Vista 278 MAG 350

budgie69 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:07 pm **Posts:** 11

Hi Guys

looking at purchasing a 2006 four winns vista 278, it has a mercruiser 350 block - bravo 3

Is this engine capable of bringing the boat onto the plane with ease - or should i be looking for an alternative engine arrangement?

thanks v.much

hutch9900 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 pm **Posts:** 456

I have the same boat but with the Volvo 5.7 GXI. I think my HP rating is a little higher than the 350 MAG. If it is just you the wife and kids riding, you wont have any trouble to plane. If you have 6 adults on board, it is difficult without moving folks forward and deploying the tabs completely. I will say that it probably takes about 8 seconds out of the hole to plane with 4 people on board. Sometimes better or worse depending on conditions (wind, waves, etc.) If you plan to load her down, then you might want to look at the big blocks.

As for the Mercs, I had one in my Sundowner and I really appreciated it more than the setup on the Volvo. There were more conveniences when it comes to maintenance than Volvo has. Some will agree and some will disagree though......

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:48 am

I had a 268 (previous to the 278) with the 5.7 Volvo, and found its performance to be adequate until I ran with a 278 that had the 8.1. If you can find the big block, get it. I prefer Volvo to Merc, but to each their own. I think long term maintenance costs will be cheaper with Volvo.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:12 am

firecadet613 wrote:

I think long term maintenance costs will be cheaper with Volvo.

If you have the VP fuel pump failures (and you probably will ) that pretty much negates any long term "cheaper" cost of a VP engine .

There should be no issues with a 350Mag in that boat. It's a cruiser, not a runabout, and your performance expectations should take that into consideration at time of purchase.

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:15 am

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

firecadet613 wrote:

I think long term maintenance costs will be cheaper with Volvo.

If you have the VP fuel pump failures (and you probably will ) that pretty much negates any long term "cheaper" cost of a VP engine .

There should be no issues with a 350Mag in that boat. It's a cruiser, not a runabout, and your performance expectations should take that into consideration at time of purchase.

Merc has their fuel pump issues as well with the Gen III Fuel Cooler.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:37 am

firecadet613 wrote:

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

firecadet613 wrote:

I think long term maintenance costs will be cheaper with Volvo.

If you have the VP fuel pump failures (and you probably will ) that pretty much negates any long term "cheaper" cost of a VP engine .

There should be no issues with a 350Mag in that boat. It's a cruiser, not a runabout, and your performance expectations should take that into consideration at time of purchase.

Merc has their fuel pump issues as well with the Gen III Fuel Cooler.

Yep. Much more rare of an occurrence. And not paint in the fuel pump guts problem on the Merc's.

ric · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:44 am

I've owned two VP boats and one MC (all late models).

You will never get me to own another Volvo boat again. No way. Parts are are twice the cost and impossible to find locally (and I live within 5 miles of at least 3-4 VP dealers). MC parts are sold everywhere. Everyone works on them. You can get a good used lower for a MC for a couple hundred bucks. If you wipe out a lower on a VP expect to shell out at least 2-3k.

Back to the original question:

The only cruiser that should have a small block is the 248 (350mag, 5.7gxi). Every other single engine cruiser above that should be only powered by the 8 liter big block. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:53 am

ric wrote:

The only cruiser that should have a small block is the 248 (350mag, 5.7gxi). Every other single engine cruiser above that should be only powered by the 8 liter big block. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.

Unless you have personal experience, and years behind the helm of a 268/278 with a 350MAG or 5.7L small block (which you do not), the above comments have no meaning whatsoever. Those of us that have owned them, know better.

ric · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 10:09 am

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

ric wrote:

The only cruiser that should have a small block is the 248 (350mag, 5.7gxi). Every other single engine cruiser above that should be only powered by the 8 liter big block. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.

Unless you have personal experience, and years behind the helm of a 268/278 with a 350MAG or 5.7L small block (which you do not), the above comments have no meaning whatsoever. Those of us that have owned them, know better.

Having owned and driven smaller boats with the power of a 350mag, it's quite horrible once you go past 4-5 people on board. Also uses more fuel than a big block at a slower cruise. There's no benefits to a small block over big.

hutch9900 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 pm **Posts:** 456

ric wrote:

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

ric wrote:

The only cruiser that should have a small block is the 248 (350mag, 5.7gxi). Every other single engine cruiser above that should be only powered by the 8 liter big block. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.

Unless you have personal experience, and years behind the helm of a 268/278 with a 350MAG or 5.7L small block (which you do not), the above comments have no meaning whatsoever. Those of us that have owned them, know better.

Having owned and driven smaller boats with the power of a 350mag, it's quite horrible once you go past 4-5 people on board. Also uses more fuel than a big block at a slower cruise. There's no benefits to a small block over big.

I'm not really sure how you are qualified to speak on this one. I would not say that my engine set up is underpowered and I own it! As I stated, I might prefer the big block if I were buying new, but to make a statement like you KNOW better and it "shouldnt even be up for discussion" is complete ignorance. But trust me, I am sure you know better and cant wait to hear how..... :roll:

ric · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:36 pm

Easy maths. A 350MAG is bare minimum for a 22ft bowrider with 4-6 people. You can't tell me a boat that weighs a couple thousand pounds more can perform just as good with 4-6 people with the same engine. Doesn't add up.

neutron · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 3:53 pm

ric wrote:

A 350MAG is bare minimum for a 22ft bowrider with 4-6 people.

I want what he's smokin'

he is looking for it to be sufficient not the same as a day boat that is ment to pull skiers and such all day

hutch9900 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 pm **Posts:** 456

neutron wrote:

ric wrote:

A 350MAG is bare minimum for a 22ft bowrider with 4-6 people.

I want what he's smokin'

he is looking for it to be sufficient not the same as a day boat that is ment to pull skiers and such all day

Yep, just like Cap'n said: this is a cruising boat, not a speed boat. Its all about your intended use.

ric · **Posted:** Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:59 pm

I'm on my 3rd boat in the last 2 years. Say whatever you want but if there's one thing I learned, it's that engine size matters. It's the only thing that matters. Having an underpowered vessel can turn a day of fun into a miserable day. Sure, it might handle just fine without issues with 2 people onboard. What if you want to take the friends and family out? What if you're loaded up with 8 people? Do you want to explain to your guests that they must all sit in the forward cabin every time you take off? Do you want to burn a ton of gas only going 25mph when your buddies with a 8 liter are cruising at 35mph getting the same fuel consumption? If that sounds great to you, then a 300hp engine in a 278 is the perfect combination.

jgreve75 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:18 am

For whatever it's worth, I have a 268 with a Mag 350 and we do a fair amount of cruising. With just the two of us in the boat, full water and fuel and the load of dead weight we tend to carry around all the time it will get up on plane with no tabs in pretty short order. (we slip our boat in the summer and are on the boat pretty much every weekend, so all that "home away from home" stuff tends to add up...) Add another couple, and now tabs are a must to get her up. More than four peeps and you can fuggedabout it... had 7 people on the boat last summer and tried moving them around, etc...but couldn't get up... close but not quite. I'm not a Volvo fan, but I have no doubt that those few extra horses on their 5.7 probably make the difference. If I had it to do again, I would go with the biggest engine I could find.

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Vista 278 MAG 350

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