I have a 1988 Searay 268 Sundancer which has the original Mercruiser 454/330 hp with the Alpha 1 drive. The drive I believe has 1:32 gears. Everyone that I call and speak to about a new Alpha Drive tells me that the Alpha is too small for the BB 454. Unfortionately this is what Searay put in a whole bunch of 268's. I bought the boat 3 years ago from the original owner and the engine/drive combo has lasted this long.
My season was cut short in August of last year. I had just got up on plane when all of a sudden it felt like I shifted to neutral. The rpm's shot up and I immediately shifted to neutral and killed the engine. I tried to re-start but the engine wouldn't crank over even though both batteries were brand new and fully charged. I had to get towed in.
The next day I went to the boat and was able to start it with no problem but had no forward or reverse gears. I had the boat pulled and brought back to my house. I pulled the drive and found that the upper gears were completely wiped out.
Unfortionately I got very sick that same week and spent 7 weeks in the hospital with a liver disease. I did not recover to the point that I was able to do anything until late October. At that point I tried to start the boat but again it wouldn't turn over. I decided that I would drain the block, pull the plugs and fill the block full of antifreeze for the winter. After I pulled the plugs, I was able to turn the engine over. I then saw water shooting out of multiple cylinders. At this point I couldn't get any expert help so I winterized the rest of the boat and sprayed fogging oil into each cylinder and re-installed the plugs.
Now it is Spring and I am trying to decide what to do. I am pretty sure that my engine is shot due to the fact that there has been water in the clinders all winter. I do not know if I should pay to have my engine and Alpha 1 rebuilt or purchase a remanufactured engine and a new Alpha 1 drive.
I then found a site on the web and called today. The person told me that he could sell me a brand new 350 magnum 300 HP with a brand new Bravo III drive and transom for $13,000.00.
Do you think that a 350/300 with a Bravo III will be enough power to move my boat.
If you were in my shoes, what do you think that you would do .
My boat is in excellent shape. I know that I will never get my money back if I re-power but the boat is perfect for my family and I plan on keeping it for another 7-10 years.
A new boat like this is about $90-100K.
I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Best regards,
Tom
My season was cut short in August of last year. I had just got up on plane when all of a sudden it felt like I shifted to neutral. The rpm's shot up and I immediately shifted to neutral and killed the engine. I tried to re-start but the engine wouldn't crank over even though both batteries were brand new and fully charged. I had to get towed in.
The next day I went to the boat and was able to start it with no problem but had no forward or reverse gears. I had the boat pulled and brought back to my house. I pulled the drive and found that the upper gears were completely wiped out.
Unfortionately I got very sick that same week and spent 7 weeks in the hospital with a liver disease. I did not recover to the point that I was able to do anything until late October. At that point I tried to start the boat but again it wouldn't turn over. I decided that I would drain the block, pull the plugs and fill the block full of antifreeze for the winter. After I pulled the plugs, I was able to turn the engine over. I then saw water shooting out of multiple cylinders. At this point I couldn't get any expert help so I winterized the rest of the boat and sprayed fogging oil into each cylinder and re-installed the plugs.
Now it is Spring and I am trying to decide what to do. I am pretty sure that my engine is shot due to the fact that there has been water in the clinders all winter. I do not know if I should pay to have my engine and Alpha 1 rebuilt or purchase a remanufactured engine and a new Alpha 1 drive.
I then found a site on the web and called today. The person told me that he could sell me a brand new 350 magnum 300 HP with a brand new Bravo III drive and transom for $13,000.00.
Do you think that a 350/300 with a Bravo III will be enough power to move my boat.
If you were in my shoes, what do you think that you would do .
My boat is in excellent shape. I know that I will never get my money back if I re-power but the boat is perfect for my family and I plan on keeping it for another 7-10 years.
A new boat like this is about $90-100K.
I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Best regards,
Tom