard wake, power, and prop under the boat. Liked the ride of the I/O, but didn't like the hole shot/stall and big wake.<br /><br />I'm not too worried about fuel consumption, but hope to get a decent performance upgrade for the fuel penalty. Thanks!

 

[Doug Durako]

Re: 454 Engine: Remarks?

Not sure what you mean by performance. I have not seen a ski boat yet that tops 52mph---due to flat hull design, that's about it. Most of them run about 45 at wide open. More horsepower just plows more water.<br /><br />Don't base all your judgement on your former Sea Ray---I searched for more than a year before I bought my rig and never saw a Sea Ray with enough power for the weight they put in those boats.<br /><br />Hole shot will be no different between the two motors you are comparing---probably just more stress on the hull as was mentioned earlier.<br /><br />As for performance, on my rig I hit 30 mph in less than 4 seconds with a torque-shift prop and my top end is about 63 mph. We have pulled three tubes with 6 adults in the boat. I haven't even started to mess with the motor!<br /><br />Sounds like you've made up your mind, but give the thing a good workout before you buy.