A major problem is the drive ratio...it's different in the V8's.
That aside, IF there is enough length in the engine compartment and IF the
mounts in the stringers line up and are strong enough to handle a V8....it's
still a lot of $$$ and effort.
Buy a boat that has the power you want.
Actually a 3 liter should push a little boat like that pretty good.


"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Is there anyone here who has done this - or can point to an internet
reference? Am looking at a Stingray 17 which seems severely
underpowered with the 3.0. Do the bellhousing patterns match? Are
there conversion kits / adaptors available?

Thanks, Rob

Mercruiser 3.0 >>> V-8 Conversion...
 

Is there anyone here who has done this - or can point to an internet
reference? Am looking at a Stingray 17 which seems severely
underpowered with the 3.0. Do the bellhousing patterns match? Are
there conversion kits / adaptors available?

Thanks, Rob

Don't do it. Problem is the boat is not designed for that much hp and
torque. I have seen poeple do this and the boat runs sideways due to the
torque of the engine given the boat is not big enough to handle it.

Find an 18' boat w/ V6 and it will be plenty of power.

--
Tony
my boats at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Is there anyone here who has done this - or can point to an internet
reference? Am looking at a Stingray 17 which seems severely
underpowered with the 3.0. Do the bellhousing patterns match? Are
there conversion kits / adaptors available?

Thanks, Rob

Tony Thomas wrote:

Don't do it. Problem is the boat is not designed for that much hp and
torque. I have seen poeple do this and the boat runs sideways due to the
torque of the engine given the boat is not big enough to handle it.

Find an 18' boat w/ V6 and it will be plenty of power.


Greetings:

While not an expert, I would agree with this. There are some rule
of thumb formulae for determing the maximum horsepower to hull length match.
The increased weight of the V8 will change the balance of the boat and the
way it rides on plane. Yes you would have more power but handling is going
to really suffer. Your insurance is also calculated by power. Too much
power for a given keel length makes you uninsurable. Even if you don't
notify your agent about the change if *anything* happens accident wise the
insurance company will use the information from the investigation to recuse
themselves from any involvement or pay out.

-Jason
--

PGP Fingerprint:Â*Â*CA481E501CCDAEA6DC28940488833E0887 E064D7

Tony Thomas wrote:
Don't do it. Problem is the boat is not designed for that much hp and
torque. I have seen poeple do this and the boat runs sideways due to the
torque of the engine given the boat is not big enough to handle it.

Find an 18' boat w/ V6 and it will be plenty of power.


Will your response be the same if the boat was originally avalable with
4, 6, & 8 cylinder options?

I suspect the 4 cyl. was a bargain price new, and that's why so many
have the 3 liter I-4... the V-6 & V-8 were big "upcharge" options. This
is a deep, heavy boat. I've seen plenty of V-8s in smaller boats. I
need to know about the bellhousing patterns & coupling/flywheels
interchange, etc. The gear ratio is an issue which I am aware of, but
is a minor problem.

Rob

Most of the stingrays came with several engine selections. I suspect the v8
might not have been one on the 17 footer. I have a 5.7 in my 19 ft
stingray. Stingrays are ok at going fast so I would not let that worry you,
mine does low 60's. Stingrays flaw is they ride hard, but that's what makes
them go fast :-) The v6 is not a lot longer that the 4. All the v6's and
v8's are very interchangable as long as there is space for them. A lot of
the brackets are identical because the v6 is really just a small block
missing a couple cylinders. But the inline 4 is a different beast. You
will need to get a pretty complete v6 or 8 with brackets and many of the
accessories. This means getting an after market long block is proably not
the route to go. You would need to find someone selling a complete engine.
And as others have mentioned the drive ratio might be too far out for a v
engine. And that means changing the upper gearset. Working on the drive
internals takes a lot of tools so you would have to take your upper unit to
a shop for that. Unfortunately the 4 banger is sold on a lot of boats to
makle the entry price low. But in many cases it is underpowered. To new
buyers they seem pretty fast at first, especially when it's just the buyer
and the salesman. But then you get them loaded up with a bunch of gear and
the family and then try to pull up a slalom skier it's a whole different
story. I highly suspect you can get enough for this boat to not have to
spend a lot more to get a v6 in a similar runabout. Easily less than you
would spend to convert it. Unless you are really attached to the boat or
have some cheap sources for parts I'd sell and buy a bigger one.



"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Is there anyone here who has done this - or can point to an internet
reference? Am looking at a Stingray 17 which seems severely
underpowered with the 3.0. Do the bellhousing patterns match? Are
there conversion kits / adaptors available?

Thanks, Rob

JamesgangNC wrote:
Most of the stingrays came with several engine selections. I suspect the v8
might not have been one on the 17 footer. I have a 5.7 in my 19 ft
stingray. Stingrays are ok at going fast so I would not let that worry you,
mine does low 60's. Stingrays flaw is they ride hard, but that's what makes
them go fast :-) The v6 is not a lot longer that the 4. All the v6's and
v8's are very interchangable as long as there is space for them. A lot of
the brackets are identical because the v6 is really just a small block
missing a couple cylinders. But the inline 4 is a different beast. You
will need to get a pretty complete v6 or 8 with brackets and many of the
accessories. This means getting an after market long block is proably not
the route to go. You would need to find someone selling a complete engine.
And as others have mentioned the drive ratio might be too far out for a v
engine. And that means changing the upper gearset. Working on the drive
internals takes a lot of tools so you would have to take your upper unit to
a shop for that. Unfortunately the 4 banger is sold on a lot of boats to
makle the entry price low. But in many cases it is underpowered. To new
buyers they seem pretty fast at first, especially when it's just the buyer
and the salesman. But then you get them loaded up with a bunch of gear and
the family and then try to pull up a slalom skier it's a whole different
story. I highly suspect you can get enough for this boat to not have to
spend a lot more to get a v6 in a similar runabout. Easily less than you
would spend to convert it. Unless you are really attached to the boat or
have some cheap sources for parts I'd sell and buy a bigger one.



"trainfan1" wrote in message
...

Is there anyone here who has done this - or can point to an internet
reference? Am looking at a Stingray 17 which seems severely
underpowered with the 3.0. Do the bellhousing patterns match? Are
there conversion kits / adaptors available?

Thanks, Rob



I'm not concerned at all with the labor aspect (my labor) or the parts,
the job would likely be completed with the use of an entire donor
boat... I just would like to know of someone who has done it to expand
on the finer points of the swap... bellhousing/flywheel/coupler, etc.

The Stingray is a great boat for some good speed - I only wish they
didn't fade so quickley...

Rob

Will your response be the same if the boat was originally available with
4, 6, & 8 cylinder options?

Not if the boat was offered w/ that engine. However, chances are that 17'
boat your looking at was only offered w/ the 4 cylinder option. Only
recently have some 17' boats been available w/ the V6 engine.
None are available w/ the V8 unless it is a special performance boat.

I still recommend you find another boat.

--
Tony
my boats at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Tony Thomas wrote:
Don't do it. Problem is the boat is not designed for that much hp and
torque. I have seen poeple do this and the boat runs sideways due to
the
torque of the engine given the boat is not big enough to handle it.

Find an 18' boat w/ V6 and it will be plenty of power.


Will your response be the same if the boat was originally avalable with
4, 6, & 8 cylinder options?

I suspect the 4 cyl. was a bargain price new, and that's why so many
have the 3 liter I-4... the V-6 & V-8 were big "upcharge" options. This
is a deep, heavy boat. I've seen plenty of V-8s in smaller boats. I
need to know about the bellhousing patterns & coupling/flywheels
interchange, etc. The gear ratio is an issue which I am aware of, but
is a minor problem.

Rob

If you can find a donor boat then it could be worth it. I suspect the bell
housing will bolt up. The coupler just bolts up to what is basically an
automatic flywheel so that should not be a problem. If I recall the inline
4 uses a front engine mount. Most of the stingrays I've looked at with v
engines have built up blocks on the inside on the inner stringers where the
side motor mounts bolt to the boat. Have you checked out the motor mount
situation? What ratio is your outdrive drive? If you have a sport interior
I can tell you the rear seat comes out easier than it looks and it's whole
lot easier to work on the engine with it out :-)

"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
I'm not concerned at all with the labor aspect (my labor) or the parts,
the job would likely be completed with the use of an entire donor
boat... I just would like to know of someone who has done it to expand
on the finer points of the swap... bellhousing/flywheel/coupler, etc.

The Stingray is a great boat for some good speed - I only wish they
didn't fade so quickley...

Rob