swiftyfrommi
05-11-2004, 11:04 PM
I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried to use one like the picco outlaw or ofna force. they are cheaper then marine engines
hydroracer
05-12-2004, 01:39 PM
That's a loaded question. I have no experience with either of the motors you mention, although plenty with picco marine motors.
Lots of factors will affect the success and your satisfaction with the performance and reliability. Marine engines are not simply car motors with a water cooled head slapped on them. Will a car motor work in a boat? Sure. But the performance depends on many things. The port sizes and timings in marine motors are designed for best performance in marine applications, and the same for car motors in car applications. Some car port designs won't work well at all in boating applications, while others may work fine, or possibly great.
None will run superior to marine specific racing motors.
You may not get proper performance being air cooled with the stock head, whether it be to hot, or not hot enough. You'll likely have to make provisions to get it to run at the right temps. Running temps are important in the smaller displacement motors especially. Head volumes and squish/head clearances are also different in car motors. You will have to try several props to see which ones work best for the setup, as they may be vastly different from typical props that work well with other marine motors of the same displacement. Think of the boats propeller as a single gear ratio in a car. This is why prop selection is so important regarding the torque-to-horsepower (rpm) curve of the particular motor's capability.
You would be better off getting a sport marine motor like a k&b or OS max IMO. I know of an experienced boater who tried to get a $350 RB onroad car motor to work in a hydro, and had zero luck. No performance, and totally unreliable.
On the other hand, some experienced tuners have had some success converting car motors to boat use. But I don't recommend buying a car motors for that purpose. If you already have the motor laying around and want to play, by all means have fun. -marz