Why do they recommend a BC or a B+?  Why not a B and split the difference?

Why do you "prefer the power up top?"

Just trying to inspire thought on the topic.

Honestly, I was expecting a 19' or 20', not an 18.5'.  It makes a difference, especially after powerlifting my bare hull around last weekend.  I can lift a 19' bubble deck and place wood between the hull and trailer bunks by myself.

As long as the boat gets on a plane without an issues, I'd prefer to have the power on top to do a little "just for fun racing" when I come across another Mini day on the water.  I've been in that situation where you think you've got the fast boat and the dude next to you just keeps pulling away from you.....  Again, I'm not trying to build a rocket.  I know I can't keep up with the flat bottoms and pickles, but a mini day running away from you in another mini day would be funny.

As for the impeller recommendations, I'm not sure why not a B cut.  I just looked back at the Dyno from my last build and it was 444 HP at 5600 and 440lbs TQ at 5000.  I might have told them, 5600 and not 5800 like I mentioned earlier.  I won't know for sure until I get this engine dyno'd to see exactly where peak HP and TQ is.

Many people including myself think or thought the Hallet Mini Cruiser is a 20ft.  In fact all the time, people walk up to my boat on the trailer and say, "what is this, 20 or 21 ft?".  It looks big, but it's actually 18.5ft.  That's actually exactly why I picked it over many of the other Mini days like a Spectra or Eliminator.  It's got a shorter more rounded bow.  The open area for seating and engine are pretty much exactly the same as a 20ft.  They ride super nice.   

So, the engine is supposed to Dyno around 450HP.  It's not done yet, but based on the build, it should be pretty close.  I built another engine like it a while back with the same components and it came in right there.  I've talked to 3 different Jet shops and all of them said "B/C or B+".  I'm also going to ditch the original rear transom cover and go with the customer setup to make getting the bowl off faster so if the cut is wrong, it won't be a pain to switch to another impeller.  I'm not trying to build a rocket since it's a Mini day and decently heavy.  I'm looking more for a family cruiser.  If it's not fast enough or struggles, I'll add the pro-charger.     

Just picked up my first float!  77 Hallett Mini Cruiser.  I've built many customer cars and trucks but never a boat.  I'm going for nice reliable family cruiser, not a rocket on the water, so I'm dropping in a mild built carbureted LQ9 6.0L.  My questions are concerning the cooling setup....

I've been trolling around and it looks like many of the guys going LS are using the LSX Adapters and skipping any type of thermostat. 



Then if you go on Hardin Marine you come across this expensive coolant crossover thermostat. 



I'm going wet exhaust through transom, so I'm just unsure which is the best option and why one works better over the other.  My past experience with cars tells me the thermostat setup will help the engine come up to temperature faster and cause less stress on the engine.  If that's the only real benefit of going thermostat then I'm unsure if it's really necessary.  Any advise would be greatly appreciated.  I'm also going to have many future questions regarding other systems, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more topics from me in the future.  And, I can't wait to get the boat out there and meet up with you guys!  Looks like a great group.  Pics below of my new purchase....