1989 Barefoot Nautique

In 89' the Ski's got the 1:23 trans and standard rotation motors, did the BBC still use the 1:1 and RR??

first congrats on the purchase and welcome.
to answer some questions out of order.
3-4 So your going to find the wake is not anything like the legendary ski nautique for wakeboarding or skiing. a lot of the guys are running the acme 430 which i think is a 13/13. But you will find that one wake will always have a roll on it and the other to be nice and crisp. still fun though.
I have bought long blocks from auto zone and have had success in the past. actually their heads are decent too and for the price you can't beat it. I cannot make a dime to machine a head and re-assemble for the prices they get. let alone their warranty. the blocks are the same. only differences are going to be the crankshaft, and timing set. the oil holes are going to be clearance ground in the opposite direction so not to scrape oil from bearings and the checking on the rear seal surface face opposite direction. The cam, oil pump, distributor are all the same across the board for a reverse rotation chevy 454.

2800 sounds decent depending on whats good on the engine. i bought my 88 for about 6000 a couple years ago and it was pretty much turn key. needed some cosmetic stuff
but mechanically all ive done is tune up and wires.
that being said you could easily spend 3k or north of that on a motor so try and salvage what you can. hopefully the manifolds and risers are ok. those can get pricey. I wouldn't move forward with any original component without pressure testing it first. Heads, intake, manifolds, risers, Wpump. not worth the time assembling to find out on sea trial that a valve seat was cracked.

All of the components on the boat are cherry. No corrosion, Cracks or anything. the main issue the previous owner had was that he "winterized" it but could not get the water out of the block. Heads look great as far as the eye can see, but wont know with out the proper testing I am sure. I've been quoted $2400 from a reputable engine builder in this region, for a marine long block, but I forgot to mention the reverse rotation deal, so that will probably change things.

Sounds the wake is not as good as the Ski Nautique, so it sounds like I made a mistake with this boat? I bought it solely on the condition. I've looked at a lot, and haven't found them this nice so far. I liked the idea of the Deeper V on the BFN for navigating rougher water on days that we are just out "boating".

Thank you for the insight! I was thinking with the hull size, and the 454 power to haul more weight, I'd be better off with the BF2001 than the SN2001 for making bigger wake anyways. Carb is already rebuilt, and everything looks ready to go so far. the crack in the block itself is massive. Pistons and Cam look good, and the boat only has 410 hours on it. So I am going to consult with the builder before I buy the whole long block.
But you're right, any boat that pulls you is a good one. And ANY running Nautique will be more fun than my buddies 2.4L powered Larson we rode all summer 2 years ago.

322012406020. Only deal I found.

Some of the above info is questionable.

You do not need a 4-bolt main. You do need a mark iv block (not gen 5 or gen 6).

A bfn will certainly pull. Like was said above, it is not a versatile ski boat. Barefoot table and rough water ride are the 2 things it does well. A ski nautique does everything else better.

What if I put a LH block in instead of RH? What would I have to change other than starter, and prop?

PIcs

I have walked your walk, My story told on youtube under "1988 barefoot nautique" I also have both boats (ski and barefoot)   Id be happy to describe what you got , what is the best boat.... etc    Just PM and we can talk on phone
Quick answer is this   you did well imo    2800 on a great interior and hull.... get her fixed !!
I prefer the barefoot on bigger waters (lake powell here in AZ/UTAH) the barefoot drives like a well.... like a boat ...... laying over in turns.... good bit of effort to turn the rudder if wanting to drive spirited .... However the overall ride quality is much better than the ski......   The fuel consumption on the barefoot is about 1/3 more ....      The Ski on the other hand is the most noticed boat on the water.... Its a legend...   I have gotten more comments on my ski than my barefoot ( and my barefoot to me is overall a nicer boat )   The ski will do everything......   The ride is indeed rougher (in the drivers and observers) fuel consumption is really great in the ski with 351...
As the guys said earlier there are differences in the engines for REV ROT
1)crank ground/polished opposite direction
2) piston notches face to the rear of block
3)rear main seal is "special" the herringbone in the seal of for reverse
4)the CAM is special and is drive by gear to gear however the list, and oil pump are normal rotation
5)Heads on marine are "peanut port"
6)Assumed the block is a four bolt main on marine.... however a 2 bolt main is more than sufficient for the power these boats put out....     4 bolt 454 bare blocks are like gold to most guys that are selling them....

Bottom line id be happy to walk you thru the repair of your boat let me know