i/o or outboard

[joe1956]

I suer this has been asked before but I cant find it.If buying a used boat witch is better?To work on and reliable

 

[drewpster]

Re: i/o or outboard

Depends on your point of view. In my experience I have had equal reliability out both of my boats. (one is an inboard, one is a outboard). I don't think one is any more inherently reliable than the other in my opinion.

As far as working on them goes, an outboard is easier to access right off the bat. Inboard engines are usually packed into small spaces or are below decks making them more of a strain.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: i/o or outboard

I would say it also depends on what size boat you want. You have that inboard taking up space inside the hull also. I have an outboard myself. I was thinking of looking at an inboard for a future project, it would be my first inboard though. Like Drewpster said those inboards can be pretty cramped up, that is one reason I like having my outboard. I also had to remove a motor from one of them boats with an inboard/outdrive on it and it wasn't much fun. Just thankful that the boat hull was a junker and I didn't half to worry about damaging anything outside the motor because the hull wasn't any count anyways.

 

[Robbo22]

Re: i/o or outboard

I would say it also depends on what size boat you want. You have that inboard taking up space inside the hull also. I have an outboard myself. I was thinking of looking at an inboard for a future project, it would be my first inboard though. Like Drewpster said those inboards can be pretty cramped up, that is one reason I like having my outboard. I also had to remove a motor from one of them boats with an inboard/outdrive on it and it wasn't much fun. Just thankful that the boat hull was a junker and I didn't half to worry about damaging anything outside the motor because the hull wasn't any count anyways.

Ive owned both Inboard and outboard and yes the outboard was easily accessible....However, I note the comments of others who say working on an inboard can be cramped and yes its true but if you think an inboard is tough to work on just try your average modern car engine. At least everything on my inboard is accessible albeit in a confined space.

 

[oops!]

Re: i/o or outboard

it all depends on the size of the boat my friend.
bolth systems are as relibale as the owner that maintaines them.
generally speaking. an ob spins faster (rpm) and you can get more top end for a cheeper dollar....disclaimer(this depends on several factors, hull weight,,,ect).

however it depends on what you want to do with the boat. a lake fishing rig doesent need a nitrous breathing blown 454.
but an off shore scarab does!

so think of what you want to use the boat for and where your going to be boating....
most of the answers will hit you in the head!

cheers

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: i/o or outboard

reliabilty, either one if well maintained. the outboard is more user and maintainance friendly. if you blow it up, you swap out another motor in a 1/2 day,

 

[joe1956]

Re: i/o or outboard

Thank you for all your input.looking at 2 different boats for a project.i gust spent 2 hours putting a compressor on my car.Working in cramp area no problem once spent 4 hours putting a bolt in a MG trans.
Still working on my 67 suffer but wont to sell it get something newer. I have boat fever bad 83 here in Texas today wont to go fishing.Thanks again

 

[reelfishin]

Re: i/o or outboard

I've owned both, but most of my boats have been outboards. I/O boats do usually seem to do better on fuel, there's no oil mixing and are more like car engines if that's what your more familiar with. If it ever came to having to work on the motor while on the water, the I/O is the better choice. Not all I/O set ups are cramped to work on. My 1971 trihull has a lift lid set up in which the entire rear section lifts and exposes the motor out in the open, you can sit right along side of the motor and do just about anything that needs to be done with the lid open. It can be near impossible to work on some outboards from in the boat, two of my boats are set up in such a way that you can't even reach the outboard from inside the boat without climbing up on the rear deck and hanging over the stern.

I/O set ups are heavier and do take up interior space, there are more moving parts and there are boots or bellows to maintain to prevent water intrusion.
There is no hull opening below the water line to worry about with an outboard boat.

Being that most outboards are still two strokes, they also tend to make better power vs. weight. I have two nearly identical boats, both are early 70's 17' trihulls, one with a Merc 120 I/O, the other with a 120 O/B. The I/O boat does about 35 mph on the water and the O/B boat has enough power that I probably would never open it up to find out. The I/O boat weighs in at about 900bs more than the O/B version. I would venture to guess that the my Mercruiser 120 set up weighs nearly double what my Evinrude 120 V4 does. The outboard boat is also better balanced and not as stern heavy.
My 120 O/B will use about 4 time the fuel as my I/O boat, but since its lighter and quite a bit faster, the O/B boat does get run harder, so it's hard to say exactly what the fuel consumption difference really is. The I/O boat does better at slower speeds, it can run at an idle smoothly where as an older 2 stroke runs better only at higher RPMs.

I tend to prefer an O/B but if I were buying brand new, I would consider either. I am more weary of used I/O set ups simply due the fact that I am near saltwater here and it can be pretty costly to try and repair or reverse years of saltwater damage. An outboard can be swapped out easier.

An outboard also doesn't have as many moving parts to fail. An outboard's final drive is fixed, it has no universal joints, bellows, or pivot points to maintain.