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Repower Grady White

I have a 1983 Grady White Seafarer 22" IO. The engine is the old Merc
Cruiser 488. 4 cylinder 188 hp. FWC. This motor is just about done and I am
considering repowering with a Mercruiser 4.3 L V6 carburated 190 hp. Does
anyone have any experience with this job? Any problems or major pit falls I
need to watch out for? Thanks.

Repower Grady White

Can't blame you for wanting a little extra power, but consider this:

Your boat's retail value may be worth about six grand maybe less.

Your going to need a COMPLETE mercruiser engine (not just the block)
expect to pay about $4000 - $6000 for a Quicksilver remanufactured unit
with the fuel pump wiring, carb, flywheel, starter, bell housing, etc.

Your going to need to regear your outdrive. Plan on another $800 - $3000
on anything from just a gear change to a completely rebuilt unit.

Did we forget installation labor?

So now your in to this boat for well over $5000.00. Try to shave a few
bucks off and get a used, rebuit, reman, engine from a no name company,
and/or have "Willy the beer drinking wrench twirling wonder" next store
install it, and you'll be dreaming of the days with your 'ol 488 in no
time.

I had a buddy who had to get a new engine (his crapped out over countless
hours) so he decided to go from an OMC 4 to a V6. He bought a "rebuilt"
one for about $3000, then had a marina, that I wouldn't trust to fix an
oarlock much less install an engine, for another two grand. Spend about
six grand, but I think he MAY have gone from a standard OMC to an OMC
cobra or some other brand. In less than one season, that engine was
blowing oil. Bad seals. Bad Compression. Spent another $3500 to get
that engine torn out and rebuilt.

So over a two year period ,that boats seen less water than an Ethiopian.
All for $6000 over what the boat was worth! For the money he spent could
have bought a carefully used bigger boat with more power outright!

If this *IS* your perfect boat except for the power issue, than it may be
worth it to you. Otherwise, it is usually cheaper to sell what you have
and spend the money on an already upgraded vessel.

Either way, Good Luck!

Bob Dimond

In article , "Brillo"
wrote:

I have a 1983 Grady White Seafarer 22" IO. The engine is the old Merc
Cruiser 488. 4 cylinder 188 hp. FWC. This motor is just about done and I am
considering repowering with a Mercruiser 4.3 L V6 carburated 190 hp. Does
anyone have any experience with this job? Any problems or major pit falls I
need to watch out for? Thanks.

Repower Grady White

Bob,

Why will he need to re-gear the outdrive going from 188 to 190 hp? Even if
the difference was a little more drastic, I'd think a prop change would
handle it - no?

-W

"Bob D." wrote in message
news:sailbad_d_sinner-

Your going to need to regear your outdrive. Plan on another $800 - $3000
on anything from just a gear change to a completely rebuilt unit.

Repower Grady White

Clams,

Check out the hp/torque curves for the two engines. My failing memory seems to
be seeing a lot of revs to make 188 hp with that old engine. I also seem to
remember the older engine hp ratings were flywheel numbers vs todays at the
prop numbers??? Or not!!! Maybe a prop change would handle it.

Even so, the project makes little economic sense unless it's all the budget
will handle or there is a strong emotional attachment to the boat.

Butch

Clams wrote: Why will he need to re-gear the outdrive going from 188 to 190
hp? Even if
the difference was a little more drastic, I'd think a prop change would
handle it - no?

Repower Grady White

Oh, I wasn't arguing with your assessment that it would be kind of expensive
for an older boat. I was just arguing about re-gearing.

IMHO a prop change would handle it. I know I can go from 80 to 150 HP on a
Merc OB with the same lower unit (2/1) and just prop changes - done it.

-W

"JDavis1277" wrote in message
...
Clams,

Check out the hp/torque curves for the two engines. My failing memory
seems to
be seeing a lot of revs to make 188 hp with that old engine. I also seem
to
remember the older engine hp ratings were flywheel numbers vs todays at
the
prop numbers??? Or not!!! Maybe a prop change would handle it.

Even so, the project makes little economic sense unless it's all the
budget
will handle or there is a strong emotional attachment to the boat.

Butch

Clams wrote: Why will he need to re-gear the outdrive going from 188 to
190
hp? Even if
the difference was a little more drastic, I'd think a prop change would
handle it - no?

Repower Grady White

If you're willing to spend the money on the engine it shoul dnot be too bad.
If you're doing it yourself you might consider getting a v6 out of a wreck
and converting it for marine use. That would help wiith the costs a little.

"Brillo" wrote in message
...
I have a 1983 Grady White Seafarer 22" IO. The engine is the old Merc
Cruiser 488. 4 cylinder 188 hp. FWC. This motor is just about done and I
am
considering repowering with a Mercruiser 4.3 L V6 carburated 190 hp. Does
anyone have any experience with this job? Any problems or major pit falls
I
need to watch out for? Thanks.

Repower Grady White

Hi Bill,

If I were you, I would "shotgun" the whole system. New long block and
pull gimbel and drive for a rebuild.

You could likely install a 350 v-8 for less money, but a little more
fitting would be involved.

Question!

What type IO do you have, and will it stand up to a bigger engine?

Capt. Frank

Brillo wrote:

I have a 1983 Grady White Seafarer 22" IO. The engine is the old Merc
Cruiser 488. 4 cylinder 188 hp. FWC. This motor is just about done and I am
considering repowering with a Mercruiser 4.3 L V6 carburated 190 hp. Does
anyone have any experience with this job? Any problems or major pit falls I
need to watch out for? Thanks.

When all you people talk about the high cost of repowering this Grady White and
whether or not it's worth it, you ought to take a look at the price of a new
Grady. If the hulls in good condition, my guess is it will be worth it.

I'd much rather buy a good "old" hull and repower it than pay what the dealer
wants for a new boat these days.

Barry

Repower Grady White

You can often get a "deal" doing a repower on an older hull. There is
nothing wrong with an older FG hull. Be cautious with your purchase. The
"accessories" things like wires, breakers, deck fittings, pumps,
sanitation and new hydraulic steering can eat you alive.

Enjoy your project,

Capt. Frank

F330 GT wrote:

Hi Bill,

If I were you, I would "shotgun" the whole system. New long block and
pull gimbel and drive for a rebuild.

You could likely install a 350 v-8 for less money, but a little more
fitting would be involved.

Question!

What type IO do you have, and will it stand up to a bigger engine?

Capt. Frank

Brillo wrote:

I have a 1983 Grady White Seafarer 22" IO. The engine is the old Merc
Cruiser 488. 4 cylinder 188 hp. FWC. This motor is just about done and I am
considering repowering with a Mercruiser 4.3 L V6 carburated 190 hp. Does
anyone have any experience with this job? Any problems or major pit falls I
need to watch out for? Thanks.

When all you people talk about the high cost of repowering this Grady White and
whether or not it's worth it, you ought to take a look at the price of a new
Grady. If the hulls in good condition, my guess is it will be worth it.

I'd much rather buy a good "old" hull and repower it than pay what the dealer
wants for a new boat these days.

Barry

Repower Grady White

There's nothing wrong with an old fg hull. BUT I'd check the floor and
transom pretty closely before starting.

"Capt. Frank Hopkins" wrote in message
nk.net...
You can often get a "deal" doing a repower on an older hull. There is
nothing wrong with an older FG hull. Be cautious with your purchase. The
"accessories" things like wires, breakers, deck fittings, pumps,
sanitation and new hydraulic steering can eat you alive.

Enjoy your project,

Capt. Frank

F330 GT wrote:

Hi Bill,

If I were you, I would "shotgun" the whole system. New long block and
pull gimbel and drive for a rebuild.

You could likely install a 350 v-8 for less money, but a little more
fitting would be involved.

Question!

What type IO do you have, and will it stand up to a bigger engine?

Capt. Frank

Brillo wrote:

I have a 1983 Grady White Seafarer 22" IO. The engine is the old Merc
Cruiser 488. 4 cylinder 188 hp. FWC. This motor is just about done and
I am
considering repowering with a Mercruiser 4.3 L V6 carburated 190 hp.
Does
anyone have any experience with this job? Any problems or major pit
falls I
need to watch out for? Thanks.

When all you people talk about the high cost of repowering this Grady
White and
whether or not it's worth it, you ought to take a look at the price of a
new
Grady. If the hulls in good condition, my guess is it will be worth it.

I'd much rather buy a good "old" hull and repower it than pay what the
dealer
wants for a new boat these days.

Barry

Repower Grady White

Hey,

You might be right there, I didn't notice the HP output was so close.

Now I'm not sure why he'd want to do this at all!

Bob Dimond

In article W4gmb.19119$Tr4.40037@attbi_s03, "Clams Canino"
wrote:

Bob,

Why will he need to re-gear the outdrive going from 188 to 190 hp? Even if
the difference was a little more drastic, I'd think a prop change would
handle it - no?

-W

Repower Grady White

Bob D wrote:

Yes, but will this project boat necessarily be cheaper or better than a
used boat with the requirements your looking for?

'In article ,
(F330 GT) wrote:

When all you people talk about the high cost of repowering this Grady
White and
whether or not it's worth it, you ought to take a look at the price of a
new
Grady. If the hulls in good condition, my guess is it will be worth it.

I'd much rather buy a good "old" hull and repower it than pay what the
dealer
wants for a new boat these days.

Barry

Depends on how much has to be redone to repower with more HP. My guess is that
it will be a fairly easy swap and he'd have a nice hull with a "brand new"
engine. Buying another used boat can easily be buying more (or someone else's)
headaches. He likes the hull and obviously has it set up the way he wants it. I
look at at changing an inboard engine as no different than buying a new
outboard. I just don't see throwing away a good boat because of a bad enigne. I
wouldn't think of getting rid of my boat because the engine was going bad.
That's why I just repowered with a new Yamaha. Gas inboard engines are cheap,
or at least a lot cheaper than a new outboard.

One of the nicest small boats I've owned was a 23' Formula that I bought cheap
and put a rebuilt 350 short block in and put many hours on it with no engine
trouble at all. I sold it a couple of years later and got all my money out of
it. I did most of the work but I think that whole job was less than $700.

Barry

Het Wally! (was Repower Grady White)

Hey Wally,

Glad to see ya' got though all that pesky family obligation stuff and got
out! It sounds like you had a late night and some hardships, but I bet
they were will worth it! A little pennance for your pleasure, right?

I bailed on my Kelleys outing the weekend before last because of a bad
Karma trifecta of an iffy back, an iffy outdrive, and a girlfriend not
ready to leave Cleveland until 5:30pm on Saturday (I really have to have a
sit down with her about that) . By that time, the other two things
conspired to say "screw it, I'll just rest my back".

This past weekend I over indulged a wee bit so I rested at home until
Saturday afternoon, while the weather was crap all day. Late in the
afternoon went up to marblehead to install a DirectTV system for my dad.

It was Halloween up at the bay, but I was concerned about the weather and
my boat, and my back, so I decided the week before to hang out with my dad
and go to Cabanna Jacks in downtown Sandusky (two blocks from my marina)
where Mike "Maddog" Adams (from the PIB Round House Bar) was playing.

Well that plan was a wash. Since I had to go back to my dads to finish up
on the installation, we just took his RV down to my marina, rather than
take my car, because we wanted to avoid driving anyway. Got to Cabanna
Jacks and they were charging a TEN DOLLAR COVER. I'm sorry but charging
$10 to a performer I've seen dozens of times at RHB for free is just too
unreasonable. So as a matter of principle, we settled on Dailys, which
plays crappy hip hop dance music. As the night progressed at Dailys we
found people pouring in with costumes. It was at Dailys we found out they
came from the Goodtime I "booze cruise" to Kelleys which as you may or may
not know hails from oh... about 700 feet from my boat (I didn't know they
had a Halloween booze). Lastly, it was at Dailys I got bruises on my ass
from kicking myself. After Dailys, my dad retired to his RV and I slept
in my boat, without heat, and froze my ass off.

I have to pull the boats this weekend. If time and weather permit, I hope
to just take a short cruise around Sandusky Bay before I pull into the
launching ramp. I'll look forward to running into you at Kelleys, Huron,
or PIB next year! Since I'm always looking to upgrade boats, just
remember to look for
my Norwegian Elkhound, Grete. If we're hanging out at the marinas, shes
roaming free nearby. If were at the outdoor cafes, she's there on leash
with us. Odds are if you see an Elkhound it's her (and us) because it's
rare to see another one of her breed anywhere in Ohio, let alone at these
venues.

BTW - If you DO like going up to PIB, but DON'T like staying at the city
docks, do yourself a favor (if you haven't done so already) and Join an
ILYA Yacht Club. Its affordable. For example, my marina has an ILYA
club and it only cost $60 a year to join.

If I'm preaching to the choir, I'm sorry. If not, places like PIBYC and
MBIYC and other facilities on the great lakes offer reciprocation to ILYA
members.

For example PIBYC allows any ILYA member to call and reserve any vacant
docks (Not reserved by PIBYC members) after Wednesday for the upcomming
weekend. While it may be somewhat RARE the docks are not reserved by
PIBYC members, between memorial day labor day and, you can OFTEN get a
dock before or after the peak season at a lower rate than the city docks
with much nicer facilities. Even if you don't tie up there, take the
walk and go there for dinner on Friday's (peak season) they only serve two
to three specials, but it is often (not always) better than anything in
town. If I'm at PIB its a 90% chance I'm docking at PIBYC or at Miller's
next door.

Have a nice off season, Wally, and if you ever want to chat about what's
going on in our neck of the woods, please feel free to email me directly.

Sincerely,

Bob Dimond

In article , To wrote:

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 12:18:20 -0500, (Bob
D.) wrote:

Yes, but will this project boat necessarily be cheaper or better than a
used boat with the requirements your looking for?

Hey Bob, went over to Kelley's on Saturday. The water was nice, but it
was cold and rainy. I took my son and we froze half to death on the
flybridge (too lazy to put up the canvas).
The Halloween costumes were everywhere and the ferry just kept dumping
people off all night.
It rained all night, but let up enough to head back to Huron about 2:00.
The lake was still in good shape and no rain, although quite cold.

I'll be heading up this week to gather things up since my boat comes out
at the end of the month. I'm sure I'll catch up to you one of these
days.