Advantages of an OB bowrider??

[KD4UPL]

I'm doing some off season thinking about a future boat upgrade. I've had two I/Os but never an OB. My current ride is a 20' I/O bowrider. I'd like to in the future upgrade to a 24' bowrider. My favorite lake has a 25' length limit. I'd like to push my boating season late and start early. Winterizing the I/O and/or keeping it from freezing has got me thinking about an OB bowrider. They don't seem very plentiful in that length. Hurricane seems to be one of the few manufacturers offering such a model.
My questions are:
Is it a total aggravation trying to tow tubes and boards with a big outboard hanging on the transom?
Is an OB really that much noisier than an I/O of similar HP?
Is it really as easy as it sounds to winterize an OB? (seems like you tilt it down to drain, change the oil if a 4 stroke, stabilize the fuel, change the gear oil)
I really like the E-TEC for several reasons but not having to change the oil is one of the main reasons.
Are a 300 HP OB and a 300 HP I/O similar in performance or do you need less OB HP?

If I ordered a 24' boat with an I/O I would probably lean toward a big block. I like to take 6 to 8 adults along when boating. OBs top out at 300 HP apparently. Is that enough HP for a boat this size?

Sorry to be so ignorant of OB. The winterizing and maintenance advantages seem significant. I'm not sure why the option is offered more in the larger boats.

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

I just winterized my ETEC today. Actually it does it all by itself. So aside from the 5 minutes I let it run to get the stabil through the system It really only took a turn of the key and lifting the high idle lever twice. You just screw in the hose for water, no muffs needed. As for tubing and skiing, a 300 is probably a lot bigger than my 90, but I don't see where it would cause any problems.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

Have you looked at getting an inboard? There is much more room inside a 20' to 24' inboard than in an I/O, and no issues pulling anything. The swim deck on a v-drive is a bolt on and does not count towards length. You can get 400 hp in a small block tow sports engine.
The bows of many are very spacious if this is important. The seating capacity of my 21' 8" inboard is 12 and 6 adults rattle around in it. Mine is not even as big inside as others of similar length.
Also going to a closed cooling system makes winterizing easier if that can be an option.
Outboards are definitely the easiest to prevent from freezing.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

eh there are bigger outboards than 300 hp..... we were just talking about 7 marine's 557 here the other day..... better have DEEP pockets tho lol

If you have a wake board tower or a tall pylon the outboard will be of no consequence towing

outboards aren't typically all THAT loud and although they tend to be a little funny looking you can put a sound shield in front of the motor... basically just a flat panel sticking up in front of the transom

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

they aren't that noisy,especially a 4 stroke;
you can tow tubes from the stern hooks just fine;
they basically don't need winterizing, unless you know they are sitting completely idle for 3 months. Nice thing in that regard is if you get a nice boating day in late winter, you can plop it in and go, then do nothing even if a hard freeze follows;

there are better interior designs than bow riders, especially at that size, IMO.

 

[pmillar]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

4 strokes have gotten pretty darn quiet. As for the E-tec, try to get a ride on a boat that has one mounted.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

Another thing to keep in mind is that a 20 ft outboard boat has the interior room of somewhere around a 23 ft inboard or I/O. Your engine is hanging outside, instead of taking up people space inside.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

Agree with everything said. I have a 200 Merc Optimax. It's a direct inject 2 stroke. Trying to compare it to your questions in order:

I have a ski pylon that I use for skiing, and a harness for tubing. The motor has never been in the way.
Noise is a relative thing. My boat is quieter at idle, noiser at WOT than an IO with thru prop exhaust. Compared to many open exhausts, it's almost silent. My father has a 4 stroke Yamaha 150, and he has hit the starter several times only to realize it was running - it's that quiet.
Yes, winterizing is that easy.
If looking at Etec, also check out Merc Optimax, very similar systems.
I always thought outboards were rated at the prop, where I/O were rated at the crank, with out accessories (alternator, PS, etc) - similar to how cars are rated. I could be wrong on this though, you should verify. One thing I do know, at least with the two strokes, their is a big weight difference when comparing I/O with OB.

Hope that helps.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

My family always had O/Bs growing up. Once I went to an I/O with all the stern space, I will never change back. My family and i hang out on the back of the boat when we are rafted up, and the O/B would kill that.

Just my opinion, and something to think about.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

I don't understand the advantage of an outboard aside from being self-draining. The maintenance is the same either way for winterization. You still need to use fogging oil and change the motor oil on an I/O vs 4-stroke O/B. It take less than 30 seconds per side to turn the petcocks to drain an I/O block. Not really a significant time outlay. The I/O's are generally quieter at WOT than O/B's are, and allow for a swim platform. O/B's don't take up interior space, but use up more transom area for the splash well making sunpads on the back less utilitarian. I/O's just plain look better. To me, unless you want to boat in winter, and loath turning 2-4 petcocks each time you go out, get the O/B. Otherwise, it's a wash. A 24' boat better have 300HP minimum to be able to get it moving. 300HP O/B's are rediculously expensive and look like a refrigerator strapped to the back of your boat!

 

[Philster]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

For the record: Checkmate offers the Pulsare line of bowrider O/B's with great styling. Not sellin', just offering the OP more choices.

I am seriously considering the 24' with unlimited O/B horsepower as my next boat.

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

i just winterized my 70 hp merc 2 stroke. fresh gear oil and stabil in the gas, thats it, done. we have an i/o too but rarely use it, its a gas hog, it loves its u joints and bellows and gimbal bearings (high wear and tear parts that an o/b doesnt have) and as to the refrigerator comment, no...a merc 300 at wot is the most beautiful looking and sounding motor. even over a thru hull v-8. although i love the sound of 8s also, the outboard is much easier and cost effective for me to maintain.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

i just winterized my 70 hp merc 2 stroke. fresh gear oil and stabil in the gas, thats it, done. we have an i/o too but rarely use it, its a gas hog, it loves its u joints and bellows and gimbal bearings (high wear and tear parts that an o/b doesnt have) and as to the refrigerator comment, no...a merc 300 at wot is the most beautiful looking and sounding motor. even over a thru hull v-8. although i love the sound of 8s also, the outboard is much easier and cost effective for me to maintain.

Well, no new 20'+ boat that I know of is sold with a 2-stroke motor, so oil changes are a given for either powerplant. Also, your I/O apparently has some issues if you are chewing up driveline parts. Bellows last many years (despite the 3yr recommended service, most last upwards of 8-10years I'd bet). Gimbal bearings shouldn't need replacement, nor do u-joints, unless your engine is out of alignment. So really, in the OP's case, the self-draining aspect is the only benefit. That, and being able to run above idle speed at extreme drive angles (read shallow water). So unless he enjoys running quickly through 3' of water, I don't see the advantage of the OB in this case.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

Well, no new 20'+ boat that I know of is sold with a 2-stroke motor, so oil changes are a given for either powerplant.

Nope... Here is a link for a whole range of new engines that are 2 stroke without oil in the crankcase. (and with lower emissions than a 4 stroke!) It depends on your dealer if you can get one off the showroom with one of these hanging on the back...

http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/Engines/ETEC_V6

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

Nope... Here is a link for a whole range of new engines that are 2 stroke without oil in the crankcase. (and with lower emissions than a 4 stroke!) It depends on your dealer if you can get one off the showroom with one of these hanging on the back...

http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/Engines/ETEC_V6

Wow, I thought emissions regulations had all but killed the 2-strokes. Good for evinrude, but then you make the trade off between an oil change per year and having to keep oil on hand for every fillup (or at least until the oil reservoir runs dry). It's about the same in my book. Gotta love the smell of those 2-strokers though!

 

[2ndtry]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

O/B's are horible for getting skiers in and out, especially if you have kids. At some point they WILL get hurt.

How? I have never known anybody to get hurt on my or any other OB. Do you know people who load with the engine running?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

How? I have never known anybody to get hurt on my or any other OB. Do you know people who load with the engine running?

Agreed. Been skiing, etc and living on the water for 40 years, where 90% of the boats are outboards, and everyone ski's just fine, and no one's been hurt by the motor--not even rumors of injuries.

Except one. When I was young another teenager on a ski tried to spray the stern of a docked twin OB boat, slipped and rolled up the motors, across the boat and though its windshield. So just don't do that and you should be OK.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

I'd be willing to guess there are probably more injuries from I/O's. Far too easy for a kid to jump off and land on an outdrive. Pretty hard to do that when you have a powerhead connected to the outdrive...

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

O/B's are horible for getting skiers in and out, especially if you have kids. At some point they WILL get hurt.

I've never really understood this generalization. Either way you've got an outdrive and prop to avoid. Both setups by necessity mean the ladder is going to be on one side of the stern or the other. I'd hope that owners of both would ensure their engines are off when loading/unloading so that also mitigates the added outboard risk of getting the pee stream in someone's eye.

I'll give you that dealing with the ski line requires a little extra consideration.

Regarding winterization, a marina guy I was chatting with told me this weekend that some of the newer larger Merc outboards have raw water fuel coolers which need to be flushed with anti-freeze or they will crack. Don't know if this is true or not - at least it's the first I've heard about it. If it is and "just tilt upright" no longer applies...congrats Merc - you managed to make outboards complicated!

 

[southkogs]

Re: Advantages of an OB bowrider??

How? I have never known anybody to get hurt on my or any other OB. Do you know people who load with the engine running?

I agree. I've skied behind OB's for years and have skied behind a couple that were better than any I/O I've been behind. Take a look at that Checkmate that Philster mentioned. That's a beautiful boat.