Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?
ya just cant compare them as apples to apples. before purchasing a boat ya need to write down some paremeters on what your looking for. each has advantages and disadvantages. outboard boats tend to be lighter and faster, inboards tend to get better fuel economy than outboards but have alternate maint issures, inboards dont like skinny water but have the advantage of moving the weight fwd in the hull. so it mostly depends on what you want the boat to do. a 17ft I/O or inboard usually is a maint nightmare for access. a 28ft boat with a single outboard is normally a pig both in ride and fuel costs.<br /> the towboat US shamrock here is 2o ft. one has a 351 and one a 5.7. both will run comfortably at 2700 rpm or 4000 RPM. an outboard hull of the same size will struggle at 2700 RPM. makes a difference when the water is a bit bumpy.<br /> pick up a net or a pot with an outboard and ya tilt it up to look at it, do it with an inboard and ya break out the mask and snorkel, sometimes not a good plan if the water is cold and bumpy.<br /> so while reading is good no magazine can tell ya what YOU want the boat to do. first thing I always advise boat shoppers is to write a list of what they want the hull to do. are ya gonna boatel keep it< dry stack it, trailer it, keep it on a lift? are ya gonna do all the maint,part of the maint or none.<br /> if my area had more thick water a 17-20 shamrock with merc full cooled fresh water 5.7 and a warner 72 series clucth with a water cooled dripless packing on the shaft log would last me 15 or 20 years with routine maint and careful planning. toss the risres everythree years, do the seawater pump yearly and keep the shaft aligment check and pay close attention to corrosion contro in the engine box and they will go and go.<br /> my cousin has a 1915-17 built 33' shad boat that now has a marine power 454 and a 72 series 1.5-1 clutch and full freshwater cooling. runs about 7 hours a day 6 days per week from about march till about november. I put the engine in service in 96 and other than routine maint and 1 set of risers it just goes crabbing. well that and two distributor pick up coils.<br /> so it just depends on what you wish the hull to do. boats are like carburators, some are better than others but all are a comprimise.
