In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

Sorry if i seem like a post ***** but I have always been curious what the advantages/disadvantages are of say a in/out board vs a outboard? Also what are the advantages of say a 2cycle vs 4 cycle? For example is a 2cycle more reasonable better hp/size ratio or???

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

there are hundreds of threads on this subject, "search". outboards are much easier to access for maintenance. 2 cycle is a simpler engine with less moving parts to go bad. thru the old ones polluted more, than a 4 stroke.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

Depends on what year of outboard your talking about... the new 2 stroke e-techs have four strokes trumped at about every turn. Better gas mileage, less moving parts, more tq, cleaner burning, no oil changes, etc.

As far as outboard vs I/O... well, speaking from the I/O side of it they are much cheaper and easier to work on and modify/hot rod... alot of it transfers over from autos. Also when we're talking v8 I/O's the low end tq is much more then that of outboards.

A few advantages for an outboard are adjustable motor/prop height and more wieght at the very back of the boat. I'm sure there's more but I'm no outboard expert.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

fabrimacator21 said:

As far as outboard vs I/O... well, speaking from the I/O side of it they are much cheaper and easier to work on and modify/hot rod... alot of it transfers over from autos. Also when we're talking v8 I/O's the low end tq is much more then that of outboards.

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I have to disagree about being "cheaper" to work on than an outboard... While most I/O's use some sort of "car" style engine that has been made for marine use, I/O's have tons of very expensive parts on them that go bad, (EX. manifolds, bellows, u-joints, gimballs, housing seals, regular stuff that goes bad like, water pumps, alternators, belts, etc.) plus all the same stuff that goes bad on outboards (impellers, lower unit gears, ignition parts, etc.)

I'll grant you in some ways they are "easier" to "hot rod" as you have said because they are more like a car engine, but I for one would never, ever, own another I/O again as long as I have a boat... nothing but headaches, especially if you plan on using it in saltwater... doesnt matter how good you flush it out, you'll be replacing your EX. Manifolds every 4-5 years.

That being said, yes there's lots of information on all the differences.

I/O can use regular gas, if you are good at working on car engines, would be easy for you to adapt to the I/O for repair, they are a bit heavier if you start getting into the Big V-8's. Typically they are more maintenance and more expensive to repair than an O/B. You also have to do regular oil changes on them just like a car engine. They do develop a good bit of power, and you dont have the engine in the way on the back of the boat.

Outboards: 2-Stroke you have to mix the gas/oil every time unless you have a VRO style which injects the oil for you, but there is the additional expense of buying 2stroke oil constantly, but they are very light, develop a lot of power for their size, (if a bit noisy).

4-stroke works like a car engine, where the oil is kept seperate, and lubricates the engine internally, so you don't have to mix the gas/oil. But this means you will have to do periodic oil changes on the engine just like you do with a car. 4-Strokes are typically heavier than the same HP 2-stroke, but they produce less emissions, and are typically the quietest running engines overall.

There's tons more info, but thats some basics for you.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

I/O's are more intense maintenance-wise. On mercruisers, the whole outdrive should come off regularly (like annually) to grease the U-joints. I/O's are very bad for beaching/launching in shallows. The engine should not be running whenever the lower unit is higher than the highest "trim" setting. (kills the U joints). The transom is available for a nice wide swim platform/ladder. You don't need a ski bar to get the rope up over the motor.

OB's easier to maintain, usually lighter, you can re-power a boat (but it's expensive). You can run them tilted way up (as long as the intakes are in the water) to get out of the shallows or run close to the beach. Newer ones that are efficient and nice and quiet are expensive.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

OB boats don't blow up if you forget to use the bilge blower. OB boats don't have one.

I PROBABLY wouldn't forget, but the teenage kids might someday, so it's only OB boats for my family.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

Numlaar said:

I have to disagree about being "cheaper" to work on than an outboard... While most I/O's use some sort of "car" style engine that has been made for marine use, I/O's have tons of very expensive parts on them that go bad, (EX. manifolds, bellows, u-joints, gimballs, housing seals, regular stuff that goes bad like, water pumps, alternators, belts, etc.) plus all the same stuff that goes bad on outboards (impellers, lower unit gears, ignition parts, etc.)

I'll grant you in some ways they are "easier" to "hot rod" as you have said because they are more like a car engine, but I for one would never, ever, own another I/O again as long as I have a boat... nothing but headaches, especially if you plan on using it in saltwater... doesnt matter how good you flush it out, you'll be replacing your EX. Manifolds every 4-5 years.

That being said, yes there's lots of information on all the differences.

I/O can use regular gas, if you are good at working on car engines, would be easy for you to adapt to the I/O for repair, they are a bit heavier if you start getting into the Big V-8's. Typically they are more maintenance and more expensive to repair than an O/B. You also have to do regular oil changes on them just like a car engine. They do develop a good bit of power, and you dont have the engine in the way on the back of the boat.

Outboards: 2-Stroke you have to mix the gas/oil every time unless you have a VRO style which injects the oil for you, but there is the additional expense of buying 2stroke oil constantly, but they are very light, develop a lot of power for their size, (if a bit noisy).

4-stroke works like a car engine, where the oil is kept seperate, and lubricates the engine internally, so you don't have to mix the gas/oil. But this means you will have to do periodic oil changes on the engine just like you do with a car. 4-Strokes are typically heavier than the same HP 2-stroke, but they produce less emissions, and are typically the quietest running engines overall.

There's tons more info, but thats some basics for you.

Click to expand...

I don't know about the whole cheaper to maintain for an OB... hell some of the new ones cost 20 grand and whenever they need repair you pretty much have to take them to a mechanic which costs some serious scratch. Knew a few guys at my work who regularly had a couple thousand in mechanic bills because their OB wasn't running right. The price just to buy one of those things will cost you more then you'll spend on your I/O in a liftime. With an I/O setup it's little things that go wrong... alternator, etc. but they are very easy and relitively cheap to fix when compared to OB maintainance.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

I've had I/O and OB. For ME (everybody's different) the advantages of OB are:

Much more room in the back of the boat for gear (hunting/camping/family outings) or people, and a lot more room for fishing.

Much lighter - I do a lot of shallow water running, and the OB equipped boat is easier to move around by physical labor (like beaching, launching, getting unstuck, etc.).

I also like that it's out in the open, easy to work on and very, very simple to maintain.

If I were on a freshwater lake where all I did was cruise around w/ friends, water skiing, casual fishing, etc. I would have no objection to an I/O because the above advantages aren't nearly as important in that case.

Re: In Boards & Out Boards Advantages & Dissadvantages?

outboard pros:
1. Lighter weight
2. Doesn't take up room inside the boat
3. Winterizing means just lowering the motor
4. Easy access to engine
5. No u-joints in drive system
6. No bellows
7. No giant holes cut in the boat below waterline
8. No blowers in bilge
9. No belts
10. No hoses to burst and flood boat

Outboard cons:
1. Older ones not as efficient (Newer ones are)
2. Older ones don't burn as clean (Newer ones do)
3. Have to add oil to the 2-strokes
4. A bit noisier
5. Impossible to have a full width swim platform

I/O pros:
1. Good fuel efficiency
2. burn clean
3. quite
4. Full width swim platform is doable

I/O cons:
1. Heavier than outboard
2. requires a box cover taking up room in the boat
3. Must be properly winterized or risk damage especially in colder climates
4. Access to engine more obstructed
5. More parts in drive line to fail, wear out
6. Uses bellows which need periodic replacement
7. A giant hole is cut in the transom for thee outdrive to mount
8. Blowers to maintain
9. Belts to maintain
10. Hoses to maintain


This is just my opinion and I'm sure it is an incomplete list in both regards.
I myself prefer outboards, but that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with I/O's. They are proven and reliable. So are outboards. I have only owned outboards for many years and the only things I have ever had to do to them was change impellers periodically, and tune them up. That's it. For winterizing I fog and put them away. For I/O's there is a little more to do to get rid of trapped water. Nothing extreme, and nothing difficult, but it HAS to be done. If I did nothing to my outboards but put the motor in the down position I would be fine. Both are fine. Both work. Both have pros and cons. Both have supporters and detractors. The important thing is that you like what you havve on your boat. I like my outboards.

Take care