InBoard vs OutBoard?

[trog100]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

he he he.. i gave up on this one quietcat.. past experience told me it was wise.. glad u took over thow..<br /><br />trog100

 

[magster65]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

My observations; I find that the stern drive is a much smoother ride. The added weight of the inboard is not detremental, it stops the boat from bouncing around in a chop. The center of gravity is further forward and lower. The argument of losing interior space just isn't true unless the o/b is mounted on a bracket and there's no well area at the transom. You can sit on the 'doghouse' but you can't sit on the cowling! <br />Aside from that stuff, if you dive with tanks and all the gear along with your 'family' you may need a bigger boat than a 17'.<br />Have fun shopping and go for as many 'sea trials' as you can. Let us know or better yet, post a picture of what you get

 

[bdirect]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

I currently have 2 boats. 15ft tri-hull 50hp potboard old 2 stroke. 24ft cuddy 350 250hp mercruiser bravo 1. Until i road in this 24ft boat I swore I would never ever ever ever own an i/o. Should have never said never. Facts from insurance companies do indicate that I/Os have a higher rate of intrusion from water than outboards. That said they also indicate lack of maintinence is the largest contributing factor. Ourboards have water intrusion and oh yes they sink from "Scuppers #1" Bad thru hull fittings etc. <br />I have a friend that has a 2005 23ft Pacific all alluminum center consol with a 250hp Honda 4-stroke. That bad boy red lines at 6 grand and does up around 50 mph. Lean and mean fishing machine. I have another friend that has a 24 Grady walk around with 200 something Johnson on it. Both the Pacific and the Grady have outboard brackets.<br /><br />Now this is my observation over the last 4 months of fishing and boating here in New England.<br /><br />1. Over 25knts both of those outboards are LOUD yes even that beautiful 4-stroke. My boat is quite even at 35knts and I like that.<br /><br />2. Both of them have had engine and electrical issues. So have i. According to some posts they should have had no problems and i should have well thats not reality in salt water.<br /><br />3. Both of them pound when seas get 3ft or better at over 15knts. Both of them are a modifies v. My boat a true v narrow beam can easily run 20 knts in those seas and not pound me black and blue.<br /><br />4. In any sea beter than 2 feet neither of those boats can trim and settle the hull into the water like mine and i do not believe it is hull design as much as how my weight is distributed. <br /><br />4. Both of them come out of the hole faster than me but with "BIG TRIM TABS" I get my bow down far quicker and then I catch them. Both can outrun me top end. Fuel usage is a non issue we three have compared and we get about the same gph average in a week of fishing. How can that be. Well when that huge 4-stroke hits about 5 grand it sucks down fuel like you would not believe. That Johnson aint no chump about sucking fuel either when it starts turning the rpm<br /><br />5. I have another observation and it is not so much about horse power. I read all the posts above about hp being equal across the board so speed etc shoud be the same. I agree horse power is horse power and I am nowhere near the level of understang foot pounds etc. I did notice one very obvious fact that I do not believe anyone mentioned. Trim and plane...yes you read correctly. I am convinced and not because of any education on my part as i do not understand hardly any of those formulas running around about horse power etc. I believe there would be an obvious difference in speed across the same boat same horse power but one being outboard and one being inboard or I/O. Quite simply the weight is in fact distibuted differently in those boats so there is in fact a difference in how they trim out and plane. Now I am no engeneer nor do I claim any scientific schooling on this but there is going to be a differnecn in how much hull is going to be in the water at WOT depending on trim and if one of those boats trimmed out better because of how the weight is ditributed then that boat is going to without a doubt turn a faster top end than the other even with the same horse power rpm etc..

 

[QC]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

bdirect,<br /><br />Good post.<br /><br />Buried deep in the bhp discussion were some references to trim and weight distribution. Despite some of my comments above I do believe that weight distribution of an I/O does result in a more solid and comfortable ride and general feel. The fact is that Inti is a slave to his tow vehicle size and the OB weight benefits just about determine the decision.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

ever tried changing oil or replacing rear main seals on an inboard motor in a small sport boat?<br /><br />how do you get that old oil outa there? <br /><br />and dont forget to drain the exhaust manifolds so that the left over water doesnt drain back into the crankcase and begin to rust your bearings and crankshaft.<br /><br />also, ever tried replacing cylinder heads on an inboard v6 and then doing the same thing on an outboard v6. one of them takes about 30 mins and one of them takes many many hours.<br /><br />guess which is wich?

 

[Buttanic]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

ever tried changing oil or replacing rear main seals on an inboard motor in a small sport boat?<br /><br />how do you get that old oil outa there? <br /><br />and dont forget to drain the exhaust manifolds so that the left over water doesnt drain back into the crankcase and begin to rust your bearings and crankshaft.<br /><br />How often do you change oil, at most twice a year. You suck it out with a pump. Rear main seal , maybe never, certainly not yearly. What left over water? Never heard of left over water in manifolds having to be drained. If the manifolds are leaking water into the engine they need to be changed, not drained.

 

[murphini]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

The real issue here for the original poster is:<br /><br />If your wife/girlfriend/(either or both) is "hot", get the I/O with a sunpad so she can properly sunbathe. All your fellow boaters will look at you with pride and give you a hearty "well done" by seeing your good fortune.<br /><br />If you are a fisherman, and boat on salt water the OutBoard may be the right tool for the job. Service easier, higher speed, less weight. Your wife/girlfriend will look just as hot lounging on the seats...<br /><br />BHP/Torque thread good... work product is same, how is it applied is the difference.<br /><br />In my case, I want more torque where I can use/feel it (low end rpm/accel) rather than the max torque coming at high RPMs. I like the feeling of being pushed back in my seat as I accelerate, and it helps get kids up on wakeboard. I don't really care for going faster than 30s so I don't need a boat that is any faster. I have an I/O 302 V8 for my freshwater lake experience.<br /><br />Confused? Don't be. You'll love whatever you get. This is a good problem to have.

 

[tommays]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

what ever<br /><br />To even consider a modern big outboard SIMPLE is a disservice to a new buyer.<br /><br />They may be very reliable but they are currently the most complex marine propulsion units made IMHP due to there need to meet new EPA standards and the complex Electronics need to run them<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

Never heard of left over water in manifolds having to be drained. If the manifolds are leaking water into the engine they need to be changed, not drained.<br />

i recently worked on a 3.0L mercruiser inline 4 cylinder i/o setup and the owner did not drain the exhaustmanifolds. there is a screw that allows the water that is still inside the manifold to be drained after use or before storage. this person never did this, and when i went to change his oil, it looked like a milkshake and the bottom end of his motor had been completely shot!<br /><br />i honestly didnt read the other 63 posts or whatever, just thought id butt in with my own 3 cents anyhow. have a good night.<br /><br />they each have their own place and their own pro's and cons. although i personally cant think of a "pro" for a I/O setup in a small sport boat, although i am a lil biased, as i service motors for a living and DREAD an I/O setup. outboards are a breaze

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

I am a mechanical idiot, but am smart enough to employe a mechanic in the Nursery.<br />I have had an I/O, in a Marina, and it was a financial nightmare, not only to lift for checking, but parts costs too.<br />I now have an outboard and it is a financial dream.<br />Yes, it is noisy, there is the smell of smoke etc but as long as I live, I don't ever want a Mercruiser again.<br />As a side point, I really like the Bayliner 2355. Is there another manufacturer that produces somehting similar with and outboard?<br />Cheers<br />Phillip

 

[ewenm]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

um with regards to not draining manifolds after use talk about urban myths AGAIN if you think that needs to be done i guess all us poor idiots with moored i/o's must surley be in deep dodo.<br /><br />if you have to winterize your boat sure it has to have the water drained then but NOT after every outing sheesh give us a break.<br /><br />Kiwi Phil: is your dream boat now moored or on a trailer- makes a huge difference no matter how its powered<br /><br />Ewen

 

[Lou C]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

IOs need more maintenance in salt water esp, but you have to educate yourself as to what has to be done, or find a good mechanic that can be trusted. Don't forget OBs have issues to, but if what you want is minimal maintenance an I/O is just not going to fit the bill there. If you want a quiet car based engine, most HP for the money, faster and more economical than a straight inboard, cheap to re-power, sun pad, full swim platform, etc learn how to deal with the I/O. At least 1/3 of the boats in our (salt water ) harbor are I/Os and they don't spontaneously fail, in the words of my mechanic, they pay our bills! They don't forgive a lack of maintenance in the salt. Now in freshwater they can run for decades with little difficulty. Now despite the higher maintenance costs, still year after year I see people keeping their IOs because they like what they offer in terms of advantages and feel the cost is worth it. If you want a smaller crusier, that is all there is--<br />I would go for a straight inboard for my next boat but they are hard to find used. And the engine access can be worse than for a sterndrive because the engine is installed low inbetween the stringers. Still in salt water, a closed cooled straight inboard is probably the best propulsion system. OBs have gotten way too expensive, and not DIY friendly if you actually have to fix something.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

Sorry Ewen, yes my current boat is a 17' moored on a trailer. <br />After the 25'Flybridge, it is a bit of a let down, and although it is the top of the range in its class - well - I am looking around for something else.<br />That is why I asked the Question about the Bayliner Cierra Sunbridge 2355. I think something like that with an outboard would be better.<br />I am looking at everything.<br />Cheers<br />Phillip

 

[ewenm]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

Phil i saw a ciera2250 classic with a 250 hp outboard on a pod here in brisbane on morton bay and it seemed to work ok it planed nicely and ran well, the only problem i would see other than the work involver would be getting around the swimm platform i would imagine that aflat transom would be easier to add a pod to, trader boat mag in australia some times have pods advertised to convert older sterndrives to outboard so there must be a market<br /><br />Ewen

 

[KCook]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

^ le bump ^

 

[bassboy1]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

Outboards were designed specifically for boats. So therefor the motor is made to handle marine conditions. Inboards are basically a car engine adapted for boat use. Car engines were designed to propel cars and therefor cannnot handle the tough marine enviroment as well. I/O are made of mostly ferous metals that will rust, Especcially in salt water. outboards are made of mostly aluminum and will not rust. The amount of mantinence required is a significant difference too. Outboards last a lot longer too. How many well running inboards do you see from the 1950's - 1970's? Very few. Now count the outboards. Quite a few more right? If you dont beleive me scrounge ebay and visit some free ramps on a saturday morning. Lot more old outboards than inboards.
Now thats just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

I/O's of course, great taste and less filling

 

[BF]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

I agree with whoever it said it way up there... it would have been nice if the article had compared the 135 hp I/O to an outboard that gave comparable boat performance. A 90 or 110 hp outboard would probably have been comparable. Cheaper initial cost too. Bugged me that they included the cost of 2 cycle oil for the outboard, but didn't figure in the cost of oil changes for the I/O's... Maybe not significant (?) but seems odd to include one but not the other. Both need oil. Interesting to know the maintenance schedule/cost of the diesel they tested. Performance wise, the 135 outboard is probably comparable to the next step up in I/O size. I think that would've made a big difference in the intial and operating costs of the I/O rigs. (someone said that above I think)

I've always told my dad that his old "120 hp" mercruiser (in 17' glastron) is about comparable perfomance wise to the same boat with an 80 hp outboard.... (which a neighbour has). Not that that's bad... just a fact. If he wanted to go faster, he'd need a 6 cyl I/O. Why similar hp rated I/O's are slower is not clear to me. Are both really prop-shaft rated? If so, the accessories driven off the motor don't figure in. Seems to me that whatever gearing, prop etc. is spun, only matters in that it keeps the engine at it's HP peak. I always thought that I/O's seemed over-rated hp-wise compared to OB's. I don't consider there is any way that my Dad's bare bones 4 cyl GM ever put out a real 120 hp. Likely even 80 would be a stretch.

Last comment... the outdrive on the older I/O's seem frail to me.. seems they always need U-joints or gimbel bearings etc... (at least my dad's and another friend's)... Running I/O's with in shallows (with high trim) is the worst. Maybe the new ones are more robust / forgiving (?). But there are more moving parts in an I/O and all those things can wearout or break.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: InBoard vs OutBoard?

BF, I/Os may have the same horsepower but cars need torque instead of horses. Boats are pretty much the opposite. And the boat engine can rev higher, and boats need the propeller to be turned faster not harder.