Re: Need help on buying a boat!!!
I come from 12yrs of I/O 'experiences' and I will tell you that I will NEVER own another I/O period. I finally wised up and realized a boat's engine just shouldn't sit below the water line.
1 - Maintenance. Every 100hrs I was spending $1200 for the 100hr service. Just did the 100hr service on my current boat with outboards, it has two Yamaha F150's and the 100hr service was about $500 apiece. Also the I/O's had 200hr services required as well; for the 200hr service the cost was $3500.00. There is no such service due for my Yamaha's.
2. Engine Compartment. Unless you get a yacht, be ready to get covered in grease, burned, cut, poked, and scratched anytime you want to work on your I/O engine. The compartments are impossible to do anything in, and there are no end to hot, sharp, abrasive edges waiting to take your skin off. Outboards obviously do not have this problem.
3. Outdrive. Requires deeper water to operate, has more moving parts that can break, and requires you to remember to never leave it down when pulling it out of the water. Saw many a boater ruin their outdrive and crack their transom by hauling up the ramp with the drive down. Also never buy an I/O that's been wet docked in salt water. Outboards can be raised completely out of the water, I/O's just sit there and corrode.
4. Drain plug. With an I/O you can never forget to take out the drain plug when its on the trailer. I forgot once with two different boats. Both times the boat filled with water (from heavy rains), ruined the starter, battery, and ignition coil, and the boats were never the same afterwards. An outboard doesn't have that problem either. Worst that will happen is the boat will fill with water.
5. Engine. Basically an I/O is just a car engine with a few marine grade parts slapped on to make it boat ready. Outboards are designed from the ground up with marine specific application in mind.
I/O's do have some advantages
1. Cost. A boat with an I/O is typically a lot cheaper than one with an outboard. Of course that first 200hr service makes you forget you 'saved' anything up front.
2. Space. I/O's usually hide away the engine inside the boat, leaving room for swimming platforms and other stuff at the back of the boat. Of course this works both ways, Outboards leave more room inside the boat, while getting in the way of fishing lines and swimming activities outside the boat.
3. Power. I/O's range in power all the way up to about 400HP per engine. Outboards are typically far less power, although some of the newer ones are starting to crack the 350HP mark.
4. Parts Availability. Although its recommended to never do this, the fact is there are many car parts that are interchangeable with an I/O. There were plenty of times I'd get to the dock and something wouldn't work. No marine store open for miles. A quick run to an auto store and I could replace the starter, plugs, ignition coil, etc using car parts. Once again, you should never do this but it 'can' be done if you just towed your boat 40 miles to the boat ramp and refuse to go home without enjoying some time on the water first.
That's just off the top of my head, I think it turned into more of a rant than anything. I am sure plenty of owners will vote for and against I/O's. They do have their place in boating, just not for me.
