Could this be done? Seems like once you glassed in the intake hole it'd be simple math. With the price of fuel getting higher by the day this seems like it may be a logical thing, build a nice high HP small block, add a good outdrive and you're going faster than your jet, and using half the gas. Hmmm, anyone know where I can find a good used outdrive unit?

You shouldn't own a jet boat for any of the following reasons:
gas mileage





Keep the ropes from the props!

Why not get more room in your ride and be faster then both of them and hang an outboard on the back...They sound a whole lot better to

Your high as a kite! NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING sounds better then an unmuffled BIG BLOCK!

Crack kills, lay off the pipe!

New you'd like that comment!  Nothin' like the smell of 2 stroke oil in the mornin'!

An outboard boat just looks like someone didnt have enough time to finish the jet boat and just threw on what ever they had lying around! What a waste of a perfectly good hull

Bottom line is a prop boat will out perform a jet in all areas, all day long.

I think that's not contested; jets are simply  coooooooool  ; looks, sound, etc.

hmmmm im liking that...healthy small block with omc outdrive jet style hull and over 100 wait wait...i have a jet stlye hull not (banshee) but still descent hull omc outdrive and purchasing a healthy small block soon hmmmmmmm im liking the sound of this...it's all good, like i said omc outdrives you half to make the hole in the transom bigger so that makes things easier, now on to plugging that big hole in the bottum and you got yourself a different boat and maybe some gas at the end of the day

I think that's not contested; jets are simply  coooooooool  ; looks, sound, etc.

They're all cool to me. 

I'd have to give the nod to Mercruiser. OMC jumped on their bandwagon 20 years ago when the copyrights expired for Merc. The Cobra was a clone, kinda, of the Merc except it was a piece of shit. They re-tooled and came out with the king cobra, that's what we raced, and we only raced it because they gave it to us. OMC wanted a record to help promote the new and improved King Cobra. That unit was tough as nails, we ran it and set the record and then two years in a row ran the Mississippi race. That one is/was (I don't know if they still run it) 1000 miles in 2 days. On the river, through 5 or 6 states, not on a track going in circles. A hell of a race. The first year we got a big fat DNF, broke on the second day and I can't even remember what the hell broke lol, second year we won. Never had a moments problem with the OMC drive. But lets face it, Mercruiser had been the leader for a long time. I've had a few, have an old one now, and like 'em.

Oh the boat died at the Parker enduro when it was, I think 7 hours, maybe 5 I can't remember what it was in the late 80's. Harry caught a sponson in the FIRST turn, ripped the sponson off, flipped the boat and it sank. We got it up I think 3 days later.

Since they haven't made OMC's in 10years parts are getting hard to come by...

just one of a few

I/Os, jets, outboards and v-drives...I like 'em all. 

Ditto rigger.  Clampons are the norm up here in the salt followed closely with the I/Os.  Either way, I like them all too.......

An alpha setup with a decent small block will run well on top end, ride better, and use less fuel too. Now the downside....  although you can buy the Merc Alpha copies cheaply, and they will take more HP than the Merc, the problem is finding a complete transom assembly to mount it on. New ones are pricey! Downside two; jets push the boat from the floor where the intake is glued in and so the transom needs minimal strength. A Merc I/O pushes the boat from the transom, and the transom also carries the weight of the mount assy. and the lower unit too, the hole size in the transom is of little importance if the proper reinforcement is not done. I have seen where peeps have glassed in the jet /transom hole, mounted a setback plate/jack assy, gone to the lake and almost IMMEDIATLY started ripping the transom from the top down. Neither boat sank, but it could have been close....  Better talk to someone that knows what they are doing before starting this deal. Just as an example, before I bought my 25' Eliminator Daytona, I had a 24' Daytona, it had a 260 HP/350 small block in it, and it ran about 50 MPH. I installed a Comp 280 cam,Performer RPM airgap intake,big block risers on the stock manifolds, and thru transom exhaust. Speed increased to 62 MPH, the new buyer added Holley systemax heads and cam and now runs around 68 MPH, on regular gas. Not bad for a 24' boat! It was at the Eliminator regatta on Havasu this summer and surprised quite a few folks. Plans are for either a 406 or a 434 shortblock,with hoped for speeds of about 75 or so. Best of all the insurance company still thinks it is a 260 HP/350!  P.S. the aftermarket Alpha copy outdrive has been troublefree for 3 years now.  The boat is black with pink and blue stripes and can be seen at Havasu or Lake Plesant AZ.  TIMINATOR