22' family fisherman i/o power options

[Hawkeye]

I just picked up a 22' FF i/o. It has the 170 4 cylinder. My buddy has 2 fresh engines ready to go. 1 is a 250 inline 6 the other is a 302 v8.  The inline 6 is a litlle long but the 302 is a little fat but fat I can deal with. ANyway will the weight of the v8 be too much for the self bail on this model?  I pulled some hatched and eveything below looks dry so far. The foam on the outside of the stringes is dry anyway. Not sure about the inside of the stringer. When I pull the tank I will drill a couple test holes to inspect.

[Hawkeye]

Ok, let me try it another way. How far under or over the water do the scuppers sit on a 22' FF i/o model? Anybody have a picture of one sitting at rest in the water?

[Anonymous]

There's a 222 FF I/O with an OMC 175 I/O (302 Ford) listed for sale here:  http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/5/6/82568756.htm  One of the photos shows the scupper being below the old bottom-paint line and having what look to me like barnacle remnants in it.  Can't tell from the photos how much higher the cockpit ends are.  Looks like it's probably a factory installation of the 302 Ford in any case.

It's hard to say just how high an individual boat will float, it will depend on whether it has waterlogged foam or not.  Another point worth considering is that the Chevy 250 inline 6 was about as heavy as a Ford 302 V8.  (See http://www.fixrambler.com/part62.html)  Sorry, I no longer remember the weight of the 4-cyl 170 hp MerCruiser that you've just removed, but I think it was quite a bit lighter than either of your alternatives.  Also, the 250 inline 6 will need a front/center motor mount, while the 170 and the V8  probably both mount to the stringers.

Good luck!

Bob Rusk[/quote]

[Hawkeye]

Thanks Bob. We have all 3 engines sitting beside each other and the 302 looks like a big iron pig compaired to the 470 and the 250 inline 6. The inline 6 is only about 3 inches longer then the inline 4 and looks to be about the same or less mass.  My buddy has 3 of the 250's one has over 5000 hours and still run. He said you cant blow it up running normaly hard, he has tried. They were big into solom and barefoot sking and lived right on the lake.   One of the other 250 he has just rebuilt, .030 over piston, .010 over crank, milled head and new cam,  because it had a lot less hours and was overall in better shape the the 5000 hour engine. Not sure about the front mount but the back one is the same. I have seen those center front mounts and dont think it would be a problem to modify the engine compartment to accept it. Anyway with the 302 it will be tight to work but never say never that may be the way we go. I would like to modify the 302 to put out more then 188 hp if it is easy and not too expensive.