GT the Olds is like most other motors, treat them right and they run forever. I believe this motor is original to the 1973 hull, but let's face it, nobody ever hot rodded my barge. A big heavy (even for a 23' daycruiser) jet is not going to win any races so why try? It still has the GM carb and intake and J heads. The hour meter broke way back at 353 hours before I got the boat.
I liked the Olds simply because it was an alternative to the sheer ho-hum-ness of a 454. I will never own another GM car/truck but if it was already in the boat I would run it. Up until now, it was the expense of hunting down exhaust, mounts, alternator etc. that kept me from building anything else. For this cruiser, unless it had something seriously bad ass lurking in the shadows, an Olds just seems to be the right call. I have given serious thought to Pontiac and Mopar power in the past, but I was expecting to have more time and money to build one of those.
Challenger send me some contact info if you want to sell the cam set and the heads if they are salvagable. I have access to a few pretty good machinists.