INBOARD or OUTBOARD Preference

[rockdog]

Not having a bilge plug would be be rally hard on an I/O set up. I have a 3.0L I/O, and I quite like it. Very reliable, great on gas, and inexpensive to repair. My boat is older, along with the drive and engine.....but its what I can afford, so its what Ive got.
I tube and ski at the lake with the kids, so the stern drive is ideal for that too. I would buy I/O again when the day comes to upgrade. Probably the 3.0L again...
My 2 cents

 

[SpringVelocity]

Yah I ran the inboard last week finally its the same thing... A little different ride than outboard but the 4 cylinder is very quiet.

I am happy with it...The malibu 185 rides so well and center of gravity feels way different... Now owning this thing yes and outboard would have been awesome but not sinking in 15k-20k for the same boat with outboard.... I prefer a straight back transom to a splash well anyway. I met a guy the 182 and the difference in space from doghouse is the same with the splash well sticking out and being a little shorter.

I will see how season does but reviewing I can have a 3 brand new motors/new drive and everything for some of the cost outboards.. I will make my decision end of season if it gets a full length pod, or new motor etc. But that conversion is expensive as I would be putting on a new Yamaha/controls and a pod...Likely 10k plus.

Only other thing I noticed aside from motor is the 185 is extremely deep. Can't get away with launching on low tide anymore like I use too...

 

[SpringVelocity]

Well hit first snag we think shift cable bellow is leaking...changing them all out.... I only caught it its a very slow leak..... I only caught it when I lifted my leg up at ramp other day. Word of warning to inboard guys I will be swapping them out this weekend... If they looked cracked replace them.

So my first negative, but after running it a while finding it is the same deal. These motors inboard or outboard need maintenance done. If you do the maintenance it doesn't matter which one you get.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Not having a bilge plug would be be rally hard on an I/O set up. I have a 3.0L I/O, and I quite like it. Very reliable, great on gas, and inexpensive to repair. My boat is older, along with the drive and engine.....but its what I can afford, so its what Ive got.
I tube and ski at the lake with the kids, so the stern drive is ideal for that too. I would buy I/O again when the day comes to upgrade. Probably the 3.0L again...
My 2 cents

Yeah that is the motor I have rockdog... the 3L. Its very cheap on gas...

 

[rockdog]

Spring - i did all the bellows last year. Not too bad of a job. I did the impellar also, while i was there(leg off).
My 3L has been great. Its my 2nd boat with the 3L in it. Not too keen on moving to a bigger motor (4.3, etc) because that doubles the exhaust riser/manifold cost, and fuel economy. I can leave Flemming and hit constance, troll for a few hours, then over to Albert Head and back to flemming on 20-25 dollars of fuel for the whole day.
I added trim tabs to the boat, as well as a stainless prob, just to help the hole shot a bit.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Yah I am going to do them all with the water pump.. Yes manifolds riser for this motor cheap. I am looking at trim tabs... I may put on the hydrofoil for now.

 

[black dog]

Heads-up, check your shift shaft seal while you got everything apart, mine failed the next season after doing the bellows.

 

[SpringVelocity]

My Malibu 185 had a Volvo I/o as well and I got tired of always having to tinker and fix things on it. Corrosion from moisture was a problem as the boat doesn't have a plug to drain the bilge and it was impossible to get all the water out. The dog house was not too bad at first because it was an upgrade from my 16ft hourston I had before. As time went on it got really annoying trying to fight fish with the dog house in the way in an 18ft boat with a hard top. I ended up pulling the motor, glassing over the transom hole and Larry at DSS welding in Duncan did an awesome job of building me a pod. Finding a good used motor in the 140-150hp range was tough and the ones that were out there had a lot of hours or were almost as expensive as new. I ended up going with a new 150 Yamaha 4 stroke. There are a lot of things to consider when podding and you really have to like your hull because it is very expensive to convert. I will try to write a more detailed version (in a new thread) when I have more time and add some pictures for anyone who is thinking about doing this.

Do you have some pictures you can post of your boat so I can see the job Larry did? I saw him a little while ago I think he mentioned he had done a malibu probably your boat. Winter time I am making my decision on pod or another brand new inboard. If outboard probably a 150 yamaha or suzuki.

 

[Shermanater]

Before and after. Not the best pics but I can post more later if you like.

 

[SpringVelocity]

sounds good I like it.... looks like good upgrade.... if you have any more pics throw them up interesting in side shot of entire boat, and maybe one from inside looking toward stern...just gives me an idea...

 

[Shermanater]

Once again these pics are not great. Turns out I don't have as many as I thought I did. Gives you an idea of how much space I gained with no doghouse in the way. Excuse the really dirty pic of the inside of the boat as well.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Thanks that looks awesome. Like I said its a 50/50 right now but if this the boat for a while may consider pod idea.... Do you find the handling different when you changed?

 

[Shermanater]

For sure I did. Gets on step faster and i don't have to use my trim tabs so much like i used to with the i/o. It feels like a bigger boat now which i expected and it seems to ride a bit better in rough water. The Yamaha has a lot more power and is super quiet compared to the old Volvo. With the old motor i would cruise at 21mph @ 3800rpm and the new motor i cruise at 28mph @ 3400rpm. I can almost travel twice the distance on a single tank of gas with the Yamaha compared to the Volvo. That has been one of the best outcomes of this conversion for me since range was an issue with this boat. I could go on for a while about all the good stuff but i think you get the idea. One big negative though is that the handling in tight areas sucks now. With the i/o i could do a 360 in a very tight area and now i have troubles getting it to maneuver the way i want it to. You do get used to the handling and it does get a bit easier. Overall the boat now is 100x better than it used to be with the Volvo.

 

[ziggy]

How much does the pod affect the balance of the boat? Do you find pushing the weight further back aft affects how low the stern sits?

 

[Shermanater]

The stern sits higher now than before. The old I/o was probably 300lbs heavier that the Yamaha plus the pod adds a lot of floatation. The boat used to be quite stern heavy and it sits more level now. If anything it could use a little more weight in the stern. I do plan to add some storage to the back of the boat which will add a bit of weight. The batteries are behind the door on the back panel and the other side I plan to add a couple drawer units for tackle etc. There is a decent amount of space behind there that I need to get creative with.

 

[SpringVelocity]

I am leaning towards podding next year I think I may be fed up with my inboard. Its just way to much screwing around with the mercruiser 3.0L, and makes me nervous for fishing in remote locations. So just July/August alone:

Replace Distributor, fix hydraulic lines etc. $300.00
New seals/bellows etc to fix leak on stern drive $950.00
New module ignition fix $400
Fix timing and reinstall another new module ignition ( first one was junk) $200

Current ignition problem unknown. Still diagnosing. Completely stopped for season. No sparking.

So you can see in just over 2 months I am will be in this motor over 2000.00, and constant headaches. And of course a motor that won't run now. Very disappointing.

 

[TobyDexter]

I just sold my boat that had a volvo I/o for that exact reason . I felt like I was always spending money here and there just to keep it going and the thing only had 300 hours . It ruined a fishing trip for me on the west coast so I freaked out and sold it. I ended up with a different boat with a 225 suzuki on it and I am way happier so far. Get rid of that thing ASAP and give your brain a rest before you snap like I did.

 

[wolf]

Motor runs fine does it not??? just an electronic piece of **** china part....once you get all the voodoos worked out it will be fine 2 grand not bad compared to 20 grand for a new outboard....
I had mine break down the other day as well went to start ZIP knew right away damn starter after probably 300 trips on it no warning just went ?????? .... went in bam new one installed in about 2 hours as I have a new one on hand at home .... now ill take the old one in and get it all redone.

I can work on it had help with a buddy with noodle arms to get into it but normally id take the manifold off and very easy then.
ill admit all these new electronics on the new stuff is scary AND 2000 grand may be just to hook up a computer to "look " at it....

 

[scott craven]

Get a good 150hp camp return outboard, Yam or Merc and you'll be happy again.
(seen them for around 10k in the winter)
My only advice would be to make sure you love the boat before you dump another 10-15k into it.
you can get a pretty decent package for not a lot more.

 

[rockdog]

Wow, I'm surprised your 3.0L is giving you that much grief. I love mine and it has been absolutely trouble free for 4 years now. It's not common to throw that much money at it, those motors are very reliable.