Horsepower vs fuel consumption

[davinci]

Ok guys it's time to shop for an engine, i know the original for my boat is indmar EFI assault 325 HP. What are some of you running and what is your fuel consuption, also some say to go carburator instead of the EFI ....I would really like some input.

[SanMarzano]

what happened to your engine

[JesseC]

what happened to your engine

He bought a boat that was a repo. Everything is gone!!!

In buying the new enging setup, I would not look at anything less than 300hp. Anything around the 325-375 would be sufficient. You can always tune the holeshot and top speed with the prop which I think you said was missing as well.

[davinci]

What about fuel injected or carb ?? also alot of different input on the prop 50% like the 14.25 x 14 and 50% like the 13.7 x 17.5 ...I don't need alot of top speed....so which one??

[JesseC]

What about fuel injected or carb ??

You are gonna open a huge can of worms on that one!! I have a 2002 Carb boat and it took me forever to find a non EFI model. I like the simplicity of the Carb/Distributor setup with no sensors to go wrong. My boat starts on the first turn of the key every time and I have NEVER had an issue with startup. However, the EFI model puts out 325 and up and mine only puts out 310. In my opinion 15 hp is NOT noticeable at all. If I were in your situation it would come down to money. What all will be required to get an EFI setup up and running. You will need the engine, computer along with all of the sensors and the corerct wiring harness. I forget what year boat you bought, but with carb you will have to have a manual cable and the new ones are throttle by wire and there is no manual cable so you may have to change it. You will get a better re-sale by going the EFI route and your engine will run more consistantly than a carb boat as well as starting and running more smoothly. The newer models are EFI only and EFI will always burn less fuel when they are operating properly. So it is really up to you. One will probably cost considerably more than the other, and one will run more consistantly than the other. I am a younger person with an old school mentality. I will take carb over EFI anyday, but if you intend on selling it, putting a carb engine in it you may find yourself stuck with it. EFI is going to cost more, but you will get your money back out of it. So again it depends on money, preference and what you intend to do with the boat 5-10 years from now.

[DOCDRS]

i have had both carb and now efi catext.......def way better fuel consumption and smoother running on an efi.....warm up of the engine on a cold day is way easier...no throttle chokeing.....but if your into tuning then you need a mefi analyser......if your not doing any maintenance then efi definitely.....if your doing surfing then efi catext......if your not barefooting then 340hp is plenty...jesse makes some key points..... I tuned my own carb before but love the ease smoothness and economy of the efi plus more hp for the $ gas........02. ...if your loading the boat for wake or surfing then the 14 , if your skiing and cruising then the 13 x 17....but i would really get the acme 13.5 x 16 or so it was impressive in the prop tests

[gcnettl]

I would get a rebuilt engine by someone that knew what they were doing if you are looking for power. One with a small cam in it pushing out 350 or so horsepower. But since you are starting fresh you have a lot to buy, so it might be a lot cheaper to get a drop in perhaps from indmar?

[maxpower220]

Get the largest HP motor that you can afford. Many owners of other ski boats report the same fuel burn with a 6.0L vs a 5.7L. The larger engine has less effort (less throttle position) to push the same boat and will be either the same burn rate or only slightly higher. This becomes more apparent when the boat gets larger.

Having owned both carb and EFI, hands down EFI! I only wish the 409hp motor was available when I ordered my boat.

[SanMarzano]

i have had both carb and now efi catext.......def way better fuel consumption and smoother running on an efi.....warm up of the engine on a cold day is way easier...no throttle chokeing.....but if your into tuning then you need a mefi analyser......if your not doing any maintenance then efi definitely.....if your doing surfing then efi catext......if your not barefooting then 340hp is plenty...jesse makes some key points..... I tuned my own carb before but love the ease smoothness and economy of the efi plus more hp for the $ gas........02. ...if your loading the boat for wake or surfing then the 14 , if your skiing and cruising then the 13 x 17....but i would really get the acme 13.5 x 16 or so it was impressive in the prop tests

"if your doing surfing then efi catext" why does surfing matter?

[DOCDRS]

"if your doing surfing then efi catext" why does surfing matter?

i agree catext all the way for a cleaner environment, but surfing for lower co emmisions