Islander 221

[muskybob]

I'm thinking of upgrading from a Fishmaster 160 to an Islander 221. It seems like an awful nice set-up but I don't know if I should look for an I/O or outboard. Does anyone have any ideas which is better for this boat. I kinda like the idea of the back end being wide open for fishing. If you know of any for sale in the '87 to '95 range I'd like to have the contact info. Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[woody20]

Re: Islander 221

outboard with it extended off the transom like good lobster boats up in NE.

 

[Brian Rivet]

Re: Islander 221

I'm thinking of upgrading from a Fishmaster 160 to an Islander 221. It seems like an awful nice set-up but I don't know if I should look for an I/O or outboard. Does anyone have any ideas which is better for this boat. I kinda like the idea of the back end being wide open for fishing. If you know of any for sale in the '87 to '95 range I'd like to have the contact info. Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[Brian Rivet]

Re: Islander 221

I did a little research about this this spring. The 221 out board is normally a Merc 150 vs a 190 to 210 I/O. It also cost about 3 grand more for the Out Board. If your going to do a lot of fishing it's harder to land a fish, you have to bring it in on the side. That's why I went with the I/O. I couldn't see spending the extra money for less hp and a little more room.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Islander 221

I have a stock '83 Outboard 22' Islander with a 88 140 Johnson Looper. The motor is not extended back, so it does not afford any better or worse access for fishing than an I/O and it is a lighter setup than the I/O.

The boat is rated to 225HP but I get a great hole shot and 40MPH GPS, so I have no plans to re-power.

If you can find a similar setup I would recommend it.

Regardless of the model or power, The Islander is a great boat in any environment, and good value.

 

[dotcalc]

Re: Islander 221

I have a '78 Outboard 22' Islander V5dd with a 150 V6 Mercury. The motor also is not extended back, and there is less restriction around where the motor is on the I/O, which is actually better for fishing. I (as ezeke mentioned), have a great holeshot as well, and often exceed 47-48 mph GPS. MANY salmon caught out of the great lakes. High free-board, and can take on a LOT of water. Can bet thrown around a bit in the wind as mentioned, but not that bad. Not the best money can buy, but very reasonable, economical, and most of all for me, trailerable.

 

[Always Broke]

Re: Islander 221

Outboards have come a long way and I’m a little old fashion, well OK a lot old fashion. I run older outboards and although they are lighter, faster, and give the inside of the boat more room then an I/O, they are pigs! The V6 Buick strait inboard I run in one of my boats gets about twice the mileage as my older 2 cylinder 35 HP Evinrude running at the same speed. I know because I’ve let my brother take one boat while I took the other on a 40 mile trip running together at the same speed. The 35 was on an 11 foot boat and the V6 on a 16 foot. If I run my V4 135 HP at WOT it will burn up 6 gallons in about 40 minutes and only get me about 15 miles! So if your running portable tanks that don’t leave much fun time. I/O’s are much heaver built, durable and last longer in most cases. You don’t have to be a mechanic to look at the size of the cast iron blocks and gear cases on an I/O. If your going with an outboard stick to the later models with fuel injection for fuel economy, better durability and get your wallet ready. If you want to go to your local auto parts store for most repair items instead of a marine parts outlet get an I/O. I’m sure there’s a lot of people who would argue the points I’ve made, this is just one guys opinion who runs both types of boats.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Islander 221

I'm no expert, but I have heard that you should not use automotive parts on a marine engine, period.
Like I said, no expert here, just what I have heard.

 

[Always Broke]

Re: Islander 221

The internal engine parts are the same for cars, trucks and boats. For example pistons, rings, bearings, crankshaft, engine block, pushrods, connecting rods, rocker arms… the list goes on and on. The type of parts you should buy for marine applications are mostly on the outside, stainless spark plugs, brass soft plugs (freeze plugs), spark controlled electronics such as distributor, alternator, starter or anything else in the engine compartment that can cause you to blow up if the is ever a presence of fuel vapors and a spark. For the most part these are just automotive parts that have been modified for marine applications. They put a screen on all the ventilation holes of wherever a spark can occur, how this would stop fuel vapors from entering is beyond me? If your parts are exposed to the elements including the cooling system like soft plugs, cooling circulating pump (water pump), thermostat by all means go with marine parts for durability, unless you have an enclosed cooling system auto parts would have short lives and even if you do have an enclosed system you’d want the most durable parts possible, it’s a long walk home when your on the water. For the most part you do not have to be a mechanic to know which automotive parts can be used instead of marine, just think of the safety, and durability factors involved. If your not mechanically inclined enough to know any better buy marine parts.

 

[dotcalc]

Re: Islander 221

I have a 1978 225 V5 Islander (outboard), and have owned a 1974 225 IO Islander. The islander "boat" is the same for the outboard or the I/O (the IO is not "heavy duty", etc.), look at them closely and ask Starcraft to show you and you will agree with me. The 150hp outboard will "blow away" the 190-210 hp inboard (in a 2 cycle anyway) in speed, acceleration and overall performance. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending) the new Islander outboard models have the offset making it harder to fish from as mentioned above. I agree with going with a newer model outboard motor as my boat is a 1978 outboard with a 2000 model oil injected 150 V6 2 cycle (I need to go green and get a 4 cycle..). This boat performs nearly as well as my speed boat!

It won't get the mileage the IO as mentioned below, but I have a 50 gallon tank so I'm not to worried, plus I mainly fish so my kicker is VERY good on fuel. Don't get me wrong, I like all of the Islander including the IO and there are advangages to both. The only real advantage I can think of with the IO is that they may be quieter, but I'm sure there are others out there that can point out other advantages.

 

[muskybob]

Re: Islander 221

Well, I looked all Winter & Spring & couldn't find a half-way decent Islander with an outboard so I ended up buying a '96 I/O 4.3L today. I take delivery on Friday and I couldn't be more excited. Thanks for all the replies and I hope to see you on the water this year.

PS: Anyone know where I can get an owner's manual for this model? Please email me at muskybob @sgtgeek.com Thanks