Ya got me thinking Rick...if I ever have to replace my Cobra....to convert it to an SX....DP....might really wake up this sleepy old FW.....
Lou,
I have noticed that Merc does use the Bravo III from the 4.3L engine and up and I must presume that VP does as well. I am still shocked at the difference in over all performance with essentially the "same" crankshaft HP.
I remember when my Brother bought this boat new. He actually drove a 454/Alpha powered 211 and because the 460 had slightly higher HP (340 vs 330 :facepalm:
) He got the OMC!
Of course, in 1987, no one would have even DREAMED OMC would "disappear"!!
At first, he thought there was something wrong with the engine because it was so "slow" getting up on a plane. My Dad could actually beat him out of the hole, and up to about 35mph with the 66 150hp Mercruiser MarkTwain 18ft (that I eventually ended up with in the late 90's, sold in 2006 after I had the Four Winns for a year or so..)
In the late 90's, After an insurance covered block-freeze event, My Brother took the money and had the 460 rebuilt by some "460-guy" in Redding, Ca that supposedly tricked it out a bit to make the boat run better (outta the hole) It didn't.
And he tried everything incl adding Bennett Tabs, every king of TRIM position, etc but short of building up a "FULL-Race" 460 which he could've done but never wanted to spend that kind of money on.
Once on a plane, it ran fine and was pretty fast. It just took a while to get there. WOT RPM/Speed were just about right.......it was just a little slow out of the hole (since new)
After I put the 454/Bravo III in it, my brother was visiting that Summer and once he drove it, he wanted to buy it back from me! He couldn't believe it!
I think putting a DP on yours would make a huge difference even staying with the same engine, Although, a 20ft boat with an SBC _ DPS drive would REALLY perform good for many years to come.
The thing I like about my Four Winns 211 (1987) is the license tags are only about $25 per year. and the insurance is pretty cheap too!
For something I only use once or twice a year during Summer, it makes it pretty cheep to keep! :thumb: