Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

[Racer57]

My first boat. Looking at either a Four Winns 180 Horizon or a Sea Ray 185. Both are (new) stern drive boats. Some friends tell me not to go with a stern drive - should go with an outboard. On a stern drive more can go wrong and it is more expensive to repair.

What is the recommendation of the experts on this forum?

 

[calwldlif]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

Before you decide
you need to compare
price of equal HP systems
then ask

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

Well, I will bet alot of money that the stern drive is going to save you on gas money. They are a bit more maintenance but not too bad. It would really depend on type of outboard vs type of sterndrive. There are brands we tend to avoid due to such poor maintence history and availability of repair parts.

 

[calwldlif]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

performance wise for same HP
Outboards hands down better
More deck area, easier to get out of
boat, will tilt out of water
COST A LOT.

Reason same hp is better on Outboard
RPMs they will spin past 5000 all day

Use to be reliability/HP was INboard, now a days
Out boards in some cases last longer/equal HP.

There are too many variables, main
in my opinion COST

 

[jevery]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

My biggest complaint with a stern drive is having to pull drain plugs to prevent freeze damage. My last sterndrive, (Mercruiser 5.7), had 5 plugs total that had to be removed if there was the chance of a freeze.. A few of them required a contortionist to reach. Big hassle if the boat is used in the cold months, though not an issue if you live in a warmer climate. An outboard only has to be lowered and it drains itself. I now own a 4-stroke outboard powered boat. Personally I prefer I/Os only for larger pleasure craft and outboards for fishing and smaller boats.

 

[JB]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

The I/O became a dinosaur when high HP EFI 4 stroke outboards became available.

Only I/O that has an excuse for being is Diesel.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

The I/O became a dinosaur when high HP EFI 4 stroke outboards became available.

Only I/O that has an excuse for being is Diesel.

:'( You sir need to undergo sensitivty taining, i propose two weeks in intensive therapy............8)

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

JB has a good point. My next boat will be an outboard for sure.
I wasn't offended and i have an old OMC I/O...:/

 

[JB]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

Apologies, tailgunner.

I was in a foul mood.:$

 

[tommays]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

I find on the other hand the new BIG block outboards are haveing a SHORTER life than the units they replaced and have become very costly to repiar due to parts cost and complexity

With the newest 300HP 4 stroke outboard costing 25000 dollars :^

Even in a 18 ft boat the outboard modle is 7000 dollars or more than the same boat with and I/O

Tommays

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

OB hands down. BTDT

Today's 2 cy engines are extremely efficient and are comparatable to 4 cy in efficiency; especially when all things are considered.

The only thing that i can say about an I/O is that it has a high transom and if you do much fishing with following seas it could help to keep you dry......course todays higher hp outboards come with 25" transom heights if you want and that's pretty high.

On boats, Sea Ray is one fine boat and I would say better built (tougher) than the 4 Winns (having had experience with both). Don't believe me just get a rubber hammer/mallet and go around tapping on things. Will get educated real quick. But both are fine boats however; but I am partial to the Sea Ray.

Mark

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

will the boat be trailered? that's the most important criteria. left in the water, outboard for sure. but if you plan to trailer, they become more equal. for that size boat, i'd go with the outboard. you'll be able to beach it with ease and have less mainenance and worries.

but with the general discussion on outboards vs i/o, it's not a landslide. for example, you buy a used boat... engine blows up... you can slap a rebuilt big block in the boat for $6K installed. you're not going to replace the outboard for anything close to that. you also can't replicate the hp an i/o can produce with an outboard... ask the go-fast crowd.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

Value is probably what the debate center's around,and trying to get two people to arrive at the same conclusion is next to impossible. For myself if money had no value or i could justify the investment sure a outboard would be the way to go.

It does offer more flexibility, more preformance and you have to admit the exhaust note @ wot does provide a certain primal :devil: satisfaction along with eaiser and less maintance.

But all those wonderful features go right out the door if you price a 200hp outboard with a boat and then see what can be had for the same money in a inboard.

I guess it would be eaiser to get bat's to fly in formation than it would be to get a group of people to all come to the same conclusion as to value........8)

 

[JB]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

"get bats to fly in formation". I like that TG. I will remember it.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

If you plan on running in salt water the OBs are designed for that environment. Lots more maintenance with an I/O running in salt.

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

lets not also forget that outboards are tried and true dating back to the early 1900's. They are made for strictly a MARINE enviorment. All an I/O is, is essentially a car engine dropped into a boat with a few marine modifications to make it work for its intended purpose. I'm not saying that I/O's aren't reliable or havent been proven through out the years, but i think and will most likely continue to think that outboards are far superior in nearly every aspect of boating except for the INITIALcost.

 

[swist]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

Adding to the last post, they are older generation car engines dropped into a boat and connected to the prop via what can be best described as an "engineering kludge", which then sits half submerged all the time. A lot of those engines use points, distributors, and other kinds of your grandfather's technology.

Look at any stern drive outdrive that's more than a season old any I'll be surprised if it isn't full of crud. And I would guess 80% of boat fires/explosions happen on stern drives where any leaking gas vapor (or any leaking anything) can't vent to the atmosphere.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

you can slap a rebuilt big block in the boat for $6K installed. you're not going to replace the outboard for anything close to that.

I like these arguments where they price just a new motor for the I/O and then use the cost of an entire outboard as comparison.

A rebuilt 225 HP power head can be had and installed for less than $4,200

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

you carry a very good point seahunter...never thought of that argument....

 

[AguaSki]

Re: Stern Drive vs. Outboard?

I own an outboard and love it. If I buy again I think it will be outboard again.

To the defense of inboard/outboard and true inboards, it is difficult creating the same type of wake ramp for wakeboarders with an outboard. My brother in-laws inboard/outboard is much better for wakeboarding than my outboard. Of course wakeboarding is a specialized sport that only some boaters participate in. For me I will keep my outboard and use someone elses inboard/outboard when I want to wakeboard.