An inboard for a first boat????

[puckhead]

Ive been contemplating buying a boat for years, but, something has always come up. I grew up around sterndrives and one outboard, never knew anyone with an inboard. I have fallen for the lines on an 88-90 Mastercraft Tristar. Love the looks, love the flat wake, love the wood free transom and stringers from '86 and up. I was a kid (18) when my Grandfather sold the cabin and the boat, so its been a decade or two since running one. Basically how hard is an inboard to learn on?

Thanks

-T

 

[bajaunderground]

No different than anything else in life...know what you need to do and do it. Inboards are as easy/difficult as you make 'em!

 

[airshot]

Straight inboards can be a bit more tricky to dock but then again different methods will be required. Coming from an outboard....nothing handles as easy as an ob but by learning new methods the inboard is just a different type of propulsion.

 

[Ned L]

No different than anything else in life...know what you need to do and do it. Inboards are as easy/difficult as you make 'em!

Exactly this. Nothing difficult when you learn.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Take a Coast Guard Auxiliary course. They teach about docking inboards and all sorts of other useful stuff! Don't let trepidation steer you away from what you really want. As we age, we don't regret the things we did but rather regret the things we didn't do.

 

[rallyart]

Inboard is easy. You need to remember that the rudder is sized to work when water is being pushed past it by the propellor. This means that when you are in neutral or reverse the rudder is less effective. Like any boat, just take the time to learn how to drive it.
If you have anything that is a bit rough for you to figure out just ask any other inboard owner how they do it, or post on here and you'll get good responses. I enjoy my inboard so much more than I ever enjoyed my I/O