Outboards versus I/Os

[jimbob]

I have been searching for a boat for several months. I often see hulls that I like with I/Os but I have shied away from them because of concerns about corrosion and maintenance. I keep my boat in salt water 12 months of the year.

So, all of you I/O guys who keep your boats permanently moored in saltwater, how do you feel? Would you prefer to own an outboard or are you happy with your I/O?

Finally which I/Os are the best?

[Wireman]

HI JB, I have an I/O it's a chev 350 with a volvo 280 leg and I've been very happy with it.I've owned it now 2 YRS and all I.ve done is the routine maint. oil change spark plugs rotor cap.I like the inboard because I know a little bit about basic monkey wrenching so I do alot of my own work my self. Now the leg is a totally different story you really have to know what you are doing when you muck around with the drive I've been very lucky with mine so far all I've done is changed the gear oil and I need to see about replacing the drive and exhaust bellows before summer BUT I don't leave my boat in the water it lives in my drive way. That's my two cents and I know that you are going to hear conflicting opinions over this subject but I like my boat just the way it is. It's a 26FT HOURSTON CHEERS.

[Little Hawk]

Howdy,

My bias is towards stern-drives. The automotive configuration of the engine makes it more user-friendly to work on more stuff yourself.

It used to be the argument was that sterndrives gave better fuel-economy. Not no more.

Also, you can't touch the power-to-weight ratio of outboards.
Running a stern-drive is like having an extra body or two of weight on board all the time.

Personally, the engine house on board don't bother me; it makes a great seat or table and for fishing, it's nice not having 4 or 5 feet of pod & motor hanging off the back of my boat.

Lastly, how do you beat that sweet-sound of a real small-block or big-block cutting loose as you lay on the throttle.

Little boats - use an outboard.
Real boats - use an engine.

Just my 2-bits.

Terry

[Poppa Swiss]

I'd say just look at what guides, lodges, whale watching boats etc. use - all outboards.

[Tailspin]

With the new four strokes efficiency and light weight technology, the Inboards are going the way of the Do Do Bird. That being said, my mercruiser keeps on purring and is very simple to work on. The alpha one has had a few little quirks. I sure would like a nice new Yammy or Zuke one day though. Those 300s would make things sizzle along.

www.tailspincharters.com

[LastChance]

With modern four strokes, inboards really only hold the advantage of price. What happens is when you take an engine with iron manifolds, mate it to an aluminium leg is you create a big battery, which can be hard on aluminium. Yes, you can zinc the hell out of it, but in the end, they all do a pretty good impression of an eroding urinal cake.

There are a myriad of little things to go wrong wtih a stern drive, the engine is usually fine, but I'm willing to bet you go through starters, alternators, etc etc a lot faster then in an outboard. This is because these things are usually sitting in the humid environment of a bilge.

The argument that "If anything goes wrong wtih a car engine, I can fix it" may work in some instances, but the reason most guide/whale boats have outboards is that you are far less likeley to develop problems with an outboard then an inboard. And most modern computer controlled inboards are probably beyond what most guys can tackle anyway, so you get the complexity of a computer controlled engine with the honour of fixing it head-first, upside down in a cramped bilge compartment designed to barley fit the thing, let alone service it.



Talk to someone with 1000 hours on an inboard, and see what they do to it for maintainance. I'll bet a couple sets of risers, gimball boots, altenators and starters will come up in conversation.Then see what someone with 1000 hours on a modern outboard does for service on them. My last four stroke outboard with 600 hours on it never got anything more then plugs and oil.

A couple of guides I run with have over 1600 hours on their four stroke Yam's, and all they have done is impellers (once), and one injector.

Inboards have a good place in freshwater ski boats, where corrosion is not nearly a problem, and the clean transom and weight slightly forward help for the boats intended purpose, that is, pulling a skier.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com

[Gunsmith]

Lots of good reasons for both but my 2 cents say outboard. If you have a powerhead failure the unit can be replaced in hours. Very important with a guide business. Outboard and fuel weigh less than inboard/outboard. Other than that whatever makes you happy. Don't spend valuable fishing time analyzing what you already know.[8D]

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[claymcpher]

I worked at a marina in Nanaimo, down in the service depart, and wouldent give you 10 cents for a i/o, they all have too many moving parts to break and they do. Volvo is very expensive, mercruiser and Omc is no to far behind, And see what happens on an impact with an i/o.We had a boat sink right at the travelift. Outboard is the only way to go-- powerhead, driveshaft, gearcase and they never have to be aligned, no u joints or gimbal housings, bearings etc. but on the otherhand, I know alot of marine mechanics that have a job because of i/o's, just my 2 cents

[TenMile]

First boat had a Yamaha 115 OB. Current boat has a Mercruiser 350 MAG MPI with a Bravo III drive. If I could do it over -- I'd go back with the OB again.

- corrosion and wet issues already raised
- I'd gain about 4' of very useful space for fishing
- fuel economy is much better with the OB
- with the OB, you can raise the leg out of the water when not using
- bombproof reliability of the Yamaha/Honda engines
- while the Merc/Volvo are built on a GM platform, the marine parts are still very expensive and because the engines have an ECU -- still require specialized tools to do diagnostics beyond routine maintenance (if you can change oil, you can do that on both an I/O or OB)
- my belief is that the OB is better designed for routine maintenance as the fluids etc.. are within arm's reach.

- I/O are generally cheaper to purchase and rebuild but I think that is offset with higher maintenance costs and more frequent part replacements.

[Gone Fishen]

I have two boats. One has a mercruiser 190HP with 4300 hrs on it(runs like a top) the other has a 200HP merc O/B 1700hrs(runs like a top). The I/O stays in all year except for a couple hr's out of the water for zinc's, gear oil,& barnacle scrape. Maybe three times a year?(as required)I do waterpump and transom inspection and service every second year. Other regular matenance I do in the water. The outboard comes out for winter. If it didn't it would nead just as many trips out of the water for gear oil,zinc's, barnacle scrapes and waterpumps. Will it make 4300hr's (not likely). I love both boats but sure would miss that I/O heater in the winter.

Timely matenance is the ticket to problem prevention with both.

I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.

[tailout]

Hey Jimbob
I have 2004 225 yammy 4 stoke 1060 hour on her not one bit of work yet touch wood The key is good maintainance.

Rick

[Brisco]

i/o is cheaper to buy,easier to maintain, looks and sounds nicer.

[bananas]

Just hit 1000 hrs on my 200 yammi 4strokes not even a fart yet and if they do blow less than a day and back in the water.hmmm i wonder.

[searun]

Outboards for me all the way. First as has been said, if you have an engine calf on you, 4 bolts and she's done and one day out of the water. Blow a powerhead and you can have a new one from the warehouse installed in under 3 days. Best of all outboards do not have the same risk of fire, and I witnessed a terrible fire in Campbell River about 13 years ago from an I/O. The boat literally blew up on the water while the family operating it was fishing. We were only 300 feet away and by the time I got there it was totally engulfed. A very scary situation and for that reason alone I vowed never to charter on a time bomb.

[Gone Fishen]

quote:Originally posted by bananas

Just hit 1000 hrs on my 200 yammi 4strokes not even a fart yet and if they do blow less than a day and back in the water.hmmm i wonder.

Must be ruff. Another 30 someodd thousand dollars hmmmmmm.


I'm setting my priorities. I'm making time for fishing.

[Whole in the Water]

In my experience the weakest link in an I/O is the leg. They don't seem to make them strong enough to last over time. If you look at most commercial guys and guides they use outboards (or inboards for really big boats) for a reason.

With V8 outboards up to 350hp unless you have a massive boat you don't need an I/O anymore. I think the trend to less boats being built with I/O's will continue over time. The only reason I would get an I/O is if a had a fancy ski boat or had to have a diesel engine. My 2 bits.

Long live wild salmon!!!
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[Charlie]

Started with outboards (2 stroke), went to I/O (Bravo I and then Bravo III, with a 4 stroke kicker), then an inboard! After my inboards, I swore I would never go back to gas or outboards. What do I now own? Twin gas 225 O/B’s! Less maintenance, less fuel, and less noise. Never say never!

Oh, by the way. One of the worst I/O’s on the market (for salt) is the Bravo III. Way to much maintenance keeping the corrosion off! Been there done that!

[ReelAffair]

The other thing is called opinions. Opinions are like as@##$, every one has one. IF YOU ARE OUT FISHING YOU ARE OUT FISHING, weather it be an inboard or an outboard. There was a run of crappy outboard, blowing powerheads, hard on fuel etc (2 strokes), now the 4 strokes are good. I have an I/O and it seems to work good. Will I buy another I/O, depends on the boat I guess.

What it comes down to is what you can afford and what you like.

It would be like saying Chevys are # 1.....It could start a war:D but Tailspins loves Chevys, he just hasn't come out of the dark ages yet:D

Have fun and go fishing, and if you can't fish, go camping and quading:D

[richmake]

This topic has alot of variables to it.
It all starts with the type of hull and what sort of use the boat will go through.
personally....I'd choose a 4 stroke over inboard for many reasons already listed among others.
Another great thing about not running a smaller hull with an i/o is the simple fact that you don't have the engine cover smack dab in the middle of the stern...what a pain in the arse that is having to deal with that every day...

www.coastwidesportsfishing.com

[LastChance]

Go down to any well stocked marina with a lot of guides, and ask the outboard guys how often they have to replace alternators, water pumps, power steering pumps, solenoids, leg bellows and risers. Then, assuming you can find a guy who uses his boat a lot with a stern drive, ask him the same thing.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com

[Sushihunter]

quote:Originally posted by LastChance

Go down to any well stocked marina with a lot of guides, and ask the outboard guys how often they have to replace alternators, water pumps, power steering pumps, solenoids, leg bellows and risers. Then, assuming you can find a guy who uses his boat a lot with a stern drive, ask him the same thing.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com


Ya, and then ask the outboard guys how often they replace the entire outboard. And at what cost.

I can rebuild my 350 chevy for 2 - 3000 dollars - how much to replace that 250 Honda or Yamaha? $25 - $30,000 ?



Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250

[LastChance]

quote:Originally posted by Sushihunter


quote:Originally posted by LastChance

Go down to any well stocked marina with a lot of guides, and ask the outboard guys how often they have to replace alternators, water pumps, power steering pumps, solenoids, leg bellows and risers. Then, assuming you can find a guy who uses his boat a lot with a stern drive, ask him the same thing.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com


Ya, and then ask the outboard guys how often they replace the entire outboard. And at what cost.

I can rebuild my 350 chevy for 2 - 3000 dollars - how much to replace that 250 Honda or Yamaha? $25 - $30,000 ?



Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250


A 250 Yam is around 18 grand, and can be swapped in a day, assuming you have one already and it blows. Yes, there is considerable cost in converting over if you don't have one already. And I only know one guy who has replaced a modern 4 stroke who has had to replace it out of it going boom, this is out of around 60 operators who run their boats for charter business. We're not including the smokey, loud fuel hungrey outboards of 15 years ago here.

A modern outboard ought to give you near 4000 hours of service. I know of a few with over 2000 hours on them in Renfrew, they have done impellers once, and one injector. That's it, just put oil in it, and change the Racor's when they get so full of water that the boat quits (Not my boat!). The boat gets run full time.

I'm willing to bet that by that time with a typical stern drive setup (Based on the ones I ran years ago), there will have been at LEAST a couple of sets of manifolds, a few starters, and probably a stern drive surprise in that time. With an outboard, everything is high and dry, not sitting in a humid bilge. This will get around things like having altenators and starters getting wiped. Last, but not least, for the most part, your outboard is all aluminium, meaning that you will have much less in the way of dis-similar metals in the water at any time. An outboard, in my experience with the units that I have run, and several guys I fish with, will give you a nice long service life, then gracefully explode and save you the trouble of nickle and diming you over the course of it's life (10-15 years). You can then buy a powerhead for it and bolt it on for near the same money as rebuilding a small chev, there are plenty of two stroke heads out there for sale, a V-6 is around $3500. Probably a little early to price a four stroke head (Don't see a lot of them for sale), but SG figured around 3 grand for a ring and gut kit, plus the time to make it happen. This assumes that everything else is in great shape on the rig.


Last, but not least, by the time a good ol' Chev 350 engine has worn out, what likelihood is there that the rest of the stuff bolted to it is really serviceable? I'm willing to bet that several sets of risers and Y pipes will have been done, and at least a gimble joint if not the whole stern drive.

There are going to be exceptions to every rule from pure luck to guys who are very good at maintaining their stuff, but as the fleet where I fish evolves, there are two, (which will probably be one by the spring), full time guide boats with stern drive setups. And they BOTH lost days to silly, nit-picky problems that you just don't see or hear a lot about on the outboard end of things.

My $0.02, not meaning to start a war here!



Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com

[wolf]

Im with you on this Jim before I had an outboard I ran nothing but inboards, im still not sure about them me personally give me a socket set and screwdrivers and I can fix a ford or chevy with no problem there is a lot of 30 plus year old boats with inboards still going strong out there cant say the same for outboards I know of 5 charter guys last year that there main blew and i wont name the brands,
Yes there is a bit more matenence with inboards but can easily be done its called preventive matenence once you have a program in place it is very very easy had no problem with mine for years you just have to look after your investment it doesnt matter if it is an outboard OR an inboard.

MY 2 CENTS LOL

Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

[daddystoy]

I've got an older 302, probably 1975 vintage. Very simple motor. 2 barrel carb, no electronics to cause potential headaches. Had the heads rebuilt in '02 but other than that I think the rest of the motor is original. I've owned the boat since '01. The total amount of hours is unknown.
I would say for the average "Joe" who is somewhat mechanically inclined these types of motors are very simple to fix and maintain. Now I don't know if you can say the same for a newer I/O that is full of computer controlled stuff and fuel injection, etc. And these new four strokes and 2 strokes I would guess are far too complex for the average "Joe"
It seems there is a mystique out there that the new 4 stroke outboards are "all that"
Up at Englefied Lodge in '07 they were running 70 hp four stroke mercs. In '08 they switched to 70hp 2 stroke mercs. They were blowing the oil pumps constantly in the 4 strokes. Design flaw, probably.
Talking with a good friend who is a marine mechanic says these 4 stroke outboards aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread. They like to cook those valves.

Just my 2 cents

[cheech]

Last fall I picked up an older Sangster cuddy. It was in such good shape and dry that I could not pass it up.
It has a 302 4bbl and a Volvo leg. It was sitting so long that the carb was pooched. I now know it is almost impossible to buy a replacement Holley marine carb. Luckily there is a guy that does the job in Vancouver, $400 and that is cheap, and he does a fantastic job.
As well the ignition is electronic. I would be wary of points and condenser in this environment.
That all said I discussed podding the boat and strapping on an o/b. My mech buddy said that would be expensive and not really worth it as, Volvo legs are easy to fix if/when they ever break down and V8s are dime-a-dozen now. And easily replaced.
But... probably not the best situation in a guiding situation when you got to stay in the water. Plus everybody in Ukee are running Zukes. Gotta be something in that.

[LastChance]

See how often the guys with outboards have to play with them, then the guys with I/O's.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

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