A bunch of I/O haters

[lonesouth]

I've been looking at an 18-21' i/o and posted in the local fishing forum for their thoughts on the choice. 90% said to get an outboard due to the shallow nature of the gulf coast and especially the flats where we would scallop or, on rare occasion, fish. The local lakes are either too shallow, too stumpy(dammed valleys) or too grassy, to make much use of an i/o inland. I haven't gotten much feedback on the rivers, but the Suwannee is about an hour away, as well as the ocklocknee. There are several bays, but I am unsure of their depth.

Most of the replies have included getting to know the parts and insurance guys and start looking for a spare outdrive now. I'm not saying they are just outright haters, they are the local experts on the water round here, so their advice is respected. But, I don't want a center console or a fishing boat. I'm looking for a family boat for cruising, tubing, wake boarding, and fishing; in that order. Is there an outboard out there that fits these requirements, or will an i/o be fine in this area and they really are just haters?

 

[cwhite6]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

They are a few folks that make what you are looking for with outboards on them. Check out Glastron, Tahoe, Four Winns and I believe Sea Ray as a start. You can get pretty big deck boats that will do what you want with outboards also. Also, check out the Yamaha line of jet boats. They have a very shallow draft, but the weeds and grass may pose a problem. Also look at dual console boats. Alot of them have seating the front like a bow rider, but are better fishing boats than bow riders.

 

[cwhite6]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

See the below links for some ideas:
http://glastron.com/us/models/bowriders/bowrider-gt/gt-180-bowrider/
http://searay.com/Page.aspx/pageId/10232/pmid/181837/185-Outboard-Sport.aspx
http://www.tahoe-boats.com/boat/?boat=3224

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

For boats in the 18 - 20 foot range an outboard has a few advantages. 1) Ease of maintenance. You can stand along side it when necessary. An I/O requires lots of time ones belly and it often helps to have universal joints in one's fingers. 2) Room inside the boat. With an I/O the engine takes up interior space. An outboard is fully outside the boat. 3) Weight. An I/O uses a heavy auto-based engine and a heavy outdrive. Outboards are lighter in comparison so less weight has its advantages in power requirements, trailer requirements, tow vehicle requirements etc. 4) Sex appeal. Most will agree that an I/O looks nicer than an outboard but that's a personal matter. 5) Choices. If you buy an outboard and hate the boat but love the engine you can keep the engine and sell the boat. If you hate the engine but love the boat you can keep the boat and replace the engine with whatever you like. With an I/O you are pretty much stuck in either scenario. I've owned many boats both I/O and outboard.. My choice is outboard for all the above reasons. And lastly, yes there are plenty of outboard powered boats that meet your needs -- both glass and aluminum.

 

[QC]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

Chicks don't dig OBs . . . They do like sunpads

I am an OB lover and I/O owner. From your list of priorities, I would go I/O. Do some more searching here as there are a ton of threads that work this topic over well. Underway and on plane OBs and I/Os draw basically the same amount of water. You can tilt an I/O at displacement speeds to a point where there is very little chance of impact damage although they are a little more stern heavy.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

You can get pretty big deck boats that will do what you want with outboards also.

13" draft, 18' 10" long, 101" beam, seats 10, 200 HP Outboard..... yup they make Deckboats to do what you want (that's what I've bought mine to do)

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

Given the same hull an I/O doesnt run any deeper when all the way down than an outboard so I would think the locals would be trying to steer you more into a shallow draft flats type hull rather than a boat that draws more water....if you are running full tilt and find yourself in 12" of water an I/O or an outboard is not going to fair better than the other. I guess you can trim an outboard up a little higher should you find yourself in shallow water as I/O really shouldnt be run trimmed up too far for fear of damage to the u-joint...

Like they said, learn your area and be careful when you are out there.

edit: 3 people posted a response while I was typing this...man you guys are fast.

 

[cwhite6]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

That boat is sexy!!

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

That boat is sexy!!

And with an outboard too! I think its the XL shaft that does it

 

[109jb]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

The benefit with an outboard is that you can tilt the lower unit completely out of the water. The Sea Ray in my avatar is an outboard boat and I got it for many of the reasons you mentioned. My boat has to be multi-purpose and includes cruising, tubing, skiing, and also fishing. I can pull the outboard up until only the water pickup ports and prop are in the water with the motor still running. Basically, the motor is barely below the keel of the boat. An I/O can't be pulled up that far without ruining some u-joints. I agree that is you want to fish shallow water you would be better off with an outboard.

If looking for a used boat, there are plenty of outboard powered boats that work very well for fishing and for all the other stuff. My Sea ray is an example. It was built as a bowrider pleasure boat and has enough power for the non-fishing activities. I modified mine to make it a bit better at the fishing role, but there is no reason you couldn't fish out of it un-modified. Mine is a 16 foot but they did make an 18 foot version too. Bayliner also built a lot of outboard powered bowriders that would work.

If looking for a new boat, bayliner still makes outboard powered bowriders. Here is one of there current models. Tahoe also makes a deck boat that could fit your needs.

edit- added this nitro because it would be really good at getting in shallow water.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

I bought an outboard powered bowrider....and I don't fish.

Yes, as others have already indicated there are definitely outboard powered boats that are not dedicated fishing boats.

My newer Four Winns is a great boat that really seems to do just about everything pretty well.

I prefer outboards for all of the reasons others have already mentioned. In addition, for salt water use (you, not me) outboards seem to be a bit more durable/acclimated than I/Os. Although, closed cooling goes a long way to make an I/O pretty good also.

 

[jkust]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

I have both types of engines on my bowriders. Truthfully the OB is more practical in shallow water plus you can look back and see exactly how high it is tilted (of course the IO has a gauge). Shallow water for us is just a small area around the shore so we can easily avoid it. I like the kick in the pants the OB gives but not the 2stroke smoke out or crazy amount of engine noise or the terrible mileage all of which have been fixed with new technology. The IO is much more practical for our family use but it is too high out of the water to reach the surface to fish. I have to stretch as far as I can in the IO boat to touch the water with my finger tips which doesn't work for kids. The sun pad is the most prized piece of real estate on the boat by the wife and kids while the OB has no sun pad. The selection of newer OB bowriders has gotten pretty slim over the years. It used to be everyone offered OB packages and you'd see an IO once in a while and now I see 99% IO's for any newer bowriders. Although very practical, I despise the look of the traditional deck boat. Some manufacturers have modified the deckboat to look more like a traditional bowrider.

 

[QC]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

Most deckboats have 16 degrees of deadrise or less. There are some exceptions, but just note that as compared to 18 - 20 degree bottoms they are much rougher in chop or worse . . .

 

[H20Rat]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

Given the same hull an I/O doesnt run any deeper when all the way down than an outboard so I would think the locals would be trying to steer you more into a shallow draft flats type hull rather than a boat that draws more water...

identical hulls, identical or similar HP, the I/O will ALWAYS sit lower in the water. There is at least a couple hundred pound difference between the two. Might end up being 1-3 inches more draft at rest, maybe a little less on plane where the weight difference won't make as much impact.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

listen to the wisdom of the locals. Get an outboard. Especially under 20'. And in salt water.

Get a shallow draft boat like a Carolina Skiff DX or Sea Chaser. You can put cushions all over it for cruising.

Look at Sea Hunt's various outboards in your size. There are lots of other similar brands. Look at the "bay boat" hull.

Thjre's a reason why people who do a lot of boating in your area prefer outboards. These forums are great, but you have to account for local conditions, which is a perspective you might not get here, when it comes to "which style boat should I get?" I'm a shallow salt water family boater, as you will be. I wouldn't advise someone, however, about the best boat for Lake Havisu.

 

[hostage]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

Don't mean to sound condescending, but you did mention you went to a fishing forum. Don't know much about your region, but they might be right. In any case you did come to the right place, so many knowledgeable people here to help.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

I'm with NelsonQ

I'm loving the OB.... But have an affinity for IO's also... My deckboat does everything I need... Fish, ski/tube, carry a ton of gear and guests... I wish I could have afforded the 200 Yamaha TXR, but I was fully loaded with 52 gal of fuel, 15 gal fresh water, 6 adults, filled coolers last weekend, and still got + 40 mpg via GPS. I love that I can get in shallows fishing, use my trolling motor and trim the OB out of the water completely... 13.5" of draft! I also think it's a sexy ride!

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

I love my I/O, and fish in 3-4' of water all day long. However it's all freshwater, so I have to agree with the others. The outboard will be a lot easier to maintain and clean after saltwater use then the I/O, also it does have the added benifit of being able to lift completely out of the water. The other nice thing is that they are self draining, so no worries about freezing during a cold snap.

On the other hand, being a glorified car motor, the I/O's are very simple to repair in the driveway. I find working on the outboards sometimes confusing and not really as straighforward as I would like. Also, I use the sun pad and huge swim platform as my fishing spot, so much free movement, and specially when on the swim platform that's the full width of the boat I get real close to the water for easy retrieval. Also the I/O's seem much quieter and smoother running. There's no trying to work a fish around the bulk of a motor either.

Ian

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

I use the sun pad and huge swim platform as my fishing spot, so much free movement, and specially when on the swim platform that's the full width of the boat I get real close to the water for easy retrieval. Also the I/O's seem much quieter and smoother running. There's no trying to work a fish around the bulk of a motor either.

Ian

Very true, but on a deckboat the entire front/width of the boat is a deck/swim platform, with nothing in the way, plus the trolling motor on the bow deck helps get me around w/o firing up the OB. I agree the I/O may be simpler to work on from the standpoint of being basically a car engine.... But the outboard doesn't really seem that technical to work on... Also my Yamaha is extremely quiet... Still I do love I/O boats! Your Glastron is killer!

 

[DJ]

Re: A bunch of I/O haters

I deal with both (family).

Boats are one of the last places that you can decide what you want.

Buy what you want and deal with the restirictions of either.

Is that "generic" enough?