Advice on 454 vs 350 setup for my new Airboat

[Ringer]

Hey everyone, I'm getting ready to buy a new airboat and could use some guidance. One of the boats I'm looking at has a 454 with a gearbox, while another uses a 350 direct drive. I'm leaning toward the 454 because it seems like a solid deal, but I already have a few running 350 motors and spare parts. If the 454 goes down, could I realistically swap in a 350, or would I need to change the prop, adapter, and gearbox setup as well?

 

[Sudanliner]

Hey everyone, I'm getting ready to buy a new airboat and could use some guidance. One of the boats I'm looking at has a 454 with a gearbox, while another uses a 350 direct drive. I'm leaning toward the 454 because it seems like a solid deal, but I already have a few running 350 motors and spare parts. If the 454 goes down, could I realistically swap in a 350, or would I need to change the prop, adapter, and gearbox setup as well?

You could make the swap, but it's not a straight drop in. The 454 with gearbox is set up for a different torque curve than a 350 direct drive. To run the 350 you'd likely need a different prop pitch and possibly a different gearbox adapter

 

[Ringer]

If I stick with the 454 setup, how much more maintenance or fuel cost should I expect compared to running a 350 direct drive?