I thought I've been seeing a trend away from I/Os to O/Bs....

southkogs

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Anybody know where we can get a good deal on transom savers? :D
 

dingbat

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"Trips" have been OEM for sometime now. Starting to see Quads offered OEM

canyon376_sydney_3.jpg
 

harringtondav

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Seems like those 3 - 6 motor gangs would have limited steering range. Particularly that Merc cigarette racer. Do they rely on throttle steering?
 

tpenfield

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Yes, it looks like most of the traditional I/O boat manufacturers are offering O/B as an option or as the main offering.

Sea Ray
Chaparral
Monterey
Formula

to name a few brands.

It does make the boat a bit more expensive, but I guess if you are buying something with 3-4 outboards hung off the back, expensive is what you do. :)

My understanding is that the outboard delivery times for the big engines are insane . . . like booked a year out. Not sure what the exact truth of it is, but you would probably not want to be re-powering your center console right now. :rolleyes:
 

Scott Danforth

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heck, even Cruisers is looking at 40' boats with outboards....

part of it is the outboards do not need the EPA stuff the I/O's need.....yet
 

harringtondav

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As I window shop for my next boat I'm seriously considering an O/B. $8-$10K more than an equivalent Merc 4.5. But I'm wary of the 4.5 until it gets some time on it. After 23 yrs. of out drive pulls, bellows replacements, etc, I'm ready for a simpler life. My kids will eventually own any new boat. My son isn't very mechanical, but I think he can handle motor oil and drive lube changes.
 
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