Hi everyone,
I recently purchased my first boat last month after months of looking. I grew up with boats, my parents had a 1989 18' Starcraft SS180 with a 115 HP Merc O/B for most of my childhood, and a 16' Whaler with 50 HP Merc before that. I spent lots of time operating the Starcraft throughout my teenage years and really learned to love boating.
I'm 25 now, and when looking for a boat I was heavily biased towards outboard engines due to the simplicity and weight. I think a 2-stroke outboard has much less that can go wrong with it than an I/O, and acceleration always seemed to be better, but unfortunately they are a rare breed among bowriders. I did lots of research and looking and found my best value to be a new 2011 Larson LX850 with the 190 HP Merc I/O. I was(and still am) leery of I/Os, but outboards are expensive and seem to depreciate faster than I/Os do, as it seems like nobody wants an outboard on a bowrider! Several manufacturers make them, but they are hard to find and salesmen have told me that they are hard to sell.
So I've had it for about a month and a half now and probably have around 20 hours on it. Much of the driving experience has to do with weight, as the chunk of iron in my bilge is around 600 lbs heavier than the outboard I grew up with. Because of this getting on plane takes much more effort and takes a lot of power if there is weight in the stern. I have more power on tap, but it certainly takes more power to get this heavy thing on plane with 4-5 adults in it unless we have some weight in the bow. Once on plane its a much nicer experience as my V6 I/O is a quieter running engine and operates at lower RPMs, so I can understand why people like their I/Os.
One thing that's driving me absolutely crazy is the bow wander this thing has. I've been told this is normal and a typical characteristic of an I/O. I'm not certain this can't happen with an outboard, but I have never seen it in anything I've driven yet. This adds a whole new dimension to low speed handling, and this thing is an absolute chore to dock compared to the boat I grew up with. No big deal, I like to consider myself pretty good with a boat and I've always been able to make it work.
One thing that's concerning for me is the noise my boat is making when turning under throttle. It's gotten worse since it started and I think I have a bad U-joint. The noise started only when turning past 1/4 turn, but it's consistently gotten worse over the last few weeks to the point where I can hear it if I trim in or out after getting on plane. It's under warranty, but a great reminder for me of one of the reasons I still think I like outboards better. Like anything else mechanical, new boats can also break. I know these are mostly pretty reliable units so I don't let it get to me, and I expect that once fixed I'll have no trouble for many years.
So in conclusion, I do like my new boat and am confident I made the right choice. For around the same price as a 125 HP outboard Bayliner with wood floors and a mediocre warranty I got a 190 HP Larson I/O with composite transom, fiberglass floors, and a lifetime structural warranty. Had the same boat and deal existed with an outboard we would probably have liked it better, but understanding the different things that can go wrong as well as how to properly maintain it should negate most downsides. My family and I are happy with the new boat and expect that with regular maintenance it'll serve us well for years to come.
I recently purchased my first boat last month after months of looking. I grew up with boats, my parents had a 1989 18' Starcraft SS180 with a 115 HP Merc O/B for most of my childhood, and a 16' Whaler with 50 HP Merc before that. I spent lots of time operating the Starcraft throughout my teenage years and really learned to love boating.
I'm 25 now, and when looking for a boat I was heavily biased towards outboard engines due to the simplicity and weight. I think a 2-stroke outboard has much less that can go wrong with it than an I/O, and acceleration always seemed to be better, but unfortunately they are a rare breed among bowriders. I did lots of research and looking and found my best value to be a new 2011 Larson LX850 with the 190 HP Merc I/O. I was(and still am) leery of I/Os, but outboards are expensive and seem to depreciate faster than I/Os do, as it seems like nobody wants an outboard on a bowrider! Several manufacturers make them, but they are hard to find and salesmen have told me that they are hard to sell.
So I've had it for about a month and a half now and probably have around 20 hours on it. Much of the driving experience has to do with weight, as the chunk of iron in my bilge is around 600 lbs heavier than the outboard I grew up with. Because of this getting on plane takes much more effort and takes a lot of power if there is weight in the stern. I have more power on tap, but it certainly takes more power to get this heavy thing on plane with 4-5 adults in it unless we have some weight in the bow. Once on plane its a much nicer experience as my V6 I/O is a quieter running engine and operates at lower RPMs, so I can understand why people like their I/Os.
One thing that's driving me absolutely crazy is the bow wander this thing has. I've been told this is normal and a typical characteristic of an I/O. I'm not certain this can't happen with an outboard, but I have never seen it in anything I've driven yet. This adds a whole new dimension to low speed handling, and this thing is an absolute chore to dock compared to the boat I grew up with. No big deal, I like to consider myself pretty good with a boat and I've always been able to make it work.
One thing that's concerning for me is the noise my boat is making when turning under throttle. It's gotten worse since it started and I think I have a bad U-joint. The noise started only when turning past 1/4 turn, but it's consistently gotten worse over the last few weeks to the point where I can hear it if I trim in or out after getting on plane. It's under warranty, but a great reminder for me of one of the reasons I still think I like outboards better. Like anything else mechanical, new boats can also break. I know these are mostly pretty reliable units so I don't let it get to me, and I expect that once fixed I'll have no trouble for many years.
So in conclusion, I do like my new boat and am confident I made the right choice. For around the same price as a 125 HP outboard Bayliner with wood floors and a mediocre warranty I got a 190 HP Larson I/O with composite transom, fiberglass floors, and a lifetime structural warranty. Had the same boat and deal existed with an outboard we would probably have liked it better, but understanding the different things that can go wrong as well as how to properly maintain it should negate most downsides. My family and I are happy with the new boat and expect that with regular maintenance it'll serve us well for years to come.
