IM in major pursuit of buying my first airboat to bowfish out of.I want to keep this boat small like a 16x8.my only problem is I can not deceide what motor I want.this boat will probably be hauling around an extra 1500 pounds tops (3 guys,generator,several hundred pounds of fish)so my main question is what motor do I need for this kinda boat.I think it will be hard to find 454 motor parts around here and 502 would be great but pricy.I was wondering about the hopped up 350's would they have enough power for pushing and hauling or would I be over working the engie?also what airboats out there do you all thinkwould be good for deep water and heavy loads?
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need some opinions
- Thread starter kainoo
- Start date
marshmaster pat
Well-known member
Keep in mind I like small hulls, 14 foot or smaller.
With that in mind, it seems like you are on edge between standard 350 and a powerplant that will produce more HP.
A 14 or maybe even a 15 footer will run ok with a standard 350. Those wider 15 footers and especially 16 foot hulls needed more hp to plane off. Getting a big block means getting a wider hull to displace the extra weight. Extra weight means more drag. Wider hull means more drag.
Will a 350 move this boat, without a doubt, yes. But it probably would never run ground and would need some serious RPMs to get on plane and stay there with the load you intend to carry. I think you would need something that would out produce a standard ZZ3 with 345 HP. There are some hopped up 350s and even some 6 cylinders out there that produce some serious HP and would move this boat along.
But I think a big block would make that size boat squat in the water more than I would be comfortable with, especially when loaded.
Good Luck
With that in mind, it seems like you are on edge between standard 350 and a powerplant that will produce more HP.
A 14 or maybe even a 15 footer will run ok with a standard 350. Those wider 15 footers and especially 16 foot hulls needed more hp to plane off. Getting a big block means getting a wider hull to displace the extra weight. Extra weight means more drag. Wider hull means more drag.
Will a 350 move this boat, without a doubt, yes. But it probably would never run ground and would need some serious RPMs to get on plane and stay there with the load you intend to carry. I think you would need something that would out produce a standard ZZ3 with 345 HP. There are some hopped up 350s and even some 6 cylinders out there that produce some serious HP and would move this boat along.
But I think a big block would make that size boat squat in the water more than I would be comfortable with, especially when loaded.
Good Luck
Waterthunder
Well-known member
A great combination that can handle some serious abuse is a 383 small block Chevy. It’s very easy to make 500HP to 575HP out of them and their reliable. I would run this if your boat is 14 feet or less. I like 406 SBC but very few people have the mentality to treat these with the required common sense. Out of 15 customers only one is a 406 kind of guy. I have built several 550 plus horsepower 383’s with out one comeback some have three to five years on them with some psychotic drivers at the helm. I would find a reputable engine builder in your area and get some prices on a 383 Small block Chevy. This is a .030 over 350 bore with a 400 crank which is 3.75’’ stroke. The 350 block is much stronger and less susceptible to cracking than a 400 block. I will give you one suggestion good engine builders will not bad mouth another engine builder to get your work! If you get a guy that all he does is tell you how terrible somebody else is he is a newbe to the game so just turn around and run.