shoulda been more clear on my intentions when I posted my essay, but it was very late My point was more that, even if you choose a 350 or even smaller, you MAY end up having more fun building your own engine, and 99% for sure will have a better performing boat at the end - if you're a hot rod guy, assembling an engine shouldn't be that daunting, and when you pop the hatch, it wont matter if it's a 350 or a 572 - it will look gorgeous, and be lighter, faster, and better handling then a premade one! Robertson screws are a godsend, I wish glen-l offered them - I would use the 100% if I could find them in silicon bronze!!! My first boat, I had a few robertson...some stainless, some brass. None lasted even close to as long as the bronze did, so sadly I'm stuck with the glen-l screws. Interestigly, frearson, like robertson, are designed not to strip (and rarely do if both ends are frearson)...but if you try and use a phillips bit (designed to strip), then bad things happen! again, google is your friend if your curious. My build isn't finished, but if you look in my last post,
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16382, you can see a picture of a sanded (but not yet stained or glassed or varnished) section of veneer I put on with raptor staples. My eye has to be within a few inches of the hull to pick out a nail - they really do dissapear. And I can't express how nice it is to not have to remove them, or worry about sanding...they're worth thier weight in gold for ease of construction alone! Let us know how the engine choice goes, and the build! Again, I had a very similar engine dilema a few years ago - here's 8 pages of forum knowledge to help you out!
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6092&start=15 the cheap swill articles by Nova SS are both small blocks that will fit and make weight, turning over 500 hp. theres also a lot of info from caber, and others, on how to properly convert an auto engine (4 port thermostat, for instance), and the benefits of doing so. And remember, even if the hull isn't designed for going over 60, it's almost more fun to get there quickly and effortlessly - as you said, sometimes it's fun to have too much power! My plan with the rampage is to, once and only once, when it's dead calm and I have a lot of people there to help, see how fast it wll actually go - for the rest of the time I wont make it muh past 50 MPH, but it's great to know I could, tell people what it will hit, and get to 50 in a matter of seconds while my friends take half a minute
Again, just my two cents....being a speed freak, I'm a bit biased, but it's called the torpedo! It should look sexy as hell, and MOVE...just look at that hull, it was made to go fast*!
Denon
*Asking glen himself is probably the best advice here. He'll tell you what the hull is truly capable of...with that knowledge, my personal choice would be to then use the speed chart posted earlier to find the required HP, and then build the smallest/lightest auto engine that will reliably put that out day after day. Plus, if you build a 383 that only weighs 500 lbs vs the alost a thousand for the mercury, it's fuel appetite will be roughly offset by the 500 lb weight savings! and, your boat will perform a lot better. Damn, wrote another essay again...sigh.
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You can put chrom pipes on your boat... but like I said earlier ..... I will not mess with the lines of the boat..... No hood scoop and no pipes! She may end up with way too much power but she will still look classy! And elegant 
... Now we are back to a small block with 457 lb of torque and 515 little ponies 
.... Just in case one was to feel the need for speed 
just got off the phone with Edelbrock.. and they Highly do not recommend using any type of street engines for marine use… 
Reallly bad thing.. And as soon as we switch it up to a marine suitable cam we will be back to the low 300hp range for a 5.7 Hmmmm 
