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Mercruiser 50 MPI 260HP Bravo 3

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beestje007

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"Hello there, is there a possi

"Hello there, is there a possibility to give the engine more HP? Can i put a low pressure turbo or compressor on it so i don't have to chance pistons, cranks, valves ...? From what manufacter is the engine, GM? Is there a place where u can buy tuning parts online or something like that? Would a dry exhaust give me more HP, torque? Engine is a mercury 5.0 MPI, 260HP thanks a lot"
 
"How big is the boat and why d

"How big is the boat and why does it only have a 5.0L? The Bravo sucks up enough power as it is, if it's over 22', the motor isn't big enough to go fast and the hull may not be made for that, either. If you want a speed boat, buy a speed boat.

You can buy a lot of the same performance parts for this as a car/truck but there may be some slight calibration issues. The Mercruiser calibrations aren't particularly specific but if it's newer, they may have added something I'm not aware of. You don't want turbo in a boat that wasn't made for it- you know how a turbo works, right?"
 
"yes, its GM. Sounds like a 5.

"yes, its GM. Sounds like a 5.7L (350 CID) and not 5.0 if it is 260hp EFI. That basic motor is the single most prevelent engine in hot rodding, custom cars, racing, boating etc... so there are plenty of parts. Google "Chevy 5.7 race parts".

That said, you dont want to turbo or supercharge that boat unless you are ready to spend thousands upon thousands of $. What type of boat?"
 
"Dave- it says in his title li

"Dave- it says in his title line that it's a 5.0L, not a 5.7L. Still, there should be plenty of upgrades available for it, some of them will be the same."
 
right. just didnt think there

right. just didnt think there were any mercruiser 5.0l engines rated at 260hp. cheers.
 
"Yeah, the EFI 5.0L is ~260HP,

"Yeah, the EFI 5.0L is ~260HP, the 5.7L are more than that, usually around 310HP for the TBI and 330-375HP for the MFI. Even the 351 was at least 275 at the end, not that it's a bad motor and if it was injected it was probably higher than that."
 
"the boat is a Sea Ray 210 OVE

"the boat is a Sea Ray 210 OVE, i bought the boat in 2004, new, and i have taken the 5.0 MPI (multi point injection) 260HP mercruiser engine Bravo 3 drive as an option, it hits around 50 MPH and i want more speed and power, so thats why i put this question to gain more HP of this engine. And on the question if i know waht a turbo is, yes because ive put a turbo on my 91' mini cooper
biggrin.gif
"
 
That's not bad for a 21&#3

That's not bad for a 21' Sea Ray. I'm going to have to agree with Jim N... buy a speed boat.
You won't get much more bang for you buck out of that Sea Ray. What year is the boat? Sea Ray's website doesn't show a 210 for 2004.
 
"i bought the boat new in 2004

"i bought the boat new in 2004, it was a european model, (because i live in belgium) and it was a limited series, now they changed the name to 220 sunsport. So is it possible to tune it? what engine is it? is it a GM? and where can i find parts? thanks"
 
"Just because you bought it in

"Just because you bought it in 2004, doesn't mean it's a 2004 model. There is a 220 Sundeck and a 220 Select for 2004 listed. They both came with 5.0L (GM) small block V-8s (305 Cu. in.) (260HP), MPI with Alpha I sterndrives.

Here's my final recommendation:
Don't waste your money trying to get that boat to go faster.
- the Alpha I sterndrive won't hold up to much more power than you have now.
- you're going to have to increase the power SIGNIFICANTLY for relatively small increases in boat speed.
If you start using aftermarket car parts, be very careful. Things like distributors, carborators, breather caps, to name a few are specifically designed for marine use. (ie. operate in a confined space with minumal air flow. If the device you're about to install isn't fail-safe to prevent fuel vapor escape, or isn't spark-proof, don't do it... kaboom!)

A great source for mercruiser parts is:
www.mercruiserparts.com
They usually ship the same day and their prices are competative, considering shipping costs."
 
"The boat came out in 2003 as

"The boat came out in 2003 as a new model called a 210 OVE, never made before, and i had ordered it in 2003 , i had to wait 8 months to build it, so when it was ready it was 2004, only 110 pieces were made of this serie then they changed it to 220 sunsport. i have taken a 5.0 MPI, 260HP, no carberator because its an injection with a bravo 3 drive (duo prop) as an option. So the engine is a GM product, is there a car with the same engine? can i buy a performance exhaust? because now the exhaust is in the prop and drive... thanks for the messages"
 
"There are straight through ex

"There are straight through exhaust kits available.
Try:
http://www.rexmar.com/index.htm
There are a gazillion GM cars with small block 305 V-8's. Not too many people really do a lot with these engines, since the block is the same as a 350.
"There is no replacement for cubic inches." - unkown."
 
"The Simplest way to gain some

"The Simplest way to gain some Horsepower is to Pull the 5.0l,+ Drop in a 5.7l,......
They're both SBCs,+ All the Bolt Holes will line up........
A GM 5.7l Truck Crate Motor will set you back about $1500.00US,+ would need Minimal Marination....
If that isn't Enough,....
Dropping a Stroker Crankshaft into the 5.7l will get you 383cid........

Turbos aren't all that popular for Boats,.....
But there are several different Supercharger applications available from a couple of different manufacturers,.....Paxton comes to mind......"
 
"thats a crazy website <[img]"

"thats a crazy website
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, so all these Small block chevy headers will fit my 5.0 MPI engine? so i can hear the nice V8, because now it sounds like crap. how many hp will i gain with such a straight exhaust? i'm not going to swap engines, because i live in belgium and V8's are not so common here..."
 
"A stragiht through exhaust wi

"A stragiht through exhaust will sound wonderful... give your passengers ear plugs, but it won't give you leaps and bounds of added power.
BTY, if you do get a few more ponies out of it, the key to added speed isn't just more HP, you'll need to move up to a steeper pitch and/or larger prop... with the Bravo III, make that props ($$$)."
 
"what kind of RPMs are you tur

"what kind of RPMs are you turning at 50mph? The prop question is a good one.

Sounds like Stefaan is GOING to modify that 5.0 for more power. Lets help.
-Look at a through transom exhaust option. May provide slight HP improvement, particularly at top end. Sounds great too.
-Look for a programable ECM to give you a more agressive fuel curve and timing curve. There are plenty for GM V8 cars but not sure if it exists for boats. Related article: http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/tech/0603htp_carpeting_ls2_edit_software_re view/

They do make belt driven superchargers for the automotive variety of that engine. Here are some superchargers for a marine applications:
http://www.procharger.com/marine.shtml
http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/product.asp?ProdID=1216
http://www.go-fast.com/mercury_mercruiser_Hi-Performance_Engine_Prices.asp"
 
One more thing... Kudos to Ste

One more thing... Kudos to Stefaan for being a GM V8 guy in Europe! This man has balls like church bells! good luck.
 
"thanks a lot... great answers

"thanks a lot... great answers... nice links...
thumbs_up.gif

i'm very interested in a supercharger and a through transom exhaust, but when i would place a S/C i will probably also have to modifie pistons, crank and shaft, valves, head, propellors, ... so that will be very expensive...

i really love the sound of that V8, sometimes i crawl into the engine room and hold my ear next to the header to hear the tick of that V8, lovely... thats why i would like to place a through transom exhaust. what happens then with the closed cooling? where will the water be ejected then?"
 
"how many hp will i gain w

"how many hp will i gain with such a straight exhaust?"

Little or None.............
 
"That RPM at wide open throttl

"That RPM at wide open throttle (WOT) is right on.

As you trick out the engine and increase the power, your WOT RPMs will start to go up. This will in turn make the boat go faster... to a point. Cavitation will take over and all that extra power will be doing nothing more than making bubbles.
That's where the more aggressive props come in.
Try to keep the WOT RPMs between 4600 and 4800.
You do this by increasing the pitch and size of the prop.
Don't jump straight to the biggest prop that'll fit. It's a balancing act. Too much prop is just as bad as not enough.
Also, gains in top end speed by changing the props will be at the expense of acceleration. If you intend to pull skier(s), keep that in mind.
You'll probably have to try several different combinations until you get the performance you want."
 
"My comments on

"but w

"My comments on

"but when i would place a S/C i will probably also have to modifie pistons, crank and shaft, valves, head, propellors, ... so that will be very expensive... "

Forced induction engines (turbo/supercharged) tend to have lower compression so as to avoid detonation/pre ignition under boosted conditions. You can get away with some induction boost without lowering the engine compression ratio, but I'm not sure what that boost/compression threshold is. Hi octain gas helps, but we only have 89 octain at the fuel docks in the states. Not shure what options you have for premium fuel.

Dare i also suggest a Nitrous Oxide injection system? http://poweredbynitrous.com/catalog/GM_27_p_1.html
Lots of power at the push of a button, but a good way to void your warrenty and melt your engine if its not set up properly.

Honestly... You might focus on enjoying your 50mph boat and buy a fast jet drive big block powered boat if you need more speed. By the time you modify this boat properly (if there is such a thing), you'll spend BIG bucks... or is it marks, francs, pounds?"
 
"yes i know, when placing a SC

"yes i know, when placing a SC, turbo i have to lower comopression, but only when i use high boost, here in belgium we only have 95 and 98 octane... yes nitrous, but thats dangerious SH*T, we pay in euros here
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"
 
"oww and if u wanna know, pump

"oww and if u wanna know, pump gas here is octane 95 or 98 and u pay for 1 liter u pay 1.7 dollar, not cheap... for diesel u pay 1.3 dollar / liter"
 
...and what you are paying are

...and what you are paying are mostly taxes.

In the USA you "only" have something like $0.40 in "Federal Road Use" taxes plus $0.17 in state taxes (varies by state) = $0.57 in taxes on every gallon. Low by global fuel tax standards. (a good thing)

Boat gas still costs me $3.25 a gallon. It hurts when my boat burns 20 gallons/hour... or 1.2 miles/gallon.
 
"at full speel my boat uses ar

"at full speel my boat uses arround 65 liters/ hour, we have to fill the boat with cans, because there are no pumps at the docks in belgium only diesel available at the docks. thats a lot a work to fill it up
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"
 
"Low restriction flame arreste

"Low restriction flame arresters definitely help in both power and economy! One of the first things that car enthusiasts do is to install that larger chrome air cleaner, because it is known to help. A marine engine works about 40% harder than your car does, so it's way more important on a boat! Check out aaamarine.com where they have been selling performance parts since 1959, and at discount prices."
 
I have a 99 bayliner with a 30

I have a 99 bayliner with a 305 carborated. baiscly ever since new it would backfire while running at about 3000rpms and cut out and gets worse above 3000rpms. tried plugs wires dist. cap roter fuel filter took to two dealers and still have problem. any ideas??
 
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