outboard vs I/O

[109jb]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Double post. Sorry.

 

[dingbat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

What I am seeing is some really nice clean examples. Some are actually full inboards. You cant get a Whaler anywhere close to those prices. And I cant afford the prices they are asking for new 30ft GW WACs. I would love to pick one up with twin diesel inboards.

Grady put the last of the inboards in the 256 Wahoo in 1981-1982. The I/O they discontinued in 1997. In 2000, they offered a diesel I/O in the 27 Sailfish but they only made 100 of them.

The older, pre-Seav2 hulls, would pound you to death. It's also the vintage that is infamous for their rotten transoms. The 2000 Sailfish would have the Seav2 hull and was built after Grady changed over to using Greenwood with a lifetime rot warranty so it would be a decent boat.

If buying one of the older hulls, pre-1996, I would recommend a full survey, including moisture content reads of all the structural components. I would also look into hiring a full time chiropractor if buying a boat without a Seav2 hull. Most likely, you are going to need one unless you do not venture out into the rough very often.

You couldn?t pay me to run an I/O ever again, but if I were going inboard, it certainly would not be a Grady. There are numerous inboard boats out there that I?d take over a Grady in a heart beat.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Should we all discuss which octane gas is better next, or maybe trailer vs. trailer......lol.

 

[45Auto]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Don't stop now! I'm pretty sure that in just a few more posts I'll be able to convince all those OB owners to scrap those expensive mistakes and put a REAL engine (I/O) in their boat!

 

[Sixmark]

Re: outboard vs I/O

I doubt it, I like my Evinrude, and we have had zero problems with the 1977 Merc 70hp that we have owned since new as well.

My personal experience is that any motor, OB or I/O, if it's properly maintained will be just fine. It's usually the people that haven't had the engine cover off in 5 years that have problems.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Don't stop now! I'm pretty sure that in just a few more posts I'll be able to convince all those OB owners to scrap those expensive mistakes and put a REAL engine (I/O) in their boat!

Honestly, I was trying to get the pros and cons of the outboard, because I allready have an I/O and know what I have and know what it takes to work on it front to back. I will admit, I got a little mixed up in the politics of the whole thing, but I only wanted to put it out there that an I/O is really a good choice when people started bashing them. I am planning to buy another boat with most likely outboards, most likely 2 outboards.

I hate to say it, but people ranting about how wonderful their outboards are hasnt convinced me one way or another. Once I have one, I can see iboats as being a great source for help to get it running again if it breaks, but it is obviously not a good source to help me decide. It just turns into a bashing fest.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

I doubt it, I like my Evinrude, and we have had zero problems with the 1977 Merc 70hp that we have owned since new as well.

My personal experience is that any motor, OB or I/O, if it's properly maintained will be just fine. It's usually the people that haven't had the engine cover off in 5 years that have problems.

You got that right. Maintenance is the key to longevity. I was very disappointing when my engine went, with the maintenance I do to it. Turns out it had a pinched headgasket from the factory. That caused some other issues with the heads. When I pulled the heads and oil pan it looked like a brand new engine inside. In the end probably would have been cheaper to rebuild mine, but by the time I found the issue, I had allready put the other engine together.

Other than that issue, I have not done anything but general maintenance and rust repair from sitting. Before I got it, the boat sat in a yard for nearly 5 years, so I actually expected more problems. I have had it over 3 years.

My previous boat, a Chapparel, had a Yamaha I/O with a 350. Yep, I said Yamaha and I/O in the same sentence. It was a beast and I never had one issue with it the whole time I owned it. I have had several I/O boats, completely by chance. I never really seeked out an I/O, it just worked out that way.

I wont rule out any engine choice when I buy my next boat. I guess it will end up just being the luck of the draw again. I was hoping someone would convince me one way or another, but that hasnt happened. The good thing is that iboats is here to help me fix it, no matter what it is.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Honestly, I was trying to get the pros and cons of the outboard, because I allready have an I/O and know what I have and know what it takes to work on it front to back. I will admit, I got a little mixed up in the politics of the whole thing, but I only wanted to put it out there that an I/O is really a good choice when people started bashing them. I am planning to buy another boat with most likely outboards, most likely 2 outboards.

I hate to say it, but people ranting about how wonderful their outboards are hasnt convinced me one way or another. Once I have one, I can see iboats as being a great source for help to get it running again if it breaks, but it is obviously not a good source to help me decide. It just turns into a bashing fest.

OK, let's look at what you just said. You wanted to put it out there that an I/O is a really good choice, yet you have never owned an O/B. So people are looking at it and saying "what are you basing this on"

I haven't exactly seen people ranting about how wonderful they are, they were just letting you know that based on the very limited experience you have with outboards, you were not aware of all of the ins and outs associated with them like cost etc.

I don't care what the local ad in the paper says for either an I/O or an O/B there are always better deals to be had, and after you get more experienced with the O/B world you will find that there really isn't much to be put off by.

Hell, dive in to those O/B twins, after a while you will be amused at just how simple the little suckers are, there may be days when you wish you were out on your I/O and others where you wish you were on the O/B.

 

[Philster]

Re: outboard vs I/O

My signature casts my vote. Also, my rotting I/O, w/ which I was nothing but a absolute maintenance fiend, is shutting me out of boating for a time to come. It's the maintenance items (manis/riser/spacers/gaskets) that are so poorly manufactured that even when expensive/aggressive maintenance is performed one runs too much risk for comfort.

I'd like a 24-27' open bow boat that can boogie (60+), is sporty and stylish, and is powered by a 2-stroke O/B. Any suggestions? Dead serious. Okay, I will consider a 4-stroker O/B. But has to be sharp and reach 60+.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: outboard vs I/O

My signature casts my vote. Also, my rotting I/O, w/ which I was nothing but a absolute maintenance fiend, is shutting me out of boating for a time to come. It's the maintenance items (manis/riser/spacers/gaskets) that are so poorly manufactured that even when expensive/aggressive maintenance is performed one runs too much risk for comfort.

I'd like a 24-27' open bow boat that can boogie (60+), is sporty and stylish, and is powered by a 2-stroke O/B. Any suggestions? Dead serious. Okay, I will consider a 4-stroker O/B. But has to be sharp and reach 60+.

Does it have to run on pump gas or is nitromethane acceptable?......lol.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: outboard vs I/O

One factor that not many consider when debating this is that the outboard hulls draft considerably less than I/O hulls do. This is a big deal since it is costly to replace an outdrive/prop.

I personally prefer outboards but a nice reliable diesel inboard would be fine with me

 

[BurntOrngeLonghorn84]

Re: outboard vs I/O

How about when your starter or battery goes out on the water? I remember in my dad's old OB we could pull start it with a rope.

My I/O doesn't do so hot with a dead battery or bad starter.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

How about when your starter or battery goes out on the water? I remember in my dad's old OB we could pull start it with a rope.

My I/O doesn't do so hot with a dead battery or bad starter.

We can "what if" all day long, but yours are easy questions. I have dual batteries with a switch, and most of the time the solenoid is what goes bad in a starter, and you can jump that with a screwdriver.

What happens if you bump something with your prop? what happens if your waterpump takes a dump on the water? What happens if your coil takes a crap? etc etc etc. Unless you carry a lot of spares you can be stranded no matter what kind of engine you have. No differant than my old 74 Jeep CJ5. I carry tools and extra parts that make sense. I would do that with an outboard or an I/O. Just makes sense.

 

[BurntOrngeLonghorn84]

Re: outboard vs I/O

I have yet to have any of that happen to me...other then the two i've mentioned, and both made me wish I had an OB. I still prefer my I/O, just thought i'd add other things to think about. My apologies.

If you already had the answers or argument to everything, why even start a thread? Obviously there is no clear winner otherwise you wouldn't have both technologies still out there....right?

 

[25thmustang]

Re: outboard vs I/O

I prefer Inboard... You guys can have your lower units, gears, bellows, foils, etc... All I worry about is shaft seals.








J/K

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

I have yet to have any of that happen to me...other then the two i've mentioned, and both made me wish I had an OB. I still prefer my I/O, just thought i'd add other things to think about. My apologies.

If you already had the answers or argument to everything, why even start a thread? Obviously there is no clear winner otherwise you wouldn't have both technologies still out there....right?

I guess my solution to your problem is not something you were looking for, instead you were just looking to stir the pot. Just because I have solutions to some common issues on I/Os doesnt mean I know anything about outboards, and if you read some, if not all of my posts, you will understand I am really trying to get some real world pros and cons of an outboard. I do know a lot about I/Os, but only because I have owned them for years. I know nothing about outboards. Maybe I should have labeled it "pros and cons of outboards" and left I/Os completely out of it. Maybe I will start another thread and not even mention I/Os.

I think people are seeing my ideas or solutions to easy I/O problems as being argumentative. I am simply trying to have a discussion as to what I see as good or easy or inexpensive about the I/O vs what I percieve as bad, expensive, hard about an outboard. I wish people could stop being offended by my replies and have a serious conversation about it.

Like I mentioned earlier, this doesnt seem to be the correct place to help make my decision. It will, however, be the perfect place to get help when I do make that decision. It sounds like there are a lot of knowlegeable outboard folks out there.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: outboard vs I/O

How about when your starter or battery goes out on the water? I remember in my dad's old OB we could pull start it with a rope.

My I/O doesn't do so hot with a dead battery or bad starter.

Do outboards still have that available as an option, especially for the higer power ones? Say you have a 300 HP V8 outboard, could you still rope start it? I'm asking becuase I sincerely don't know- not trying to be sarcastic or stir the pot.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Do outboards still have that available as an option, especially for the higer power ones? Say you have a 300 HP V8 outboard, could you still rope start it? I'm asking becuase I sincerely don't know- not trying to be sarcastic or stir the pot.

I wondered the same thing.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: outboard vs I/O

One factor that not many consider when debating this is that the outboard hulls draft considerably less than I/O hulls do. This is a big deal since it is costly to replace an outdrive/prop.

I personally prefer outboards but a nice reliable diesel inboard would be fine with me

How did I miss this response. That is a very good point. Making it easier to get into places. there is a place where we all go to relax on a small channel, but during low tide you cannot get in or if you are allready in there, you cant get out and have to wait for high tide to come back.

 

[109jb]

Re: outboard vs I/O

Post #1 of this thread = Bashing the cost of outboards using a poor comparison.

Now go ahead and tell us why that isn't true.

Every other post by mnypitboat is an argument as to why I/O's are better, cheaper, stronger, able to leap tall buildings, etc.

As for bashing I/O's, I for sure didn't. I only pointed out flaws in YOUR bashing of outboards. Most of the posts by others were simply pointing out benefits of outboards which you poo-poo'd.

BTW, on shorting the starter solenoid on an I/O. That's not a real bright idea making a big spark in the engine compartment while you are standing over it.