Answer: Yes, it is!

You must have missed it, it was friendly sarcasm. I said, basically the V-10 is twice as fast, got twice the gas mileage, but weighed half as much, cost half as much and lasted twice as long as the big block Chev. (This IS a V-10 Ford website, you know, populated by V-10 fans). The second part was that there were people who had V-10 Fords who weren't up to the caliber of people that deserve them, so now you have to apply to the V-10 forum gods before you can buy one (sarcasm).

No worries bud, it's all in good fun, take care, Ken :-X25

I've been out of the boat business for a while, a long while. But here is something I recall, although it may be an old wives tale; the Poncho/Olds motors were better boat engines because they wouldn't over-rev and bend valves when you jumped out of the water. The Ford was second less liable to do that to itself while the Chebbie would definitely self destruct. My experience has always been in jetboats, and that's the scuttlebutt that always seemed to float around after time on the water. Maybe you know if this is fact, or fiction ? Ken

Word is the Ford guys took an Allison apart, and built the Torqshift from the Allison's design and parts.

I don't know how closely related the 8.1 design is to the smaller LS-1/LS-6 line of engines, but I had the chance to see an LS-1 come apart the other day. And I tell you what, GM has pretty much got that design down to a science. Deep skirted block, 6 bolt main caps, a bunch of stuff that even a Ford blue-blood like myself was impressed with (it did have a spun rod bearing, but it was in a street class drag car). Ford has jillions of engines running around in boats, from the 2.3 four all the way to the 7.5. Butyou raise an interesting question, why isn't the 6.8 in marine applications ? Is it too long ? All the mod motors from Ford don't seem to be in marine power, and I just went to the boat show 2 days ago. The 6.8 V-10 is used in alot of generators, I wonder why the absence of marine applications ? Ken :-huh

Deep skirted blocks of today are copied of the old 406 and 427 Ford side-oilers of the '60's with cross-bolted main caps.

As far as Marine aplications I would rather have the 8.1 over the V10. More easily upgraded for more power, it sounds much better and more displacement, which you need beacause a boat is under load all the time..

Yes the one thing the V-10 doesn't have is upgrade parts, although there are some that will interchange with the other Ford mod motors. As far as under load, the 6.8 V-10 is heavily used in generator apps, where it runs at a constant rpm while under load much of the time. As far as sounding better, uh,,, I hate to say this because I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Ford fan, but I will agree to that one,,,,, :-X06 Ken

The 8.1 is a direct relative to the 454 so it does not share the deep skirt, cross bolt design of the GM LS motors. But remember that the Ford modular motors also have the deep skirt cross bolted mains (4 or 6 depending on the motor) and it was out 5 or so years b4 the LS motors. Some of the FE's had cross bolted mains also.(like wildman said)

As far as Fords being big block marine motors I think the 6.8 is cubic inch challenged for boat work.

Currently the Lightning motor is available in the Ski-Natique.

Off topic but a coool marine motor is the Illmor Viper V10. A very understressed 600Hp/torque low revving monster.

I think one reason more boats tend to use chevy motors over fords is torque vs horsepower. A truck needs the low end torque to do what it does best; pull loads at lower RPM. A boat needs high horsepower at higher RPMs; where it normally runs. Normally you see Ford engines building a better torque curve than chevy, but you see chevys running higher horsepower. That's also why you see diesels in larger, cruiser type boats. Pleasure boats need RPM to go fast. Only one gear means you need rpm and horsepower more than monster torque.

Look at the advertising campaigns of both companies. Chevy likes to tout its horsepower numbers in all its ads, while Ford is always showing something mongoso getting pulled around. That's why you don't see diesels racing NASCAR and you don't see gassers pulling semi's.

Horsepower for show, Torque for go. That's my 2 cents.

No offense bfr250 but you must not own a boat or at least not a real sport boat. Its all about torque and those twin 496's i own have a gob of it. To move MASS thru WATER you must have torque and lots of it. Boats dont have wheels like trucks and cars. V10 is a great motor no doubt and I am looking at a 2005 to pull my rig but the GM big block in whatever form is still the king in the marine world. The new Illmore is a challenger but not a production motor by any means at this point.

the typical diesel boat swings a big prop, which you're right, takes alot of torque, but there is a whole new generation of jet pump, fast diesel boats, all big boats true, but they do run high rpm, for a diesel. Now I would think a OHC motor would make sense for a marine app. OHV's have normally been limited to rpm by valve train configuration, unlike the overhead cam. But chebbie does advertise hp, and Ford talks torque. Which seems to me to be kinda backwards with chebbie's low revving, old tech engines. But, if I knew the answers to all this, I'd be a design consultant for oe of the big three (is it still the big three?) instead of trying to pawn off high priced commodity lumber in a falling market, yuk, yuk, Ken

Well Ken 04 we're glad you explained your actions as otherwise we wouldn't of had a clue what you were talking about . You are sooooo funny, Oh!! And lets not forget, my hero also!!! jim robbins

i for one own a 2003 chevy suburban 3/4 ton 4x4. it has the 8.1 3.73 gears with the 4l80 trans. this sucker is a pulling monster. i pull a 28' forest river toy hauler loaded weighs 10,000lbs. it has the pre 04 engine ratings... 340 hp 455 torque. for 04 chevy lowered all numbers 8.1 is 320 hp 440 torque. (something with smog i believe). i also have been told (gearheads please chime in) the 4l80 has less drive line loss than the allison and the torqueshift also has less drive line loss than the allison. this could be a reason the v10 is faster as some of you have mentioned...
it uses about 1-2 quart of oil per 3000 miles. empty i get 12 city 17 hwy.. pulling i get 7-9 mpg...
thanks, eric

So, how do you explain the popularity and huge success of the ol' venerable Ford 460 used in soooo many hot boats? Old's 455's spun bearings, and the 460 took over as the preferred engine.