Quote Originally Posted by Jetlink View Post
Pardon my ignorance but an engine is an engine first and foremost. Sure, the 460 is not standard to these boats but at the end of the day, it works the same way as every other engine should in theory. Mix gas with air in the proper ratio, add spark and there you go. There is always the byproduct of heat from the combustion process and that is what you are having issues with. I can speak from experience because I stored my boat without the old pump over the winter and when I put the new one on, I put it on backwards, figured it out really fast that I did and as soon as I fixed the rotation my exhaust risers and tubes were cool enough to touch which sounds exactly like your problem that you are having. If I were a professional mechanic and I installed the pump backwards it might be a blow to my pride but no reason to get an attitude about it like the general tone of the email from your mechanic reads in my mind.
I agree with Jetlink. The problem is NOT that its a 460 truck engine in a boat. This is not the first boat to have an automotive motor swapped over to a marine application. The 454 in my sunsport was a truck motor before the marine world adapted it to boat applications. An engine is an engine, it doesn't care if its in a boat, truck, or car. There is another problem. I'd suspect the raw water pump, like others have said.