I/O vs outboard

Tail_Gunner

Tail_Gunner

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Re: I/O vs outboard

WIMUSKY said:
No offense. This is like an oil thread.

You have your I/O owners and your Outboard owners. Each side will tell you why they like what they have. Both are good, both are reliable with proper maintenance.... Comes down to personal preference and/or what activities the boat will be used for....
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Not really O/B's are just plain but a@@ ugly
 
bspeth

bspeth

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Re: I/O vs outboard

Was there a boat motor even in that picture?
 
smokeonthewater

smokeonthewater

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Re: I/O vs outboard

Home Cookin' said:
Smoke, you also have a 28' cabin cruiser. of course you have inboards; they could be i/o or direct. While there are boats that length and longer that are properly equipped with OB's, that is a function of hull design. Explaining why you have i/o in a 28' cabin cruiiser is like explaining why I have an OB on a 12' jon boat--no question.

The horse race is in the open boats from 15-25 feet for recreational use. That is where the comparision of the power plants makes sense-and still driven by circumstance.

salt water does not "kill" outboards and affects them marginally. But don't I/O's have "risers" that have to be replaced often if used in salt water? I don't know (as I said) but seem to recall it from posts here.
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Well since the O/P said ONLY "I have always felt that I/O setup is not as stout and reliable as a straight up outboard. Am I crazy or are pure outboards better in terms of reliability?" and has a 25' bayliner (cruiser?) then I'm HARDLY out of line

salt corrodes outboards too... yes it eats up risers but then I've been shopping for a low dollar used outboard for over a year and while I can find LOTS of em in coastal areas the ones old enough for my tight budget are all pretty much junk due to corrosion

the 1986 engines in my cruiser came from (leaky) a saltwater boat.... they had new manifolds and risers on em already and I installed new oilpans, and timing covers they weren't leaking but they were pretty corroded. I replaced one transom shield because of a corroded transom bolt I didn't feel like drilling out. The drives were a little pitted but I didn't ask if they were original. The previous owner did however state that the engines were original and had received no major repairs since new... One oil pressure sender did spring a leak due to corrosion so I replaced em all. Not bad for a 25 year old boat in saltwater.
The inside of a closed cooled I/O never sees the salt and had the previous owner been better at taking care of his boat and kept it from leaking I'm sure the sheetmetal on the engine would have been fine too
the risers on an I/O don't instantly melt as soon as salt touches em.. you get at least a few years out of em... a brand new outboard would most likely outlast a couple sets of risers before giving up the ghost but then new risers can be done a few hundred times before approaching the cost of a new 250 hp outboard
 
H

Home Cookin'

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Re: I/O vs outboard

QC said:
Chicks don't dig OBs.
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you need better chicks. Just like there are boaters, and then there are guys who own boats, girls who are worth hanging out with know OBs and love the guys who have them.

OK OK the I/o v OB debate at the opinion level is absurd, but the which girls like which one is even worse!
 
QC

QC

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Re: I/O vs outboard

I think my comment is objective. Ask a typical lady who likes to sunbathe if she prefers a typical OB well, or a CC with OB bracket, or a padded sun lounge, and get back to me :)
 
bspeth

bspeth

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Re: I/O vs outboard

My chick likes I/O that's all that matters.So do I.
 
hungupthespikes

hungupthespikes

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Re: I/O vs outboard

Inboard, outboard, i/o, just doesn't matter as much as maintenance. I've had a lot more outboards fail than the i/o. Not a very good comparison though, the outboards were close to 50 years ago and that's just not a fair comparison when you look at the newer outboards.

The boating industry wanted something more reliable than the old outboards, so the car motor was the fix, and the I/O moved the much more reliable motor back. :D

Some of today's high HP 4 stroke outboards use the car motors and mount them vertical, giving the best of both worlds. The car motor and the simple designed lu, but have problems with getting oil to all the parts. Others like Seven Marine mount the motor horizontal, but now you have the same problems as an out drive minus the bellows.

The only time I needed a tow with the i/o in 20 years was the starter failed, bendix broke. In/out..i/o when the starter bendix brakes on a high HP motor you're done, you're just not going to hand crank 400 hp. :facepalm:

I love outboards, but for longevity, bang for the buck, performance, and looks, then the I/O is a big winner.

huts
 
Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

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Re: I/O vs outboard

:focus:

as far as reliability goes, the only means of propulsion that is reliable is the current or scales and fins.

in a blow boat, the sail can rip, the rudder can fail, there can be no wind
in a row boat the oars can break
in an outboard or I/O, any number of man-made components can break.

truth be told, longevity of any man-made means of propulsion is maintenance, maintenance, maintenance...

plus I dont know of many bikini clad ladies that like fishing rigs with outboards. most like padded sundecks and cabins with coolers and blenders.
 
QC

QC

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Re: I/O vs outboard

And most don't like men with scales or fins.
 
D

dan02gt

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Re: I/O vs outboard

When it comes to outboards I think a lot of people don't realize how complex the new ones are. The modern direct injected 2 strokes and 4 strokes are way more complex than the old carb 2 strokes. This makes them extremely expensive to fix when they break.

For instance the Mercury Optimax uses a orbital directs injection system consisting of a air compressor, air injectors (direct), fuel injectors, 3 fuel pumps, and multiple check valves. The air compressor has always been a issue with these motors and when it goes out a lot of time it trashes the direct injectors and air pressure regulator. Your looking at $2k+ in parts to fix it yourself.

A powerhead replacement on a Yamaha SHO can cost as much as $10k to replace, and they do fail. Just spend some time on Bass Boat Central or The Hull Truth and look at how many people have to replace powerheads on outboards that aren't even 3 years old (thank God for warranties). Also look at how much it coast when they're out of warranty. You can by a new MerCruiser 4.3L MPI for around half the cost of a powerhead replacement.

Dare I mention the Evinrude FICHT that put OMC into bankruptcy, or the Optimax class action law suite of the early 2000s, or the Yamaha's making oil and corroding.

I'm a outboard guy and always will be. There's just something about one setting on a jackplate mounted to a high performance hull that I will always love. I own a I/O now because it's what works for my wife and I. I bought it knowing I would need to do more maintenance on it to keep it in tip top shape. We love hanging out on the swim platform and sun pad that's just not possible to have with an outboard handing off the back.

My boat is also only in the water a few hours a week during boating season. The rest of the time its cleaned and stored inside. I also only use it in fresh water. If I used it in salt water or kept it in the water all the time I would definitely have a outboard.
 
S

ssobol

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Re: I/O vs outboard

My Honda outboard is based on the same engine as in the Honda Fit car. However, it is also designed to fit in the smallest space possible. There are no interchangeable parts that I am aware of, and sometimes it can be hard to work on due to the tight spaces.
 
Lou C

Lou C

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Re: I/O vs outboard

LOL loved the video

I've been an I/O owner here and have moored it in salt water 6 months out of the year for over 10 years. Yes they take more maintenance but I really can't say that they are inherently unreliable. I am able to do all the maintenance myself and an old school I/O such as I have is significantly cheaper than a modern OB to repair. But when I get to the point that I really don't want to do the work it takes to keep it reliable and if I still want to be in boating, I would get an OB next time. The main issue I have with them is the cost of some of the parts, things like fuel system parts (fuel pumps and injectors) are sky high expensive. And any mechanical repairs to a modern 4 stroke powerhead are also very costly. What made I/Os very popular were the low tech low cost easy to repair Chevrolet V-6 and V-8 engines.
The down side is the lack of room for maintenance, having to remove the lower unit regularly to make sure there is no water in the bellows, and replacing risers and manifolds (salt water). I have done all of the maintenance on mine every year and one of the things I did was re-configure the rear of the boat (seats, etc) to make it easier to get at things. Some of the modern I/O designs are just awful for access. The ideal set up with an I/O is a removable motor box and a removable pair of jump seats. Many have these heavy couches that break your back to remove. Imagine if you had to remove the hood to work on your car, thats' what some of the fools that design these boats think is acceptable.....
 
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