I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

[JoLin]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

air, your comments only apply to OMC Cobra drives. But again, why buy something that is obsolete?

Right- that's good advice for somebody who already owns one, but why would anyone offer it up as an option to someone who's shopping? Airdvr, nobody's saying they suck- but they're obsolete and some of the 'uncommon' parts are getting hard to find. A buyer looking for an I/O boat should really stick to what's been recommended (Merc, V-P and GM motors) if he wants to be assured of support going forward.

My .02

 

[Hank496]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

I'd have to echo Tahorover's comment - Stick with outboards. We moved up to i/o with our current boat and over the past four years we have replaced bellows, trim indicator sensors, drive shaft and upper seal, gimbal bearing, and gimbal ring and pin. I can honestly say I should have stayed with outboards.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

Right- that's good advice for somebody who already owns one, but why would anyone offer it up as an option to someone who's shopping? Airdvr, nobody's saying they suck- but they're obsolete and some of the 'uncommon' parts are getting hard to find. A buyer looking for an I/O boat should really stick to what's been recommended (Merc, V-P and GM motors) if he wants to be assured of support going forward.

My .02

Took the words right off my keyboard!

Ah come on Hank, outboards aren't any fun. Too expensive to buy and fix.

 

[craigman]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

WOW! A lot of good info here!
It will probably be next month when i start looking. Sounds like i've got my work cut out!
And Hank, no more noisy outboards for me! Their noisy, and can cost a boat load to fix!
Thanks again fellas!
Craig

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

Right- that's good advice for somebody who already owns one, but why would anyone offer it up as an option to someone who's shopping? Airdvr, nobody's saying they suck- but they're obsolete and some of the 'uncommon' parts are getting hard to find. A buyer looking for an I/O boat should really stick to what's been recommended (Merc, V-P and GM motors) if he wants to be assured of support going forward.

My .02

I'm not debating. I agree with you. You guys have far more experience than I. But I'll submit there are still plenty of servicable rigs for sale out there with OMC Cobra drives. You can't make a good choice unless you understand the situation completely. He could buy a Mercruiser that's been abused...would that be a better choice than a well maintained correctly functioning Cobra?

 

[Don S]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

would that be a better choice than a well maintained correctly functioning Cobra?

How do you go about verifying that ????? Believe the seller ?????? I have seen to many boats that were polished within an inch of their life, including the prop. That after 10 years of rough use, it never seen an oil change, gear lube change, bellows, greased splines, alignment check (and the list goes on) but they were shiny. Change the oil when you want to sell it so the oil is clean and bingol everyone thinks all the maintenance has been done.

 

[Bondo]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

How do you go about verifying that ????? Believe the seller ?????? I have seen to many boats that were polished within an inch of their life, including the prop. That after 10 years of rough use, it never seen an oil change, gear lube change, bellows, greased splines, alignment check (and the list goes on) but they were shiny. Change the oil when you want to sell it so the oil is clean and bingol everyone thinks all the maintenance has been done.

Ayuh,.... I believe that generally, the seller is a Liar, that needs his info Verified...

I think your post is the dictionary definition of a Polished Turd, Don...

Btw,... Ya still got that picture of My favorite motor drive combo,..??

The 470/ Stringer drive,..??

Oh, 'n for the OP,...
Don't even Look at an "L" drive....

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

How do you go about verifying that ????? Believe the seller ?????? I have seen to many boats that were polished within an inch of their life, including the prop. That after 10 years of rough use, it never seen an oil change, gear lube change, bellows, greased splines, alignment check (and the list goes on) but they were shiny. Change the oil when you want to sell it so the oil is clean and bingol everyone thinks all the maintenance has been done.

That feeling isn't exclusive to Cobras.

 

[rincon madness]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

I have a sea ray srv197. Its powered by Ford with OMC electric shift. I have my mechanic go over it every year. I have had the boat for 6 years. I know there is a lot of OMC / Merc bashing here, but my OMC cranks. It will turn on a dime. Smooth shifter and a beautiful boat too. I enjoy it, and its bullet proof. Bottom line: take care of it, and it will live longer than you. See if there is a good OMC mechanic thats old school and you will be fine. Even though out of business "long live OMC electric shift".

 

[JoLin]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

I have a sea ray srv197. Its powered by Ford with OMC electric shift. I have my mechanic go over it every year. I have had the boat for 6 years. I know there is a lot of OMC / Merc bashing here, but my OMC cranks. It will turn on a dime. Smooth shifter and a beautiful boat too. I enjoy it, and its bullet proof. Bottom line: take care of it, and it will live longer than you. See if there is a good OMC mechanic thats old school and you will be fine. Even though out of business "long live OMC electric shift".

Again, the OP is shopping for an I/O boat. He asked specifically 'what should I stay away from?' You're going to tell him that an OMC/Ford combination is a good choice? Seriously? You're confusing 'recommendations for a new buyer' with 'bashing'. Nobody's bashing your drivetrain, dude. I'm pleased as punch that you love it... but how in good conscience do you tell a prospective buyer that an OMC/Ford combination 'rocks' and that's what he should buy?

Unbelievable.

My .02

 

[25thmustang]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

I have also heard rumors that older (1980s boats) with big blocks and Alpha 1s had issues with the outdrive being too "small" and weak for the motor. Is this something worth mentioning?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

I have also heard rumors that older (1980s boats) with big blocks and Alpha 1s had issues with the outdrive being too "small" and weak for the motor. Is this something worth mentioning?

Yes, very good point. Those were typically in Mid sized cruisers, not runabouts. The OP might not be shopping for a boat that big, right off the bat. But good info for the future, stay away from Alphas behind 454s.
In that vein, I would think avoid Mercruiser TR/TRS, since they are no longer made.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

True, the TRS stuff is hard to come by and $$$ from what I saw when I looked into an older Scarab.

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

Stay away from OMC's and Volvos...at least the older ones.....90's and older.

 

[calvinator]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

No OMC. I found service and support is really fading for these.

I bought a mid-90s boat and my current boat is a Volvo Penta (Ford 351 motor) with the Volvo Penta SX drive. Ford stopped making marine blocks in the mid 90s, so I was somewhat concerned about service and support.

My experience with the Volvo Penta/Ford has been very good. The Marinas and boat shops had no problem with some of the work items I needed.

And for the DIY stuff, (impellers, tune up, SX drive) parts are easy to find.

If you find a boat with the Volvo Penta-Ford-SX drive combo, I would not shy away.

Oh yeah, I have only heard, but the mid 90's fuel injection systems you might want to explore some more. The boat shops say the fuel injection is fussy (read $$$$). Carb models no problem.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

Everyone keeps saying, how do you know if it has truley been serviced regularly. Well, that should be easy enough to see with reciepts. I had a Yamaha I/O in a 93 Chap that was obviously maintained, but the service records just proved it. It was by far the best boat and most trouble free boat I have ever owned. I wish I still had it. There was a paper trail showing how well it had been taken care of.

If someone truley maintains thier boat like they claim, they will have the reciepts to prove it. I have every reciept for every part, quart of oil, lifejacket, etc etc that I have bought and every time it was in the shop since I have owned my current boat.

This goes for every boat, and every manner of propulsion. If they cant produce the documentation, that knocks money off the value in my opinion.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

That feeling isn't exclusive to Cobras.

No, it's not exclusive to Cobra's

Look at it another way though. Some one buys a boat with a Cobra drive in showroom mint condition. It's had all maintenance done to it over it's entire service life. All of that becomes a moot point if that person happens to hit a rock or stump and takes out the gear set/shaft's etc.

Their choices for fixing the damage is limited to;
-A phone call to a marina that dealt with the original OMC in hopes they have the dusty yellowed bags filled with the parts they need.
-A trip on to ebay to shop for sometimes ludicrously priced NLA parts which are either new, gently used, or damaged in some way not apparent to the naked eye and the grainy pictures taken with a camera phone.
-Look for an entire drive on ebay, or the back of a donor boat, who's service history is limited to what the seller tells you.

I would rather take my chances with a drive made by a company still in business, which still offers the majority if not all the parts for previously manufactured drives.

 

[bekosh]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

One thing you should do is check into your local parts and service availability. Many shops only deal with a limited number of brands.
It would suck to buy a boat and find that the nearest shop that will work on that brand is 30-50 miles away and booked for the next month. Or that none of the local suppliers carry parts for that brand in stock.

In my area Merc mechanics are a dime a dozen while VP mechs are pretty thin on the ground. The closest certified VP mech to me is about 30 miles away my house while there are probably a dozen Merc shops within that distance.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

I think this thread could be much simpler if we knew the OP's intended budget and/or year range of boat consideration. If the seller is going to be looking at newer boats, there really isn't much to worry about avoiding.

The comment about outboards being expensive to repair is silly. Yes, an outboard powerhead may be more expensive to work on than an I/O engine. However, ALL that stuff between the engine and lower unit on an I/O? Yeah. outboards don't even have that. There is just simply no friggin' way that an outboard is going to cost you more in repairs/maintenance over it's lifespan than an I/O. It will cost you more in gas though.

 

[craigman]

Re: I/O's, which ones to stay away from?

Well lucky for me there is 4 dealerships and about 5 repair shops in my local area. And all the repair shops have been around as long as i can remember. So i'm hoping thats a good thing.
I've been keeping my eyes out and unless i spend some big bucks, (my budget is about $5k) there isn't many v8 boats. Mainly 4 cylnders. I see a lot of advertisements on Volvo/Penta. Not sure that means a Volvo engine and Penta outdrive or what. If so, don't know much about Volvo motors. Any others like chevy, ford, ect. power doesn't bother me. I've been a mechanic/bodyman for 20 years.
Like i said before, it won't be untill next month untill i buy one so i have some time to look and see what's out there.
Thanks again guys for all the great info!