Re: turbocharging
Actually turbos are perfect for long periods of constant rpm operation. But low end power in a gasoline engine will be lacking. From 3,000 rpm to redline it would be pretty impressive.
He was referring to theory vs practice.
In theory, turbocharging a boat is a fantastic idea, like you said more power, more torque, steady rpms, a little bit lagy of a hole-shot but once the boost kicks in you're laughing.
in practice, the exhaust safety and corrosion resistance makes it not worth while. you would be MUCH better off going supercharged.
No off the shelf turbo charger is going to have the jacketed exhaust housing and the corrosion resistance necessary to work safely or for very long in a boat.
Not to mention, most marine motors are far to primitive to be adaptable to handle the necessary fuel and ignition curve of a turbo charger.
To do it properly, you would need:
A marine (water proof) programmable EFI controller
Custom water jacketed manifolds
custom turbocharger turbine housings. (don't exist to my knowledge)
Custom compressor wheels, made from stainless
A water to air intercooler
The modifications necessary would also decrease the efficiency of the whole systems. Turbochargers work well because they draw heat from the exhaust. If you're manifolds and turbine housing are water cooled to the point where they're not a fire hazard, you're exhaust will be colder and you're turbocharger will less efficient and more laggy.
