350 or 454 with box

[jbird5986]

Hey guys im looking to buy my first airboat and I have it narrowed down to a few is there a major difference in a 454 with gearbox and 350 without i like the 454 deal but I have a few 350 running motors and parts if i did go with 454 and it broke could I just swap it out with a 350 or will i need a prop and adapter new gear box im a little unsure how that works

 

[jbird5986]

Im also rolling the idea around of building a motor if you could have any chevy engine on a boat which would it be im looking for longevity mostly but this depends if its fairly simple to swap i dont wanna buy props or build cages

 

[Birdslayer86]

I’m pretty certain if you’re looking for the best Chevy engine you can it’s not going to be old school it would be an LS platform and there is no comparison between a big block with a gear box compared to a DD small block.

 

[jbird5986]

Performance is great but im more into it staying together nowadays and it seems the big block with a box wouldnt be working as hard thus stay together longer but if it didnt id have a spare 350 if it werent a big deal to swap i just know nothing about the interchangeability of the gear box the prop the cage etc.I keep reading about a levitator engine i think i found some of them but we can barely put a 350 together

 

[Rick McC.]

Performance is great but im more into it staying together nowadays and it seems the big block with a box wouldnt be working as hard thus stay together longer but if it didnt id have a spare 350 if it werent a big deal to swap i just know nothing about the interchangeability of the gear box the prop the cage etc.I keep reading about a levitator engine i think i found some of them but we can barely put a 350 together

I’m running a 454 with a 2:1 Century belt drive that my Dad had built in September of 2006. The aluminum hull’s eight feet wide, and 18 feet long (plus a two foot grass catcher.).
It still runs great, though it’s on its third drive belt (Dad used to really punch it from an idle all the time) and second carb.

 

[Rick McC.]

Performance is great but im more into it staying together nowadays and it seems the big block with a box wouldnt be working as hard thus stay together longer but if it didnt id have a spare 350 if it werent a big deal to swap i just know nothing about the interchangeability of the gear box the prop the cage etc.I keep reading about a levitator engine i think i found some of them but we can barely put a 350 together

I’m running a 454 with a 2:1 Century belt drive that my Dad had built in September of 2006. The aluminum hull’s eight feet wide, and 18 feet long (plus a two foot grass catcher.).
It still runs great, though it’s on it’s third drive belt (Dad used to really punch it from an idle all the time) and second carb.

I wouldn’t be messing around with a DD 350…