454 vs 351

[gnarlydude]

What can you guys tell me about boats with difference in power/handling/fuel consumption/worth of nautiques with the 454 vs the 351?

[WakeSlayer]

Provided the boat is in good shape, go for the big block!!!

I think the fuel consumption difference is negligible. Power is enhanced, handling is not really different. It weighs a little more. What boat? BFN ? There were not too many SN's made with
454's, but they are out there occasionally.

[Nautiquehunter]

The only advantage I know is the extra speed for bare footing. The only disadvantage is fuel consumption.
That being said the only thing I wished I had in my 89 Sunsport over the past 21 years is the 454. You can always throttle down.

[GodFather]

What can you guys tell me about boats with difference in power/handling/fuel consumption/worth of nautiques with the 454 vs the 351?

Go for the 454.More midrange torque which comes in pretty handy when you fill the big old tub with ballast

[TRBenj]

I think the fuel consumption difference is negligible. Power is enhanced, handling is not really different. It weighs a little more. What boat? BFN ? There were not too many SN's made with
454's, but they are out there occasionally.

I bet there are more 2001's with 454's out there than there are BFN's with the 351w! Thats just a guess though.

The key here is the weight difference. There is a difference of about 250 lbs between the 351w and 454. If youre wakeboarding, the weight increase is a good thing- if youre slaloming, its not!

I own boats with both engines, and I have to say I would lean towards the 351w for most uses... but both are good engines. The 351w is going to be a bit easier and cheaper to maintain, and will keep the boat lighter for slalom purposes. The 454 does not give much of a performance edge- Ive actually found it to be more sluggish out of the hole, probably due to the weight and the larger props they usually turn. They only hold a ~3-4 mph top end advantage on any given hull. Ive read from multiple sources that the 330hp marine 454 was really only good for 280-290hp on the dyno. The 351w has very strong low to midrange power, and when propped right will come out of the hole as good as anything. If barefooting, a few more mph on top would be nice for 1-footers (assuming a 240-255hp base engine), but that is easily solved with a top end (H/C/I) upgrade.

[WakeSlayer]

I had one of those oddities. a BFN with a 351w in it. 1992 V-drive.