Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

[shevchenko59]

I am looking at Tahoe Fish and Ski boats. The 19ft models come with either:

-3.0L 135HP Inboard OR
-90HP Outboard

What are the advantages of each motor?
-Would a 120HP inboard = 120HP outboard? Or is there more to it than that?
-Possible repair costs? Which is cheaper on repairs?
-Which is easier to winterize?
-Which is the better motor to Wakeboard behind?
-ANY OTHER PROS/CONS of each?
-Outboard is more expensive $$$ why?

I appreciate any help! Thanks in advance!

 

[Kachadurian]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

You're not going to be skiing behind a 19' boat with a 90hp outboard or a 135hp I/O.

Before you buy an underpowered boat look on ebay. People can't give away those boats with the 135 I/Os. If you want to go I/O you almost have to go with the 190hp, or even better the 225 for the fuel injection (it's the same block).

Both I/O and Outboard have pros and cons, it really isn't a "which is better" choice as much as which is most important to me.

CON:
I/O will weigh more.
I/O will have less hole shot (generally)
I/O will take up room in the boat
I/O is a pain to service yourself
I/O cannot be repowered

Outboard is uglier (subjective, not my opinion, but chicks dig the I/O)
Outboard can be louder (but not always)
Outboard will be more expensive
Outboard may have lower resale.

PRO:
I/O feels more finished
I/O has a bigger market
I/O is generally quieter
I/O will allow you to flip the cover and wiggle the plug wires when you're stuck in the middle of the lake (not that it will help)
I/O allows a flat rear swim deck

Outboard: lighter for the same power
Outboard: better hole shot
Outboard: easier to maintain yourself (especially up north where I live)
Outboard: More power options available
Outboard: You can change engines if you're unhappy.
Outboard: More room in the boat

I may be biased because I just bought an Outboard, but I really considered all the options and there is no one clear choice.

Tom

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

I am looking at Tahoe Fish and Ski boats. The 19ft models come with either:

-3.0L 135HP Inboard OR
-90HP Outboard

What are the advantages of each motor?

3.0 advantages:
Out of sight
Potentially quieter

Outboard Advantages:
Much lighter overall power package
Much easier to winterize/service

-Would a 120HP inboard = 120HP outboard? Or is there more to it than that?

I think the I/O's power advantage will be erroded by greater losses through the bigger drivetrain and outdrive. Unless both measurements are at the prop, then they would be even with only the greater overall weight of the I/O to dampen performance a bit more.

-Possible repair costs? Which is cheaper on repairs?

More stuff to break on the I/O therefore bigger potential expense. Proper maintenance can reduce this risk though. That's not to say outboard repairs are necessarily cheap.

-Which is easier to winterize?

To get the water out of an I/O you've got at least two drain points in the block to find, put a wrench on, undo, try not to drop in the bilge, and replace once drained. You also have to be sure all the water's out of the lower unit. Most of the other work requires you to be contorted in uncomfortable positions in or around the engine throughout the procedure. It's even more fun outside during a November sleet storm.

To get the water out of an outboard, ensure it's vertical while sitting on the trailer and watch it drain. All other maintenance can be done while standing upright beside the motor.

-Which is the better motor to Wakeboard behind?

Not sure. If you like big wake, the heavier boat is probably better. Also, the outboard will be constantly in the way when dealing with the tow rope and can also obscure your view of the boarder.

-ANY OTHER PROS/CONS of each?

I'm sure others will chime in although I certainly disagree with Kach suggesting anyone would consider an outboard ugly...

-Outboard is more expensive $$$ why?

It's hard to put a value on an inboard becuase you never see them without a boat around em while outboards you can certainly easily buy on their own. I suspect if you called up Brunswick and ordered a complete I/O engine and outdrive you'd find it plenty expensive. As for apparent value differences in a finished boat I would suspect some of it is due to fact inboard engines are based on tried and true automotive blocks whose design and tooling costs were paid off before the last ice age. They are also made of nice cheap ol fashioned iron for the most part while outboards have lots more composite and specialty materials involved. Also modern outboards, especially DOHC 4 strokes have lots of high precision moving parts versus the old pushrod 4, 6, or 8 cyl inboards. I can hear the piston slap now!

 

[cbavier]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

Kachadurian

Good post with all the options you've obviously spent a lot of time considering all the pro's and con's before making a choice. One other thing I think the Outboard will do quite a bit better on Fuel consumption than an I/O probably just because of the difference in weight. I think my 4.3 weight's 1400 Lbs a 90 would probably weigh around 7 or 800 Lbs. Thats a considerable amount when you add in the weight of the fuel too.

 

[Scout Sport Fish]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

90 HP is WAY underpowered. 135 is still underpowered but more reasonable.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

A 90 HP outboard weighs nowhere near 700-800 pounds. A 90 Optimax is 375 and a 90 Merc four-stroke is about 390. If this will be a trailer boat, that weight means you need less power to pull the load, less weight means less fuel to move the load and less drain on your wallet. Whatever the maximum horsepower rating is for that boat, you want a power plant that is 75% or more of that rating. Any less and you will be a very unhappy owner.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

A 90 HP outboard weighs nowhere near 700-800 pounds. A 90 Optimax is 375 and a 90 Merc four-stroke is about 390. If this will be a trailer boat, that weight means you need less power to pull the load, less weight means less fuel to move the load and less drain on your wallet. Whatever the maximum horsepower rating is for that boat, you want a power plant that is 75% or more of that rating. Any less and you will be a very unhappy owner.

I was only guessing on the weight of the 90 but trying to make the point of the difference between the two. Outboard vs I/O . Weight in trailering the rig plus the weight difference of the boat on the water which dramatically would make a difference in Fuel Economy. Both in Trailering and Boating. I/O's are gas Hogs and at the price of Fuel that should play a major role in trying to decide which way to go. Again as Silvertip says. Don't Under power!

 

[steelespike]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

I was only guessing on the weight of the 90 but trying to make the point of the difference between the two. Outboard vs I/O . Weight in trailering the rig plus the weight difference of the boat on the water which dramatically would make a difference in Fuel Economy. Both in Trailering and Boating. I/O's are gas Hogs and at the price of Fuel that should play a major role in trying to decide which way to go. Again as Silvertip says. Don't Under power!

The I/O weight package is seriously heavier than the 90hp. An Evinrude Etec 90 is 320 lbs my guess is the 135 I/O is 500 lbs this causes holeshot limitations,including sight problems over the bow.Also no wake zone wander
is often a problem then there is the I/O maintenance issues.The Etec has no scheduled maintenance for 3 years or 300 hours.All that being said the 90 is surely at the very bottom edge of the rated hp.What people over look is a larger motor say a 115 a light 50 lbs heavier than the 90 will handle performance issues easier than the 90.If the 115 is driven within the 90s
capabilities it will use about the same GPH(gallons per hour) as the 90 and
the 115 will be loafing.Yet able to handle the tough jobs.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

the tahoe, has a lot of BLING, for the money, but 19' with those HP rating you will never be happy. the minimum power on those boats should be 4.3 6 cylinder, 150 hp. to make a good boat. keep looking.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

the tahoe, has a lot of BLING, for the money, but 19' with those HP rating you will never be happy. the minimum power on those boats should be 4.3 6 cylinder, 150 hp. to make a good boat. keep looking.

Your right tashasdaddy. Mine is a 4.3 6 cylinder 185 HP on a 19ft and it seems to be just right. I don't have to use the horses all the time but they sure are nice to have when I need it. Anything less would be starting to under power and a 3.0 135 Hp or less is way under powered and should not even be considered.

 

[Tredeb]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

I don't think you will be happy with either motor. My brother in law has a 17.5 Glastron with a 190hp I/O and he says he would not want any less power.

I have watched too many of those 130hp motors struggle to get skiers up to even consider them. If you are limited by finances, get a few years old and get the larger motor, you won't regret it.

As far as Tahoe goes, the outboard model is maxed at 150hp. The absloute smallest I would go is 135hp. For the inboard, I would bump up to the 4.3L

 

[Coors]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

6 places need draining on an I/O.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

I disagree with the statement that a I/O is harder to work on or more maintenance. There usually a simple automotive motor that can be serviced by any competent mechanic. A outboard motor takes special tool and skills and in some of areas of the country, like mine, it's hard to find someone to work on them. And, when you do it is way expensive.

But, It's much easier to winterize a outboard. For this reason you are more willing to take it out earlier in the year or later in the fall. And, when broken you can always throw it away and put another outboard easily on the same boat.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Inboard/Outboard Pros/Cons... Horsepower?

I disagree with the statement that a I/O is harder to work on or more maintenance. There usually a simple automotive motor that can be serviced by any competent mechanic. A outboard motor takes special tool and skills and in some of areas of the country, like mine, it's hard to find someone to work on them. And, when you do it is way expensive.

But, It's much easier to winterize a outboard. For this reason you are more willing to take it out earlier in the year or later in the fall. And, when broken you can always throw it away and put another outboard easily on the same boat.

I have to agree with this one, the amount of special tools required to work on most outboards is staggering, while the special tools needed for most I/O drives are limited to the drive itself. Most outboards are self draining, as are most all modern I/O drives. Any modern I/O should be freshwater cooled and not need a complete draining to winterize if your running the proper antifreeze. There may be a few lower points inside on the exhaust that may need draining on the I/O on some.

I also don't agree that an outboard will be better on fuel, I have found the total opposite on every one of my boats, granted my I/O boats have all been 16-19ft trihulls with Merc 120-140 power, the one thing I can say that I really like about the setup is the fuel economy. It's by far it's strongest point, with the fact that the back of the boat is clear of any visual obstructions being second, along with the ability to easily work on the motor. Most aren't much more complicated than a 1960's auto engine.

I do prefer an outboard for a few reasons though, 1; they are easy to swap out in the event of a failure, 2; the boat won't sink if the outdrive fails and there are no boots or shafts going through the transom to maintain which reside below the waterline, and 3; they are lighter and often make for a better performing boat that is faster out of the hole and quicker on plane.

The biggest negatives in my eyes for the I/O set up is the fact that a torn boot or severe failure can compromise the boats ability to float and the added weight.

As far as the horsepower ratings you are looking at, I've run an older 19ft boat with a mid 90's 90HP Evinrude for years and have no concerns with power or the ability to get on plane. I normally carry up to four people and a full days worth of fishing gear, but never pulled a skier or other. I did try pulling a skier with my 17' trihull and a Merc 120, and it did fine but took longer to get on plane. As far as the outboard interfering with the rope, a good ski tower will solve that and the skier should be far enough back behind the boat so that the motor isn't an issue either way.

With the current cost of new outboards, I would venture to guess that the I/O would be cheaper to repair even in the event of a catastrophic failure.
An I/O with freshwater cooling also has an advantage over an outboard which will always use sea water for it's cooling system thus making corrosion less of an issue. If you run in saltwater, this may mean a great deal more to you than if you run only lakes and rivers.