Cracked engine block

[peacemaker_4]

New to the forums and new to boat ownership. Long story short I bought my first boat a 2001 Kanga, Not really knowing what all I needed to check out I just took the boat out on the lake and made sure it ran and didn't sink before I bought it. Had the boat summerized and my mechanic noticed the engine block had been repaired with JB weld. He said it would probably be good for years not to worry about it. Well I've put about 5 hours on it since and I was curious about the block so I looked at it while it was running and a steady stream of water was coming out of the side of the block. So I'm assuming I need to replace the block. Not knowing anything about replacing the engine where should I start? Would it be safe to keep running it through the summer? I only paid ~6000 for this boat would it be feasible to put a new motor in it? Really would like to be able to use it for the summer before I have to sink more money into it. Also the interior needs to be replaced but I can live with it for a while.

[MartinCaron]

why not just re-weld it ?

[phospher]

I would go back and kick the guys ass who sold you it. Pretty shady to not tell someone about that. Yes, you need a new engine block JB Weld isn't going to work.

[peacemaker_4]

Thanks for the replies, yea I'd like to find the guy, but I guess I partially blame myself for not having it checked out better. The boat had been sitting a while before I bought it, only has about 200 hours on it. When I got it back from the shop I tried to patch a small leak with JB weld but it has only gotten worse, looks like it may be leaking up around where the heads bolt on to the block now. There is no water in the oil. Any ideas what I can expect to have to pay to get this done? This is my first time for all of this so I am totally new and lost.

[MartinCaron]

I think you can buy a GM crate motor for 2000$ have a mechanic swap it for 500$ to 1000$

or

I think moomba/mc dealer can put a brand new indmar in it for ~6000$

[peacemaker_4]

Will a regular GM 350 crate motor work? I was under the impression it had to be a marine motor. The engine seems to run fine other then the water leak so I'm also assuming everything can be swapped over to the new block?

[MartinCaron]

You will need to put everything from the marine engine on... even the oilpan

[MartinCaron]

1- Call Indmar
2- Call a moomba dealer
3- Call a GM marine mechanic
4- Compare options
5- Kill previous owner (optional)
6- Work your way out of jail (optional)
7- Enjoy your boat

[maxpower220]

There is no water in the oil. Any ideas what I can expect to have to pay to get this done? This is my first time for all of this so I am totally new and lost.

I would call around to local engine machine shops in your area and get a quote on using a real weld on it. It "may" be a $50 job to have a weld done and fix the problems. If there is no water in the oil, you have already won half the battle. Either way, an extra $50 is way cheaper than a new engine. If it doesn't work, it is not that much extra.

If you are fresh water only, you can use any GM 5.7 block. I had an engine out of a car in an older boat that I had; used it for several years without incident. You'll just need to try to match (or exceed) the HP that came with the boat.

[gcnettl]

I agree. Try to find someone to weld it for you.