Sure building a 468 with 650 on pumped gas and reliable is a bit cheaper then crate blown but at the same time...
What shop nowadays by shop I mean machine shop can you trust to do quality work and won't charge and arm and a leg??? And because it's going into a boat there's no warranty.
I'd say buy crate, it comes with warranty no matter what you slap it into. Unless you can do your own machine work forget about shops...they are not what they used to be. Any little 5 ft 300 lbs mexican with a sign on his barn claims to do top notch work.
Crate, blown!
Boom! Done!
Wow...
WOW...
You're kidding, right?
I don't know what to say here... as a person in the industry... and happen to have my own machine shop, build engines, and the very one you so kindly refrenced in your quoting of my statement/opinion, I find what you have to say as a personal insult... whether it was intended or not. I have spent years working hard to build a reputation of providing quality work, and doing the very best job I possibly can for each customer that walks in my door... be it a big budget guy... or some lower budget dude. Whether it be a full tilt drag motor, or trying to, sometimes, work with absolute garbage, unreasonable budgets, and fairytale goals. But... you do the damn best to deliver because that is your reputation, pride, and damn passion. Do you meet all those expectations all the time? No... but you do the damn best, and make sure above all else... the customer is happy with the result. I have given advice and helped out people that haven't spent a damn dime with me... and helped people sort out issues on things that they paid somebody else, a competitor, to build. And I can tell you right now...off the top of my head... I can think of several other machine shops and/or engine builders that I have worked with in the past one way or another that have done and will continue to do the same as I... provide the best damn work they possibly can. Now... if you go down to Vernon, pick out some dude that doesn't speak English to do a set of heads for 50 bucks and some cervezas... then yes... you will get shit work from some guy that couldn't possibly give half a damn about your river cruiser... seeing you at the river... and having a beer with you at said river... or any one else's that matter. You pay for crap work... expect crap work.
Now this arm and leg BS for quality machine work? Get real bud... if I wore a tool belt, owned a hammer... and spent a day re-doing your roof... you'd have no problem dropping 1000 bucks in labor.... hell... you'll throw a Benjamin to the guy standing around going, "Si" all day raking leaves with your rake... and not bat an eye. But I invest ten
s of thousands of dollars in equipment (yeah... that stuff actually costs money) and roughly the same in tooling and measuring equipment... and charge 170 bucks to spend a few hours boring and honing a block... and THAT is being charged an arm and a leg?
The capital investment to hourly payout in the engine machine shop business is borderline retarded... guys standing in front of Home Depot get a better return on their investment. So, yeah... some of us economics 101 challenged dumbasses may actually do this because... WE ACTUALLY LIKE TO DO IT AND TAKE PRIDE IN OUR WORK!
As for warranty... true... you cannot offer a 12 month/12k mile warranty on a boat engine... too many variables that could lead to a possible failure that would not be any fault of the builder or parts used. BUT... I have NEVER not taken care of ANY boat engine that I have built that had a problem... you will not find one person here or on PB that could say otherwise... and I'm gonna tell you right now... there are other builders on here and on there that are the same way... again, it's pride and reputation.
Bud... I'm gonna tell you... your assumptions are baseless and ignorant... and AT BEST a broad-brush attempt to smear an entire industry because of what may be a bad experience, personal issue, etc... whatever... at one time or another. If that is the case... sorry guy... let it go and move on.
If this was not an attempt at an insult... then I apologize for my rough tone and scathing response... but I take it quite personally when people defame and/or bash my work and insult my reputation... especially when it is directed right at me on something I care a great deal about. That is something I do not take lightly.
Have a pleasant rest of your day!
