Crusader 350 Repower - 1976 23 Seacraft SF Inboard

[John3325]

Hey all,

Looks like I have a bad thrust plate in my 1996 350 Crusader, and I am considering selling the good running engine this fall to repower this winter/spring.

After talking with my shop, the two recommended engines are Mercruiser 383 (350 HP) FWC MPI or a Mercruiser 357 (310 HP) FWC MPI engine. I have Marine Powers in the Luhrs, and I like the crusader in my boat so I am open to other options. I've looked at the Crusader 5.7 and 6.0s too, also look like a decent option.

I think I have ruled out diesel. For what it would cost to go diesel I don't see a benefit. Would love to put a Yanmar 4 cylinder in it but at $39,500 for just the engine I could repower with gas 2-3 times all said and done.

I am looking to hear from you other inboard enthusiasts out there running a straight inboard. Cruising numbers, max speed, any thoughts/comments/opinions are appreciated!

Also, I may have a 1996 350 Crusader FWC EFI (Throttle Body) for sale if anyone is interested. Hours estimated to be 650 hours, based on previous owner and how much I have used it this year.

[John3325]

So far, leaning towards the Mercruiser 357. Factory three year warranty with the option to extend another two years through Mercruiser. 5 years on an inboard is pretty enticing.

The 357 has a fresh water flush down port which I like as well (similar to an outboard). Smartcraft and Garmin interface easy capabilities, and around 310 HP.

The 383 is slightly more expensive, and needs factory option FWC installed by the dealer. Warranty can only go up to 3 years vs. the 5 with the Horizon.

[kevmen]

I just repowered my 78’ with a Crusader Captians Choice 5.7 and couldn’t be happier. That being said I went with the crusader for 2 reasons - 1. they are a great engine 2. Because that is what my mechanic recommended, prefers to work on and is comfortable with. He has a lot of experience with them and likes them better than the other engines out there. I figure if he has to work on it that it should be what he knows the most about. It has the flush port, which is a nice feature and he added a remote oil filter in front of the console near where the batteries are, makes it much easier to change the oil.
Performance is great, although I am looking at dropping the pitch from 16 to 15. Fuel consumption is easily 30% better than I had with my old carbed merc. Cruises 33-3400 rpm 23-24 knots. Top end over 34 knots. It all comes down to what you feel the most comfortable with.

[deepsushi]

After having owned both Mercruiser and Crusader inboards I would choose the Crusader.

IMO Crusader's marinized accessories are more rugged and better designed than the mercruiser parts. You have a 22 year old Crusader sitting in your boat right now that seems to be running fine. I think that is pretty good anecdotal proof of the durability / design of the Crusaders.

[John3325]

Thanks for the responses guys, I think it's between the Merc 357 and the Crusader 350 at this point.

To your point kevmen, my shop heavily prefers Mercruiser and does more Merc repowers than Crusaders. The price difference is very close, Mercruiser slightly more but with up to 3 years more warranty than the crusader.

The bad news, turns out the Crusader isn't doing to good. Low compression in two cylinders so it looks like I will be repowering this winter.

[John3325]

Talked to Mercruiser today, new engines you can get up to an 8 year extended warranty and the remans you can only get up to 3. This would be there new 6.2 300 HP or 350 HP models.

The reman 357 Horizon comes with the 3 year factory direct warranty so you don't have to shuck out any more, but you can't extend any further.

Crusader has a standard two year factory backed warranty.

The more I keep digging into this I think Crusader may be my choice this winter. The Crusader does have the capability to hook up to Garmin interface, guess its just not as plug and play.

[Fr. Frank]

I found the new 6.2L 300ho Merc for $11,300 plus installation, plus cost of extended warranty from 5 to 8 years. Mercury will not give you a quote on the warranty beyond 5 years without your submitting the serial number of the motor to them.

Know up front that the Passport extended warranty is actually (legally) an insurance policy, with deductibles, sold and backed by Brunswick. If you purchase it through your installing dealer, that's good.
If you purchase it after installation directly From Mercury, many dealers will try to tell you something is not covered, when in fact it can be. This is because they make considerably less money doing repairs under these warranties.
I bought an extended 1 year warranty for my 2011 90 Etec, purchased this past June. The dealer is a friend of mine, and recommended this particular warranty/insurance policy.

My dealer's normal retail labor rate is $115 per hour.
This particular insurance company pays him only $63 per hour for labor done under this warranty, and I have a $100 per-incident labor deductible.
And for work done under the original Evinrude extended warranty offered with new motors, the reimbursement rate is only $51 per hour.

This is why many dealers will try to tell you a particular repair is not covered under warranty. They get more than $50 hr more for retail than for warranty work.

And that highlights well why is important to have a good relationship with anyone who works on your boat or motor.

[John3325]

Thanks for the response Frank, sent you a PM too.

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, I'll look into the new Mercs.

[deepsushi]

Whichever one you go with don't forget to upgrade to an aluminum oil pan.

[John3325]

Repower update, still debating on which way to go and I've decided to throw Marine Power into the mix.

Looking on their site, a new 350 FWC MPI engine is just under 10k on their website. We also put two new Marine Power engines in our 30' Luhrs 3 years ago, and we have had 450 trouble free hours so far.