engine question IO v OB

Finished Business

Finished Business

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was just curious, since I don't have lot of onwater experience with inboard motors...in a nutshell...

If a boat had a dry weight of 3000lbs (for arguement sake) and it was powered by a 200hp outboard. Would that same boat with the same dry weight, powered with a 200hp inboard, perform the same? When considering speed, acceleration, and manuverability?? Sterndrive inboard of course...

shine some light?

-Tx, FB
 
Outboards are more fuel efficient (we are not including diesels here ha ha), weigh less for hp, and you don't have a big azz hole in your boat below water line. Less weight the hull would perform better. You can adust your prop height with an out board as well to fine tune things.
 
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I know you want me to pod it John haha but, although those are all great points to support the swap, performance wise does 200hp in an OB perform the same, if the boat was identical in wieght with each engine, as an IO? Not including gas mileage (althought thats a big one!!), but just top speed, acceleration, and turning?

and considering diesels, is the same amount of diesel horsepower, in this example, 200hp, needed to perform the same as a 200hp gas engine?
 
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cost of purchase new out board = 15+ k
new V6 or V8 = 5k or less depending if your leg is still good ????

but most boat mech's just like working on OB for some strange reason

think it has to do with not getting there gut over the rail x amount a times a day

it may keep them fit......lol
 
There is no comparison. Outboards are lighter, quieter, more fuel efficient, require less maintenance and replacement of add on parts, give you more room in the deck area of the boat, are easier for mechanics to work on and much safer when it comes to gas and explosive fumes. Hole shot and top end speed will be better with outboards. Operating in shallow waters is better with outboards. I/O's are better at lugging around more weight with less engine wear as they swing a bigger prop and the rotating assembly is much beefier. I/O's are better at slow speed maneuverability and have better response to throttle in reverse. So they are easier to dock. A 200 hp I/O diesel will get better fuel economy but will not have the same top end speed as the gas. You will cruise at a slower speed as well.
 
I could be way out to lunch here, But I was under the impression that outboards out perform Inboards for all the above listed reasons, But! When the outboard does go, its usually a big BANG! and your *^cked! kinda like a 2 stroke dirtbike or jetski. Very low maintance and good power for the weight, but its not if they go, its when they go, and they go boom!
Again, I may be in correct. This probly applies to the older 2 stroke outboards.

Edit: sorry, just realized this has nothing to to with the OP's question about speed and such....
 
profisher said:
There is no comparison. Outboards are lighter, quieter, more fuel efficient, require less maintenance and replacement of add on parts, give you more room in the deck area of the boat, are easier for mechanics to work on and much safer when it comes to gas and explosive fumes. Hole shot and top end speed will be better with outboards. Operating in shallow waters is better with outboards. I/O's are better at lugging around more weight with less engine wear as they swing a bigger prop and the rotating assembly is much beefier. I/O's are better at slow speed maneuverability and have better response to throttle in reverse. So they are easier to dock. A 200 hp I/O diesel will get better fuel economy but will not have the same top end speed as the gas. You will cruise at a slower speed as well.
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Nailed it Pro, thanks very much!

So how much is a pod typically worth? I know Armstrong is the big name, but other builders locally do them as well. All of these points add up to a bottom line somewhere, just want to know all of my options and the end result of each

FB
 
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Prices on a pod will depend on factors like...buying it off a shelf or having one made. Style of pod..ie, with a swim grid or without. I had mine built years ago by Bohn sheet metal in Sooke. I took measurements of s "Gill" bracket at a Seattle boat show and had them build me a copy. Much cheaper..I think at the time it was half the price. Then I took it to Victoria Powdercoating and when it was ready I had Bohn's install it on the transom. I know a few guys who more recently have used Liquid Metal in Sidney to have pods built. I would start there and compare what they can do compared to pods off the shelf. My preference is to have a pod custom built to fit your boat if the price is the same or better.
 
sooo in the ballpark of 1k? 5K? My guess is around $2000ish? I don't want to call a shop as this is all preliminary research and I hate calling a place just to satisfy my curiosity, until I am ready to actually start the build, I would feel like I am wasting someones time...

on the other hand, I'm happy to 'waste' your guys time on here lol.

just trying to feel podding out, as everyone pushes for it pretty hard! I could use all that space for a few hundred pounds of tuna forrrr sure!
 
I would guess between $1,500 and $2,000 would be a good place to start. Back in 1992 mine came in under $1,000.
 
Interesting. I was always told I/O was MORE economical on gas. You are saying it is less?
 
LastChance said:
With all of the boats on the market right now, by the time you do a pod outboard conversion, I'd say buy another boat. They are cheap right now.
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definitely true, boats of today are going for a good price. But the boat I bought requires repowering anyways...the design, layout, and material were the selling points for me. The plan is to put the boat pretty far offshore so regardless of the power it came with, I planned to re-do with a new/near new motor, for my own piece of mind. A warrantee never hurts either. With a lot of time for the build on my hands, I don't mind waiting months searching for the right deal at the right price. Regardless of the cost of used boats on the market, I am sure that whichever power option I choose to go with, I will still be ahead of the game, financially speaking.

Things like weight reduction, an open dancefloor, a large fish-hold, better fuel economy are all things that make outboard power appealing, but to find a good motor with low hours for a steal of a price (which is still going to be a lot of moolah in my books) is way harder to come by, than a low hour inboard for a steal...

I have to be realistic with myself. A $20,000 200+hp outboard is not in my future at this time. Even with low hours for 10k, I still look at it as though I could install 2 turnkey IO engines NEW for that cost. Mercruiser parts are a dime a dozen, and could be found most anywhere.

I guess you could say I over-think, and under-spend haha...but I always end up with good quality products with some money in my pocket to walk away with...
 
My flotation pod came in at 2K for a 24 Orca. Built by the fabricator right next to the Port Boat house in Alberni. Very well made and has stood up well over 10 years.
 
My inboard gets way better fuel economy than the out board I ran!!! misconception saying inboards burn more or less....out boards like gas just like any other engine!!!
 
wolf said:
My inboard gets way better fuel economy than the out board I ran!!!
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My 200 i/o burns half at cruise than slabbers 225 opti
 
I bought my Hourston for the design and size. It has the stock gas hungry 351 still in it. It's a easy motor to maintain. I checked out a price for a bracket $1800 for what I was wanting and had a line on a couple used 140-hp motors for $10000. I figured a easy $15000 by the time I was done. I don't have that kind of cash at the moment. I figure if the motor blows I'll cross that bridge when I have to. But I'll probably go the route that Roy went and build a "Stroker Motor" for way less money and have way more power to boot. I would love the floor space but for $10000, that's pretty expensive by the Sq/ft.
 
Yep run at 3200 rpm doing 25 kts at 8 gph the opti i had was 12 gph at 4400 rpm doing the same speed
 
I/O's basically have a car motor that you run at 3500 - 4000 rpm and from what I have seen the legs are never ending greif...


Bret
 
wolf said:
Yep run at 3200 rpm doing 25 kts at 8 gph the opti i had was 12 gph at 4400 rpm doing the same speed
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verrry interesting! Not sure what to think now lol....the dancefloor space without an I/O is really nice, but at the same time I probably LOSE more space for storage not having such a large swim deck with an outboard (the wiring, controls, gaslines make it difficult to stack coolers). I/O sounding better and better....
 
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