Hello all,
I realize that this post may not be totally in line with the theme of this forum, but I was hoping to tap into the wealth of knowledge present here. I live in Alaska, and I have a boat with a "long tail" motor platform. These platforms use your choice of 4 cycle engine, which has led me here. I use my boat and this engine to access some very remote areas by river so reliability is my first priority. That said, if I can reliably make a little more power out of a given engine at it's governed rpm, I can install a larger propeller and go faster and have more thrust which in some cases means an increased safety margin when running sketchy portions of river. My current setup is a bone stock power ease 420cc that came with the boat when I bought it. It blew the head gasket on the last trip and I'm looking at switching to a kohler ch440 for a couple of reasons: 1. They are supposed to be very reliable. 2. It's close to the same weight of the power ease, which is important. 3. It's the same engine that my sawmill has and it would allow me to buy spare parts for 1 engine instead of 2.
My questions for the experts are:
1. Should I slap a new head gasket in the power ease, carry a spare and forget spending the money on the kohler?
2. What modifications would you make to either engine to reliably increase power at governed rpm?
3. Is there another option that you think would be superior to either one that I have presented?
I appreciate any insight you all might provide.
I realize that this post may not be totally in line with the theme of this forum, but I was hoping to tap into the wealth of knowledge present here. I live in Alaska, and I have a boat with a "long tail" motor platform. These platforms use your choice of 4 cycle engine, which has led me here. I use my boat and this engine to access some very remote areas by river so reliability is my first priority. That said, if I can reliably make a little more power out of a given engine at it's governed rpm, I can install a larger propeller and go faster and have more thrust which in some cases means an increased safety margin when running sketchy portions of river. My current setup is a bone stock power ease 420cc that came with the boat when I bought it. It blew the head gasket on the last trip and I'm looking at switching to a kohler ch440 for a couple of reasons: 1. They are supposed to be very reliable. 2. It's close to the same weight of the power ease, which is important. 3. It's the same engine that my sawmill has and it would allow me to buy spare parts for 1 engine instead of 2.
My questions for the experts are:
1. Should I slap a new head gasket in the power ease, carry a spare and forget spending the money on the kohler?
2. What modifications would you make to either engine to reliably increase power at governed rpm?
3. Is there another option that you think would be superior to either one that I have presented?
I appreciate any insight you all might provide.