The SBCs are so popular because they are so plentiful. The are so plentiful because they work so well. GM made umpteen millions of them for all kinds of trucks, cars, busses, and boats. The SBF is a very fine motor too, but not as common, and therefore not as easy to find parts, etc. The small Mopar or America Motors V8 (Gray Marine) is also a fine motor, also not as common. The BBC and BBF motors are also very fine, as is the BB Mopar, but the GM motors are the ones that were built in the larger numbers and used the most in marine work.
Would I like a pair of BBF 460s in a boat, yessir!
Any motor that made it into marine use had to be able to serve in truck duty, and I really don't think any of them have a really bad reputation. The problems arise if a motor is just too small for the job, or if the owner didn't the proper oil or maintenance routines, or did something really dumb like running one without heat exchangers in salt water. It is fine to run a boat without heat exchangers in salt if you take the time to flush everything, but people with cruisers can't do that like you can with a runabout.
Roy
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