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[PAR]

The 283 came with as much as 185 HP (back then) which is plenty for this boat. In fact, driving that hull type much faster than 40 MPH (about what she'll do with a fresh 283) will likely introduce you to longitudinal instability. This is common for your hull form and drive arrangement (straight shaft, warped bottom). You could push her to 50 MPH, but she will not like it much and it'll require huge jumps in HP to get there. Lastly, asking 50 year old iron to produce lots of power is pretty much a guarantee for a blown motor. Even if you repower with a new second gen small block, you'll struggle to get much over 50 MPH with the drag associated with that hull and gear, even with the 40% HP increase it offers.