I seem to recall hearing somewhere that all boat engines. The actual I4/V6/V8 4 stroke engines used in Mercury Marine, Volvo Penta are all General Motors Engines? It was a while ago and my curiosity was piqued. Is this a huge falsehood (as I suspect) or is there some truth to it?
All boat engines GM?
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I was looking at boats recently. The 4.3l MerCruiser is in fact a GM 4.3l V6 block converted for marine use.
Honda makes engines for boat too. They make engines for almost anything that needs an engine, except jet engines and few others.
Ford and Volvo used to make a lot of Marine engines. V8's and a 2.3 liter four. I think Ford is done, but Volvo still make them I think for offshore markets. Lots of Volvo Diesels out there.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Honda makes engines for boat too. They make engines for almost anything that needs an engine, except jet engines and few others.
http://hondajet.honda.com/
Honda makes engines for boat too. They make engines for almost anything that needs an engine, except jet engines and few others.
http://hondajet.honda.com/
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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Honda makes engines for boat too. They make engines for almost anything that needs an engine, except jet engines and few others.
With help from GE, they will soon build jet engines.
http://world.honda.com/AircraftEngines/
Honda makes engines for boat too. They make engines for almost anything that needs an engine, except jet engines and few others.
With help from GE, they will soon build jet engines.
http://world.honda.com/AircraftEngines/
They use the 4.3 in forklifts as well. Also a ohv 4 cyl.I am not sure if it is a car engine . Though it seems like it is the 3 litre that is used in boats.
I've seen Chrysler 318, Ford 302 and 351 IIRC. Most of what I've seen or worked on were GM engines though.
Ski Natique used 351C back in the day and big block Chevy in the Barefoot Natique. These were Chris Craft Boats IIRC. But more modern stuff seems to be GM engines.
Most all smaller inboard and all stern drive engines are now GM.
Way back in the 70's Merc used some Ford engines; an engine they designed themselves (I4), and even more recently, a couple of diesels-not sure whos.
Way back in the 70's Merc used some Ford engines; an engine they designed themselves (I4), and even more recently, a couple of diesels-not sure whos.
Mercruiser used a mix of Ford (virtually only 302s for the Ford mills) and GM till the early '80s, then all GM after that.
My family has a 1991 Chris Craft boat with an OMC Cobra 351/5.8 engine, which produces 235 horses in this form. It uses a largish Holley carb and is totally stock, and still runs well. It is a 21 foot boat and I can just kiss 55 mph.
OMC used a mix of GM and Ford as well, as did Volvo. Volvo sterdrives bought up the OMC Cobra line, and they had at least a few models of 351W engines through about 1997 or so, maybe a year or 2 earlier. Some were fairly hot GT40 fuel injected models, though they're rare.
OMC also used Ford's 2.3 and 460 V8 engines in the late 80's and very early '90s. The 460 was sold as both carburated and injected, though the injected 460 King Cobras are VERY rare, and it is next to impossible to find stock replacement exhaust manifolds for them.
Another Ford engine was the weirdo 3.7 liter Mercruiser 470 sterndrive. It was half a 460 with 1 460 head on it (I don't recall which.) They are widely reported to be absolute junk, but it was at least a decent idea for an economy motor.
The 351W was very popular for inboard direct drive, tournament ski boat installations in the '80s and '90s. Pleasurecraft Marine and Indmar (at a minimum) both had various versions of this engine in carburated and injected form and the 351 was seen as "the" towboat engine for professional water skiing boats such as Mastercraft, Correct Craft (Ski Nautique), Supra, Ski Centurion, and a couple dozen other manufacturers. Mercruiser sold inboard engines during this time, but they weren't competitive until the late '90s at which point they and Indmar ruled, all with GM iron. The 351 was preferred as much for tradition as it was for marginally better torque than a Chevy-based Mercruiser 350.
I would also point out that the 3.0 4 cylinder engine used to this day by both Mercruiser and Volvo is a Chevy, and not the Pontiac "Iron Duke." This engine has its roots all the way back to 1961 or '62, when it was the 151. This engine has got to be one of the longest-running designs out there.
In the early 1990's, my family had a large direct-drive inboard ski boat, a Supra. This boat was 21+ feet at a time when most boats of its type were around 19', and though the 351 marinized by PCM was the standard engine, ours had a carbed 330 hp PCM 454. We always thought the 351's sounded "tinny." It drank ridiculous amounts of expensive marina gas, but I could pull my 300+ pound dad up on a slalom ski with about 1/3 to 1/2 throttle with 6 or 8 people in the boat.
Chrysler also had a large presence in marine engines, though they were basically finished in 1980 or so. They did have their own sterndrive line, but nobody bought them, and instead they did a lot of V-drives and straight inboard stuff. A friend has a Century Cardel with a Chrysler 440 V-drive, and I'm here to tell you, that boat is one baaaaad mf-er, on top of being gorgeous.
My family has a 1991 Chris Craft boat with an OMC Cobra 351/5.8 engine, which produces 235 horses in this form. It uses a largish Holley carb and is totally stock, and still runs well. It is a 21 foot boat and I can just kiss 55 mph.
OMC used a mix of GM and Ford as well, as did Volvo. Volvo sterdrives bought up the OMC Cobra line, and they had at least a few models of 351W engines through about 1997 or so, maybe a year or 2 earlier. Some were fairly hot GT40 fuel injected models, though they're rare.
OMC also used Ford's 2.3 and 460 V8 engines in the late 80's and very early '90s. The 460 was sold as both carburated and injected, though the injected 460 King Cobras are VERY rare, and it is next to impossible to find stock replacement exhaust manifolds for them.
Another Ford engine was the weirdo 3.7 liter Mercruiser 470 sterndrive. It was half a 460 with 1 460 head on it (I don't recall which.) They are widely reported to be absolute junk, but it was at least a decent idea for an economy motor.
The 351W was very popular for inboard direct drive, tournament ski boat installations in the '80s and '90s. Pleasurecraft Marine and Indmar (at a minimum) both had various versions of this engine in carburated and injected form and the 351 was seen as "the" towboat engine for professional water skiing boats such as Mastercraft, Correct Craft (Ski Nautique), Supra, Ski Centurion, and a couple dozen other manufacturers. Mercruiser sold inboard engines during this time, but they weren't competitive until the late '90s at which point they and Indmar ruled, all with GM iron. The 351 was preferred as much for tradition as it was for marginally better torque than a Chevy-based Mercruiser 350.
I would also point out that the 3.0 4 cylinder engine used to this day by both Mercruiser and Volvo is a Chevy, and not the Pontiac "Iron Duke." This engine has its roots all the way back to 1961 or '62, when it was the 151. This engine has got to be one of the longest-running designs out there.
In the early 1990's, my family had a large direct-drive inboard ski boat, a Supra. This boat was 21+ feet at a time when most boats of its type were around 19', and though the 351 marinized by PCM was the standard engine, ours had a carbed 330 hp PCM 454. We always thought the 351's sounded "tinny." It drank ridiculous amounts of expensive marina gas, but I could pull my 300+ pound dad up on a slalom ski with about 1/3 to 1/2 throttle with 6 or 8 people in the boat.
Chrysler also had a large presence in marine engines, though they were basically finished in 1980 or so. They did have their own sterndrive line, but nobody bought them, and instead they did a lot of V-drives and straight inboard stuff. A friend has a Century Cardel with a Chrysler 440 V-drive, and I'm here to tell you, that boat is one baaaaad mf-er, on top of being gorgeous.
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Dang it, I KNEW I'd get the Iron Duke thing wrong. The 3.0 Mercruiser is based on the 153 Chevy, not a 151 Chevy (which doesn't exist.) The 151 Pontiac was the Iron Duke. The 153 was a chopped-off Chevy inline 6, first seen in 1962....
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Originally Posted By: Ike_Clanton
..My family has a 1991 Chris Craft boat with an OMC Cobra 351/5.8 engine, which produces 235 horses in this form..
Can't beat a Chris Craft indeed. I've seen old CC's with dual and single Chrysler slant-6's. The last 'larger' boat my family had was an old 1970 ~21ft Starcraft, OMC I/O. It had the GM 153 4cyl with dual single barrel carbs. It looked cool with the 2 chrome air cleaners and let out a heck of an intake growl. It moved out pretty good and wasn't bad on fuel.
Joel
..My family has a 1991 Chris Craft boat with an OMC Cobra 351/5.8 engine, which produces 235 horses in this form..
Can't beat a Chris Craft indeed. I've seen old CC's with dual and single Chrysler slant-6's. The last 'larger' boat my family had was an old 1970 ~21ft Starcraft, OMC I/O. It had the GM 153 4cyl with dual single barrel carbs. It looked cool with the 2 chrome air cleaners and let out a heck of an intake growl. It moved out pretty good and wasn't bad on fuel.
Joel
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That's interesting... What makes GM engines so desirable in these applications?
All I can figure is GM has continued to hold the market for industrial and marine gas engines for years. They've probably remained the most cost effective supplier for boat makers. http://www.gm.com/experience/technology/gmpowertrain/engines/specialized/marine/marine_engines.jsp
Joel
Joel
The 3.0 MerCruiser is a 181CID GM engine designed for marine use.The 2.5 MerCruiser engine was the 153 CID GM that saw use in the auto world back in the day.
Originally Posted By: Ike_Clanton
Dang it, I KNEW I'd get the Iron Duke thing wrong. The 3.0 Mercruiser is based on the 153 Chevy, not a 151 Chevy (which doesn't exist.) The 151 Pontiac was the Iron Duke. The 153 was a chopped-off Chevy inline 6, first seen in 1962....
Originally Posted By: Ike_Clanton
Dang it, I KNEW I'd get the Iron Duke thing wrong. The 3.0 Mercruiser is based on the 153 Chevy, not a 151 Chevy (which doesn't exist.) The 151 Pontiac was the Iron Duke. The 153 was a chopped-off Chevy inline 6, first seen in 1962....
The Mercruiser 470 was built by Mercruiser The only part
that was Ford was the Cylinder Head. These were very durable
engines but had problems with the Stator alternator that was used
and suffered from Low Octane gas which causes detonation problems
As far as GM goes the 305 and 350 were actually designed as
marine engines. Ford and Chrysler lost interest in supplying
the marine market
that was Ford was the Cylinder Head. These were very durable
engines but had problems with the Stator alternator that was used
and suffered from Low Octane gas which causes detonation problems
As far as GM goes the 305 and 350 were actually designed as
marine engines. Ford and Chrysler lost interest in supplying
the marine market
The Merc 470 was an aluminum block with the 460 Ford head (shaved to increase compression IIRC).
That mix of metals maybe part of the problem with that engine; I know GM had it's share of problems with iron/aluminum mixed engines.
The 3.0 L Merc engine was a Buick V-6.
That mix of metals maybe part of the problem with that engine; I know GM had it's share of problems with iron/aluminum mixed engines.
The 3.0 L Merc engine was a Buick V-6.
Hmmm.. The Mercruiser 470 I/O that I'm familiar with was actually an inline 6cyl. A fine I/O at that.
Joel
Joel
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