inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

[high'n'dry]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Most of my boating is on big water, saltwater, I much prefer an outboard on smaller hulls below 24 to 26 feet, above that I would begin to favor an inboard. I would not have an I/O, it marries the worst of an inboard to the worst of an outboard and in this case the sum of the whole is way less than either.

As to low transoms, there are other thoughts on that, some boats like the Outrage 18 and various other Boston Whalers purposely have low transoms to quickly drain water since the boats are designed to be unsinkable, there is no way to put enough water on board to sink a Boston Whaler. It simply drains out the back, over the sides and the remainder clears through the scuppers.

Stern anchorage in any place where seas or current may occur is simply a very bad thing to do and very amateurish. That is a very good way to capsize any boat.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Our lake is in the middle of a town of 140,000. Long distance boaters say the Tennessee River system is the premier inland cruising river in the U.S.
Most lake dwellers have a pontoon boat, a bass boat and two PWC's hanging in their boathouses. There are a bunch of offshore racing boats and large yachts up to 100' coming up from the Gulf.

OBSERVATIONS:
1. Marine salvage yards are full of inboard outboards. People don't always maintain them, forgetting to drain the engines prior to Winter freeze. They're quickly scrapped, as maintenance and bellows can be a pain to deal with. They still remain popular due to good fuel mileage and fast cruising, however. We see a bunch of Tahoe bowrider I/O's and Stardeck deck boat I/O's.
2. We seldom see any outboards unless they're on pontoons and fishing boats. When you touch the starter, you know it's going to start.
3. Inboards never die, but they're hard to drive. Hit reverse, and they go backwards and sideways. You have to drive'em fast into a dock or boathouse. They get remarkably good fuel usage, and are owned by younger families mainly to pull waterboards and tubes. Used, they're a good value if in good condition and kept out of the weather. New, you can drop over $100K on a 22' inboard ski boat.
4. We seldom see water skiers any longer, as most people just ride their PWC's--Waverunners & SeaDoo's 50%/50%.
5. Pontoon boats are best when outboard powered, as you can wear out a couple of outboards before the pontoon boat wears out.

Your engine preference should be decided on what needs your boating family has.

 

[Grandad]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Traditionally, I/O's or inboards have much larger alternators, so if you're doing any extended cruising, sleepovers or have unusually high power consumption an outboard doesn't measure up. I'm a little out of date with the newer large outboards. Can anyone confirm this or have things changed? - Grandad

 

[TBGixxer]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

I chose inboard but I was partial since I just bought my first boat and it is an inboard. I'm learning a lot about the pros and cons from this thread though

 

[Tahorover]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

you have to drive'em fast into a dock or boathouse. .

not true!

 

[Flynny]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Thats just the drive tho. The question was about the actual motor. Not the lower unit of the motor.

While there are jet drive lower units for outboards, I'm talking about a complete jet boat. Such as Sea-Doo's or Yamaha's bots. But I guess you could consider it an I/O engine with a jet, maybe.

Cons to the jet drive: anything sucked up into the jet intake means getting wet, and possibly not being able to dislodge the item without removing grates/diving underwater. Also a con: crappy fuel mileage.

Well if you consider anything that could be sucked up could also be wound around a prop shaft or damage a prop. I've never owned a jet boat, but I would think it would be a rare instance where you would have to dive under the boat to remove something.

Traditionally, I/O's or inboards have much larger alternators, so if you're doing any extended cruising, sleepovers or have unusually high power consumption an outboard doesn't measure up. I'm a little out of date with the newer large outboards. Can anyone confirm this or have things changed? - Grandad

I think the Evinrude E-TECs have much bigger alternators. Their website claims they produce twice the power of competitor's alternators.

I agree that engine choice depends greatly on the boat and what it's going to be used for. You'd never put outboards on a big cruiser or a dedicated ski boat, but they're great on runabouts or bass boats.

 

[642mx]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Egg beaters just don't have the sound and style like a big block with open exhaust! Plus, my huge sundeck makes for an excellent place for the females to dance!!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Well if you consider anything that could be sucked up could also be wound around a prop shaft or damage a prop. I've never owned a jet boat, but I would think it would be a rare instance where you would have to dive under the boat to remove something.

The difference is that I can stay above water to unwind rope/fishing line/etc from a prop. Trust me, if you run over a rope with a jet ski, it's interesting finding a way to fix it without getting towed to the ramp and getting the jet ski back on the trailer. You're other option is to beach it and roll it on its side. Most hands won't fit into the grate openings, so again, limited ability to remove the items. I'm not saying jet drives don't have their pros, just saying foreign objects can be a major pain. You'd be amazed at how quickly a rope winds around the impeller shaft when it's spinning at 3-4K rpms, lol. Let's suffice it to say that a nylon ski rope will wind so fast that it heats up and melts to itself so that there is no "un-winding", simply a ball of melted rope.

 

[dingbat]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

Traditionally, I/O's or inboards have much larger alternators, so if you're doing any extended cruising, sleepovers or have unusually high power consumption an outboard doesn't measure up. I'm a little out of date with the newer large outboards. Can anyone confirm this or have things changed? - Grandad

Most of the larger displacement outboards have anywhere from 50-70 amp alternator outputs

 

[Ryan50]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

I prefer IO for a bowrider type all around pleasure boat. Its quiet, tucked up nicely under the swim platform (looks good). I agree that winterizing and outdrive maintenance can be a pain but hey, I love it. What else would I do in the offseason? I think the condition of the boat if buying used and the intended purpose of said boat is a more important question.

 

[2ndtry]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

It should be inboard or outboard or I/O.

I voted OB thats what I've always had will always have an outboard. I could see myself getting a true inboard (direct or V-drive) for water sports, I envy my friends who have them but don't have the $ right now. I doubt I would ever get and I/O.

 

[204 Escape]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

I voted for the I/O. We have had both. I like the ease of serviceability of the out board, didn't think that I would like the look of the outboard on our deck boat. I like the quieter I/O. Just my opinion.

 

[Fish Foot]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

502 big block I/O. I love the power and the sound. Ladies love the sundeck.

 

[Sunsetrider]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

This is my first I/O after OBs all my life, from tin cans to runabouts to a pontoon. I did have an inboard diesel on the sailboat a while back and was not in love with the need for forward motion to steer. I am new enough to this boat not to have experienced any maintenance woes yet, but I have to say the whole family loves the quiet running, rumbly power and swim deck/ladder of the bow-rider I/O. There's just a nice stable feel and look to the I/O class generally. Another important factor - availability. My marina guy advised me to get an OB but I couldn't find hardly any and those I found offered much less bang for the buck than the huge selection of used I/Os out there.

All in all, and subject to being an I/O newby . . . I vote I/0

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

This thread is too much fun. My favorite kind of motor - one that runs!!!

Seriously though, I do like both. Currently have an OB because I always wasnted a big one. Prior to my Opti, my largest OB was a 9.9. My last boat was a 3.0 liter and did everything I asked of it - couldn't complain about it a bit.


Just a few notes on some of the things I've read. All were generalizations, and not boat specific:

"OB's have no swim platform" - ours does, it's not huge, but I'm not setting up a lounger back there. Just diving off and climbing back in.
"OB's are ugly" - I love the look of mine, so do most others I meet.
"OB's stink" - Mine's direct injected 2 stroke, and doesn't stink at all. On start up there is a faint two stroke, but idling up the first time, it's gone.
"OB's can't have a sun deck" - Our rear deck has had 3 lovely lady's on it at a time with plenty of room.
"Chicks don't dig OB's" - I get two comments from both genders when ever I pull up to a dock - "How fast does that go", and "Can I go for a ride".


Did I mention how much fun this thread is!!!

 

[sojodave]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

I just sold my Yamaha jet boat. If you do run over a rope or a bag, the Yamaha has clean-out plugs that gives you access to the impellers. It's easy to unwind the rope or cut if worse case scenarios. One of the best things about the Yamaha jetboats is you only need about 14" of water and they are a blast to drive.

With that said, I am shopping for a new boat and I am perplexed what to get. The I/O's scare me with the maintenance involved and the propeller of death right off the deck, the v-drives and direct drives are too expensive, and the Yamaha's are expensive and you probably need to go 23' to get descent power. Because the used I/O's are about 10K less than a jet boat, I'll probably go that route. I'll have to become a gimbal, bellow expert and embrace the routine maintenance.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: inboard vs outboard, whats your preference and why?

you have to drive'em fast into a dock or boathouse. This is not true.In fact i don't use any throttle to get in. Just use transmission shifting to direct the boat.