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Marine grade vs Automotive grade


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Good point, however I hope you all realize that with SOME parts there is no difference except with price....the trick is to know what parts. For example.....engine blocks. The block in my boat has the exact same part number as the engine used in GM trucks.

Edited by Ruffdog
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Good point, however I hope you all realize that with SOME parts there is no difference except with price....the trick is to know what parts. For example.....engine blocks. The block in my boat has the exact same part number as the engine used in GM trucks.

The heresy! Indmar doesn't make motors for trucks!

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Good point, however I hope you all realize that with SOME parts there is no difference except with price....the trick is to know what parts. For example.....engine blocks. The block in my boat has the exact same part number as the engine used in GM trucks.

Could very well be the case on your boat but I don't think it is on all of them. Years ago my brother bought an 88 MC Prostar 190 from a guy who thought the same thing. He didn't winterize the engine one year & of course, it froze & cracked the block. He decided he'd just pick up another similar engine for a car...... it was a Ford 351 marinized by Indmar. He installed a Mustang 351, never actually completed the installation. My brother bought the boat, finished the engine install, put the old prop on it & took the boat down to the ramp for the maiden voyage. He backed the trailer into the water, had the boat floating a bit & started it up. After checking that all seemed to be working OK, he put the boat in reverse to back off the trailer and....... nada. He pushed the boat back off the trailer a bit & put the boat in reverse again..... IT WENT RIGHT BACK UP ON TO THE TRAILER! Tried it again & same deal. So he pushed the boat back & put it in forward..... THE BOAT BACKED OUT INTO THE LAKE!!

Long story short, come to find out that the Ford 351s spins one direction & when Indmar marinized that particular block, they made them spin the opposite direction. I'm not sure if thats a function of the crank, cam or ignition system. But he picked up a prop for a Nautique/MB & the boat ran great for years.

That said, I agree with you about knowing what will & won't work. I knew starters & alternators were marine specific. And have heard of guys using marine carbs on rock climbing 4x4s (something to do with running at weird angles?). But I'm surprised that distributor caps are unique. I've used regular automotive oil filters & oil from Napa on the boats for years & never had a problem. Whatever I run up against, I'd check the local automotive shops before I'd check the boat shop.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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I wonder if the OP works for Mercury Marine. They are based in WI and have plants all over. He is not located to far from Fond Du Lac which might be Mercury Marine's HQ.

Don't buy a boat with a Mercury Marine and you wont have to replace parts :lol: :lol: :lol:

Edited by Murphy8166
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Could very well be the case on your boat but I don't think it is on all of them. Years ago my brother bought an 88 MC Prostar 190 from a guy who thought the same thing. He didn't winterize the engine one year & of course, it froze & cracked the block. He decided he'd just pick up another similar engine for a car...... it was a Ford 351 marinized by Indmar. He installed a Mustang 351, never actually completed the installation. My brother bought the boat, finished the engine install, put the old prop on it & took the boat down to the ramp for the maiden voyage. He backed the trailer into the water, had the boat floating a bit & started it up. After checking that all seemed to be working OK, he put the boat in reverse to back off the trailer and....... nada. He pushed the boat back off the trailer a bit & put the boat in reverse again..... IT WENT RIGHT BACK UP ON TO THE TRAILER! Tried it again & same deal. So he pushed the boat back & put it in forward..... THE BOAT BACKED OUT INTO THE LAKE!!

Long story short, come to find out that the Ford 351s spins one direction & when Indmar marinized that particular block, they made them spin the opposite direction. I'm not sure if thats a function of the crank, cam or ignition system. But he picked up a prop for a Nautique/MB & the boat ran great for years.

That said, I agree with you about knowing what will & won't work. I knew starters & alternators were marine specific. And have heard of guys using marine carbs on rock climbing 4x4s (something to do with running at weird angles?). But I'm surprised that distributor caps are unique. I've used regular automotive oil filters & oil from Napa on the boats for years & never had a problem. Whatever I run up against, I'd check the local automotive shops before I'd check the boat shop.

That is a set of parts. Each one individually, fine. Just buy a different starter, waterpump, cams, and ignition controller/distributor gear and then it'd work. Tolerances may be a tad tight for the temps its run at, but that wouldn't really stress me out. Pretty easy to account for if you refresh as well.

I think someone made the comment above about knowing which ones can and which ones can't, that is most definitely the case.

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I wonder if the OP works for Mercury Marine. They are based in WI and have plants all over. He is not located to far from Fond Du Lac which might be Mercury Marine's HQ.

Don't buy a boat with a Mercury Marine and you wont have to replace parts :lol: :lol: :lol:

I don't work for Mercury. I wish. :)

Take care of a Malibu and 6 Mercury 250 Pro Xs for a ski team.

Just thought it was a simple article to a question that is often asked.

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Indmar plug wires (which are pretty crappy) were $192 for my motor.

Set of generic cut to fit SBC Jeg's race wires (LS1 wires not required for the boat motors, as the coils are different), around $60 and far better. I use automotive parts whenever I can safely get away with it.

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jkendallmsce

Could very well be the case on your boat but I don't think it is on all of them. Years ago my brother bought an 88 MC Prostar 190 from a guy who thought the same thing. He didn't winterize the engine one year & of course, it froze & cracked the block. He decided he'd just pick up another similar engine for a car...... it was a Ford 351 marinized by Indmar. He installed a Mustang 351, never actually completed the installation. My brother bought the boat, finished the engine install, put the old prop on it & took the boat down to the ramp for the maiden voyage. He backed the trailer into the water, had the boat floating a bit & started it up. After checking that all seemed to be working OK, he put the boat in reverse to back off the trailer and....... nada. He pushed the boat back off the trailer a bit & put the boat in reverse again..... IT WENT RIGHT BACK UP ON TO THE TRAILER! Tried it again & same deal. So he pushed the boat back & put it in forward..... THE BOAT BACKED OUT INTO THE LAKE!!

Long story short, come to find out that the Ford 351s spins one direction & when Indmar marinized that particular block, they made them spin the opposite direction. I'm not sure if thats a function of the crank, cam or ignition system. But he picked up a prop for a Nautique/MB & the boat ran great for years.

That said, I agree with you about knowing what will & won't work. I knew starters & alternators were marine specific. And have heard of guys using marine carbs on rock climbing 4x4s (something to do with running at weird angles?). But I'm surprised that distributor caps are unique. I've used regular automotive oil filters & oil from Napa on the boats for years & never had a problem. Whatever I run up against, I'd check the local automotive shops before I'd check the boat shop.

That is why if your boat has twin screws (2 engines) one willl be RH and the other LH rotation....if both were LH or RH, all you'd do is go around in circles!!

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There is also aftermarket marine parts specifically for mercury marine or Volvo Penta through Sierra... With our old runabout the (circulating) water pump seal failed. Same design of water pump on GMs for 40 years... $40 at the parts store and $600 from the mercury dealer.. or $60 from Sierra for a marine grade. There were some differences on the impeller from the parts store pump and mercury (SS vs CS) but minimal this is where the research counts... not $540 worth of difference and no difference on the Sierra part. That is the problem.... overcharging to the point of stupidity...

You can say parts are different yes and in a number of cases there is a safety need for the difference but it doesn't justify gouging.

There is alot of money in parts and service be it boats or cars etc.... the advertising for the OEMs is focused at those unwilling or incapable of differentiating and will pay a premium based on the power of suggestion.

My father's 1992 camry only ever saw a toyota mechanic for the whole life of the car (oil and all).

Edited by G-Mack
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While I found the article informative, I don't like the comparison of the car pulling a boat on an incline. The stresses (RPMs and load) may be similar but thats where the similarities stop. One of the major differences between a car engine and boat engine is the cooling. Given a car has the amazing cooling power of a boat, the tow ratings would be much higher. This is a very unfair and deceiving comparison.

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Indmar plug wires (which are pretty crappy) were $192 for my motor. Set of generic cut to fit SBC Jeg's race wires (LS1 wires not required for the boat motors, as the coils are different), around $60 and far better. I use automotive parts whenever I can safely get away with it.

I use MSD work great.

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Could very well be the case on your boat but I don't think it is on all of them. Years ago my brother bought an 88 MC Prostar 190 from a guy who thought the same thing. He didn't winterize the engine one year & of course, it froze & cracked the block. He decided he'd just pick up another similar engine for a car...... it was a Ford 351 marinized by Indmar. He installed a Mustang 351, never actually completed the installation. My brother bought the boat, finished the engine install, put the old prop on it & took the boat down to the ramp for the maiden voyage. He backed the trailer into the water, had the boat floating a bit & started it up. After checking that all seemed to be working OK, he put the boat in reverse to back off the trailer and....... nada. He pushed the boat back off the trailer a bit & put the boat in reverse again..... IT WENT RIGHT BACK UP ON TO THE TRAILER! Tried it again & same deal. So he pushed the boat back & put it in forward..... THE BOAT BACKED OUT INTO THE LAKE!!

Long story short, come to find out that the Ford 351s spins one direction & when Indmar marinized that particular block, they made them spin the opposite direction. I'm not sure if thats a function of the crank, cam or ignition system. But he picked up a prop for a Nautique/MB & the boat ran great for years.

That said, I agree with you about knowing what will & won't work. I knew starters & alternators were marine specific. And have heard of guys using marine carbs on rock climbing 4x4s (something to do with running at weird angles?). But I'm surprised that distributor caps are unique. I've used regular automotive oil filters & oil from Napa on the boats for years & never had a problem. Whatever I run up against, I'd check the local automotive shops before I'd check the boat shop.

Of course your correct Bill.....I was really implying to individual parts.....like a bare engine block. Definitely does not apply to entire engines.

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While I found the article informative, I don't like the comparison of the car pulling a boat on an incline. The stresses (RPMs and load) may be similar but thats where the similarities stop. One of the major differences between a car engine and boat engine is the cooling. Given a car has the amazing cooling power of a boat, the tow ratings would be much higher. This is a very unfair and deceiving comparison.

Actually the cooling system on a car/ truck is pretty efficient. Cars/ Trucks are designed to run at higher temperatures due to emissions. Boats are designed to run at lower temperatures due to fire danger. If the cooling system is operating properly on the car, you should be able to run the car as hard as it will go for extended periods without overheating.

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Actually the cooling system on a car/ truck is pretty efficient. Cars/ Trucks are designed to run at higher temperatures due to emissions. Boats are designed to run at lower temperatures due to fire danger. If the cooling system is operating properly on the car, you should be able to run the car as hard as it will go for extended periods without overheating.

Yes and no. On a boat there is basically a perfect trans cooler, but cars don't have them.

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