Newbie Mercruiser Alpha One Magnum 454 4Bolt

"I am looking at buying an &#3

"I am looking at buying an '87 Advantage ski boat that has the stock 454 Magnum. The listing states 200HP and 55+. This seems low for a 454 on a 20' ski boat. Can anyone tell me if this is correct or not? I would expect this out of a 350, not a 454. Thanks!"

"The 454 back in those days wa

"The 454 back in those days was listed at 330hp.......
And,....
Mercruiser only put the 454 ahead of the Alpha drives for 2 years,.....
Because the drive will NOT handle the Power......

Keep Looking,.....
That boat has "Major Headache" written All over it......

Either That, or Plan on putting a Bravo in it.....
Which means you'll be spending about $5000. More to get it Right......"

"well, in my search for info I

"well, in my search for info I found the boat your talking about for sale on ebay. In looking at the boat, I would say it is possible to 55+MPH. It is a relativly small boat for a 454. It is probably a typo. They probably meant to say 300hp. which is close for a carburated 454."

"Yep, that's the one. Nice

"Yep, that's the one. Nice boat, but I don't want the headache. I found other threads where members said the same thing as Bondo. Although the boat has probably been well taken care of, I don't want to worry about taking it easy on the outdrive. I want something I can feel confident about."

"Roy:
Smart thinking on you

"Roy:
Smart thinking on your part. Not only is the OD a headache, a 20 year old boat is highly likely to have some wood rot under the fiberglass unless the boat was treated like a baby and stored in a climate contolled environment. Floor, stringers and transom rot from water absorbed by the flotation foam is an expensive repair--been there and done that--never again.
Guy"

"Well, the climate in LA is re

"Well, the climate in LA is really not much to worry about. There's very little moisture and freezing is rare. Is there a way to check a used boat for rot? I would imagine the wood is only exposed in certain areas of the boat. Thanks again for all the info!"

"Ron: I have a previous post

"Ron: I have a previous post on the subject of checking for rot. Very simple to do. Finding mold in the bilge area is a start. Just means it has been wet and unvented--trapped moisture.
Sound the transom laterally from top to bottom. Use your knuckles or a rubber mallet. Solid wood makes a hard sound while wet, rotted wood will make a distinct thud. Dry rotted wood makes a hollow sound. Do the same on the floor, especially in low areas that are hidden; underneath a seat next to the engine doghouse.

Pull the screws out of a transom mounted transducer. If water dribbles out of them after a minute or so, you found it. Probe the holes with a length of coat hanger wire--use a dark strip of art paper to check for water; easier to see it. Probing should be stopped by solid wood at the depth equal to the screw's length. You should not be able to move the probe laterally or vertically in solid wood.

Do the same to the stringers in the ski locker area and the engine mount bases. If you see indented or sagging tops on the bases--uh oh! Throws engine and OD out of alignment and wears out the engine coupler--big money to pull the engine and replace the coupler.

If you look on the sides of exposed stringers for 1/2" holes the boat maker used to inject floatation foam, you can check there for water- logged floatation foam.
Guy"

"Hey, Roy: Going 60 mph on the

"Hey, Roy: Going 60 mph on the water is not the same as in a car--there are no 2 foot bumps on Interstates! (Pennsylvania excepted.) If you're not familiar with high speed on water, you might want to ride in a typical muscle boat before buying one yourself.

Jeff"