OB vs IB

[KellyC]

Ok, something has been bothering me for a while and have to ask questions once again. Every since I have thought of the idea of putting an OB on my boat there have been a million comments to do it. But it is not something that I totally understand as of yet and want to find out why. Here is a list of things that I can think of for both units and just want to know what the deal is all about is all. It has really been under my skin for sometime and it is just because I do not know.

IO - less deck space, quieter, more fuel efficent, easy to work on (yes I can turn wrenches), can install 2-3 for the price to build OB setup, outdrive fairly easy to take care of but yes there is maintainence to do, bigger pain to winterize but still not hard, takes more water to run in,

OB - more deck space, noisier (2 stroke, I am bottom feeder as well), better top end and hole shot, less fuel efficent, don't know a thing about them (can learn), need to install OB bracket and then motor $$$, less maintainence to do but cost more to do than IO, easy to winterize, drafts less water,

Yes I have decided to go with the IO unless something really special happens and I am not that freaking lucky. I just want to know is all guys and I am hoping that I do not offend anyone or make them angry in any way, just need to know for myself what the deal is so it will quit bothering me is all:facepalm:. And I know that I need to do what I need to do as well, just want to know the facts for sure is all. Ok I will quit being stupid now and see how this goes.

Kelly

 

[N1265]

Re: OB vs IB

For me , an OB also extends my season Because I am more likely to put it in the water sooner and use it later in the season.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: OB vs IB

Kelley Hey Bud if your happy with a I/O then thats what you should do and being familiar with it will make it easier. Your boat your choice we all want you to be happy and get it in the water... Pugetsound

 

[KellyC]

Re: OB vs IB

Kelley Hey Bud if your happy with a I/O then thats what you should do and being familiar with it will make it easier. Your boat your choice we all want you to be happy and get it in the water... Pugetsound

I totally agree with you Puget, I just want to know the why's is all. Why one over the other bud, they both have pro's and con's to them and I just was wondering what it is all about.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: OB vs IB

If both were in good running order the only draw back on a I/O is the service and storing it in the winter. I said before I have had both and liked both untill repairs became necessary and in my opinion its a lot easier to maintain a OB than a I/O. Thats the only big difference. If you enjoy working on the I/O then thats fine I just dot tired of the cost to repair. However working with older used units is nothing like useing a modern rebuilt I/O which I never had. Now get busy spring is around the corner. You do want to have a good kicker on your boat regardles.My choice is a high thrust 9.9 kicker and ( el. start a must )and it can be a 2 cycle., or a 4 stroke which is heaver. I have a Merc 9.9 but prefer a yamaha or Suzuki kicker. Good repairs are around the corner. Be carefull and think it thru as you go. If I ever get down your way to where my mother is buryed. Ill tr to see you My mother is in Corvalis They used to live just west of Alsea... The best. pugetsound

 

[dozerII]

Re: OB vs IB

I have owned both O/Bs and an I/O, yes the outboard is much eaiser to winterize, is it less expensive to fix NO. Can it run in much shallower water not really ( depending on the size). They are much louder, smokey, but they do Perform. I love the fact my I/O is the same as a car motor for the most part, easy to tune, change the oil once or twice a year. I think it is actually easier to change the impeller on the i/o because I can take the l/u apart on the bench. One of the big expences with I/O's was leg problems and repairs, now with SEI available in a lot of cases you can replace the whole unit for less than a handfull of the Merc parts needed to fix the old one, and have a 3 year warranty. If I wanted a brand new 140 hp outboard I would be looking at 14 to 15K, If I want to replace my out drive and motor I can do it for far less than 5K. Plus I get to cruise around the lake for two days on a tank of gas instead of half a day with the O/B. I quess one drawback with the I/O is the fact I can't use the excuse of motor noise to say I didn't hear you to the wife!!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: OB vs IB

YAH BABY! IO vs. OB, BRING IT!!!!

OK, what kind of rules are we running here??

Back alley, bare knuckle, street rules??

Or, is this more of a gentleman's fight?

 

[86 century]

Re: OB vs IB

My personal experience has been that I/O's do require more maintenance. I personally like my OB's for the power and reliability. As for the noise and smoke not a problem for me but the wife and kids hate it. The cost of fuel is more and more of a factor every day. The lager older OB's love there fuel.

I run a '80 200merc that has all the power one could need(especially on an 18' SS)but there is a trade off she drinks fuel to the tune 37gal in and hour and half using around 220gal(pulling tubes skiing and wake boarding)on a long weekend.

My brother has a '88 rinker 205 with a 4.3merc(190hp)on the same lake same weekend real close to the same running time used around 40gal total pushing a larger heavier boat.

My point is what do you want is top end speed a big factor or would you rather have a quieter smoother more fuel efficient slower ride.

Hope my rambling help

 

[KellyC]

Re: OB vs IB

YAH BABY! IO vs. OB, BRING IT!!!!

OK, what kind of rules are we running here??

Back alley, bare knuckle, street rules??

Or, is this more of a gentleman's fight?

LMAO....bring it on Jason, you can pick any rules you want just remember that I will always be ready for anything Remember one thing though, there was a reason that a lot of cops that I know had me teach thier kids how to shoot firearms.

I appreciate all the opinions guys and the facts as well. I was just asking because it was nagging at the back of my little pea brain is all.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: OB vs IB

YAH BABY! IO vs. OB, BRING IT!!!!

OK, what kind of rules are we running here??

Back alley, bare knuckle, street rules??

Or, is this more of a gentleman's fight?

Marquess of Queensberry rules apply here. No broken bottles, bricks, stones, old wire hangers, any of that stuff that litters the alleys and back ways in Midland. Thug!

Now that that's out of the way, which side are you on Jas?

I/O is better on gas, and quieter. IMHO easier to work on.
O/B; can use later in the season due to winterizing or not having to. Takes up less room in the boat. Less maintenance.

Which is faster? I don't know

 

[jasoutside]

Re: OB vs IB

Marquess of Queensberry rules apply here. No broken bottles, bricks, stones, old wire hangers, any of that stuff that litters the alleys and back ways in Midland. Thug!

Well since I am actually outside of Midland and all I see are farm fields and forrest I have been running around gathering good sized whacken branches and big rocks. Found a really mean looken wood chuck too. I think I might take a swipe at EZ with that nasty woodland creature.

I am ready, bring it!

Now that that's out of the way, which side are you on Jas?

I dunno, I better pick huh.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: OB vs IB

All the boats I have ever been on except for maybe once or twice, have always been outboard models. I just stick with what I know the best(which still doesn't amount to much).

One thing worth mentioning is that a 90hp OB would most likely whip the pants off a 110 or 120hp I/O on the same model boat.

This means that in order to get the same performance an I/O would have to be disproportionately larger, meaning a loss of some of the fuel efficiency savings. This is the one issue that I/O's do intrigue me since gas might be going up again by this summer.

As actions speak more loudly than words...I'd say that Jason(who just paid cash for a nice little OB model) is in the "cool" corner with EZ, Dale, Triton, Puget, Kenny and myself

(I figured we'd better recruit ya since you're doin the best job collecting weapons so far. Try to get some larger branches and fabricate a trebuchet)

 

[Deadwood]

Re: OB vs IB

Found a really mean looken wood chuck too.

Jas, while you've got it find out how much wood that puppy can chuck OK??

Inboard main and outboard kicker. Remember Kelly...you've got to have a nice space for her name....which is going to be....???...drumroll...???

 

[Starman8]

Re: OB vs IB

I have owned both.

I/O:

Less cold weather usage
Engine takes up space
OK for skiing and cruising, crappy for fishing

O/B:

Noisy
Better for fishing
OK for skiing
Easily replaced mechanically, not $$

The best way to determine what you like better is to fantasize!

Money not an issue, what would be on your brand new boat?

My answer:

200HP OB(Yammie)
9.9 4stroke kicker
I-Pilot electric 36v 101 Terrova

Either on a SFM tinnie or a 21' Reata, or have both since money isn't an issue.............lol

 

[tgp***]

Re: OB vs IB

Never owned a boat big enough to to have a I/O. I've owned 3. If money were not an issue, then... I'd probly own an I/O because I'd have a big boat that I could afford to have someone else maintain it for me. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money.

However, if an old Cheiftian I/O came along for the right price. It all comes down to money in the end. How much do you have, and how much are you will to spend on your toys.

 

[dozerII]

Re: OB vs IB

Well gas just hit $1.12 a liter ( $4.48 a gal) here today so I'm liking the little old I/O 4 banger even more. An who says I/O are not good for fishing, my SS works great for up to six people.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: OB vs IB

IO vs. OB Ten Rounder


Ok, so here is how I call the fight...

Round #1 - Initial Investment - IO

Good used 150hp OB goes $5,000

Good used V6 IO goes $1,500 and new SEI outdrive $1,300, Total = $2,800

New 150hp OB goes $12,000

New IO goes $5,000 and $1,300 for the SEI, Total = $6,300

(just rough numbers obviously and I haven't even included the cost of the bracket)

I can burn up two IO's before I even up the cost of an OB. Or, pick up just one IO and another Starcraft

The IO is definitely bottom feeder friendly!

Round #2 - Maintenance - Draw

The IO definitely needs more regular attention than the OB, no doubt about it.

Here is the trick though. Most all the regular maintenance can be done by anybody who is handy with a wrench. Add in the help over in the IO section and I think a fella can work through just about anything for the cost of parts.

For me personally, the OB would need to go see the Doc for anything more than a gear oil, or impeller change. As soon as you pull into the marine tech's parking lot you'll hear whoooshing. The sound of your wallet getting lighter.

In the end I suppose it depends on the owner for this one. If you'd rather boat and are ok with coughing up the extra $$ at the dealer, OB. If you don't mind wrenching on your own stuff on a yearly basis, IO.

Round #3 - Fuel Economy - IO
It's well known and documented that the IO gets better mpg/gph. Those numbers that 86 is quoting, ouch!

Round #4 - Noise - IO

The purring of that auto engine is certainly quieter underneath the insulated doghouse. The racket that OB makes can get a bit old after a while.

Round #5 - Deck Space - OB
I gave this round to the OB as I think we are mainly talking about putting one on a bracket. Tons of super awesome deck space!

If we are talking about an OB on the transom than the IO wins.

Round #5 - Extended Season - OB
OK, I gave this one to the OB as I know my OB buds will whine if I didn't. Though, throwing a electric blanket over the IO can can extend it's season as well.

Round #6 - Form - IO

You can't beat the clean lines of a boat with an IO, hidden away out of sight, very nice.

Round #7 - Performance - OB

No doubt the OB performs better at hole shot and top end. Does it matter?

Round #8 - Trolling - IO

No doubt the IO can troll all day long using hardly any fuel, no sputtering. Does it matter?

Round #9 - Re Power - Draw

Much easier to re power an OB. So why a draw? See the budget outlined in round #1.

Round #10 - Name and Port of Call - IO

Yah, DW has it up there. Your all important boat name broken up by an OB, come on, that is just no good.


The IO takes the fight!!


(strictly one man's opinion, post up if I need correction, cool guys own IO's, and are better looking)

 

[Deadwood]

Re: OB vs IB

YO ADRIAN.....Jas says we won!!!
(I can hear EZ hammerin that keyboard as we speak all the way out here!!)

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: OB vs IB

No mention of the superior ability of outboards when it comes to shallow running.

Didn't see a reference to the capability to have 2-3 outboards on a normal sized boat. This offers the type of redundancy that allows folks to venture out into big water with confidence.

There is a reason that the Coast Guard runs dual outboards on their rigs. Try installing two I/O's in a boat smaller than 28' and see how far you get.

This scores big points with me since I like heading out into the big lake and also be safe about it. A Minn Kota outdrive mount is NOT gonna get you back to port against wind/waves.

The only other issue I see is that many of us are wrenching on outboards too, have you seen how busy the Johnnyrude forum is? Especially on the older ones they are super easy to take apart, replace parts and put back together.

I say it's even on wrenching, although newer DFI outboards are equally difficult for shade tree folks as the I/Os. So a draw there I'd say.

The pricing is a bit off as well, since I can go grab a sweet 115hp outboard locally for 750 right now Maybe you are looking at newer ones?

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: OB vs IB

If your boat was rigged with an I/O, then it's perfect for that hull..Go fooling around and mounting brackets and pods to mount a OB, well your asking for trouble and a whole lotta money re inventing the wheel.
Being on the water safely and coming home is what matters...thats all