Why an outboard?

E

eight

Member
Why do nearly all fishing boats use outboard motors? What's wrong with an I/O?

Seems to me the I/Os are much quieter and more efficient than most outboards made more than a few years ago. I'm imagining boat ownership without things like powerpacks and 6 carbs.

My parents used to have an I/O with an OMC cobra that ate gears annually, but do the mercuisers, volvos, and newer cobras have the same problems?
 
You're gonna hear every arguement for and against each one of them.
Certain people will not service an I/O, have problems with them, need to replace parts that are expensive and determine that they aren't cost effective compared to outboards.
Outboard proponents will have the attitude "if it costs too much to fix, I'll just hang another one on the boat".
It all depends on what you want out of a boat and are educated enough (common sence) to handle.
Personally on a boat size under 24' I'd rather have an outboard situation, I'm floorspace greedy and appreciate the room. Several years ago Albemarle came out with a 24' CC and is lovely.
DSC00020.jpg

Will never be able to afford one but it's something else. LIST $62,000
Engine is mounted under console, creating the best of most worlds between I/O and outboard.
Besides, there is just something about the smell of 2cycle in the morning. I'm gonna miss it when I run out of older fuel mixed engines, they are gettin harder to find.
 
I work on I/Os and IBs mostly, not because they break more, its just my specialty. IB and I/O engine are just as reliable as OBs(soem case more so), but what I find with OBs is you can get away without doing all the maintainance. Where as the IBs and I/Os won't let you slide so easy. The other issue is labor on working on OB is generally lower(time wise, not per hour). If an I/O or IB gets major work, usually you are commited to repairing it, if an OB needs major work, you can do the four bolt tune up and replace it with another motor. Most IBs and I/Os are not set up for use in salt water, general market dictates the majority of engine packages(very few are closed cooled), not the best setup for intended use. My own V has an outboard, and for where I live, its the best suited for what I intend to do with it. If I lived on a deep, fresh water lake, I might have a different opinion
 
As already stated, in smaller boats I like an outboard. Deck space is very important and I also like the power to weight ratio of an outboard vs. an IB or I/O.
 
I have owned both,they all have there good & bad points. ie yearly maintainece. winterization is also easier on an outboard vs an i.o. like said earlier, salt water in auto engines isnt really a good thing. Lost 2 engines due to cracked exhaust manifolds. gets expensive & a pain in the butt to pull the engines. Guess thats why i own an outboard now.
 
if you ever look over the option sheet on a new IB or I/O, you wonder why they don't order the correct options for its intended use. If I were to order a new I/O for use in Salt Water, it would have to be a combination of manufactures parts, as no one offers what I consider the best set up. I would use the Volvo XDP composite outdrive, nothing to corrode. I would have to go with Crusader engines, they are the only engine manufacture to offer closed cooled manifold and risers to go along with the block, they also are using the new LS series engines from GM. The mercury DTS(electric shift and throttle) combined with Smart Craft Vessel view display for the controlls. Each one has their own short comings, some miss the whole target, some don't even care. Any way you look at it, they are all expensive.
 
Having just went from an I/O to and outboard, before even taking it home I could appreciate just being able to stand there on the ground standing straight up and checking the compression. Climbing in and out of the boat everytime you need something is a real pain.
 
I have had both, and OB is so much easier to work on, and much less maintenance!!
There is so many parts on a I/O and you are always working on something! Car motors should never see the ocean!!

OB pro: easier to maintain, easier to repair, easy to replace
Con: Nosier, more gas, if going new much more to replace

I/O Pro: great on gas, quite, cheaper to repower
Con: Lots to maintain, never stop replacing rusted parts, harder to work on as most are squeezed into a hole half the size of the motor

OB getting much better with noise, and gas, but with a price!! A 200 hp complete with install and set up is $15K at least, then you can't work on them any more!
 
It seems maybe closed loop cooling systems are less common than I thought. I figured any saltwater fishing boat would have the closed loop.
 
As mentioned, I got to agree, it's that two stroke smell. I'm addicted to it, it is the smell of fun toys. Boats, dirt bikes, snowmobiles......for those that have been hit by the 2stroke aroma it is as bad as crack............except bettera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
spareparts said:
run some klotz 2 stroke, it smells better
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Gotta try some in mine!!...JK....:you:


Have to agree w/space issue on this size boat...I/O would take spot where my bait tank sits when striper fishin'...also agree w/salt water issues brought up earlier...OBs better suited hands down
 
I prefer I/Os cause I can do the work myself as the engines are th same as a car, but in shallow areas I would go with an outboard cause you can lift the OB and float off a sandbar etcc. with an I/O you are stuck.
 
regidog said:
I prefer I/Os cause I can do the work myself as the engines are th same as a car, but in shallow areas I would go with an outboard cause you can lift the OB and float off a sandbar etcc. with an I/O you are stuck.
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In the trailer position the outdrive is high enough to be even with the keel so I think sand bars would not be a problem. But even the trailer position is not high enough to get the outdrive out of the water. So if your boat stays in the water I would choose an outboard. My boat is an I/O with fresh water (closed) cooling system. The engine is approaching 20 years of use in the Chesapeake bay and still running strong.
 
rb437 said:
In the trailer position the outdrive is high enough to be even with the keel so I think sand bars would not be a problem. But even the trailer position is not high enough to get the outdrive out of the water. So if your boat stays in the water I would choose an outboard. My boat is an I/O with fresh water (closed) cooling system. The engine is approaching 20 years of use in the Chesapeake bay and still running strong.
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Have we seen any pics of yer boat?...did the closed cooling come from factory on yours?...

20 years!!...congratulations!!:happy:
 
To me it is blondes and brunnettes. Which do you prefer. I think the I/O requires more car type maintanence but so what. It is very fuel efficient for the horsepower, generally much quieter, which I like a lot. The boats with the I/O or sterndrive with shaft and prop are the best in my opinion due to boat ride etc, the weight centered and under the floor or center console like you would see in commercial boats and boats like Albe and Shamrock are the sweetest set up.
In smaller boats with limited space, or if the highest speeds are your preference then an outboard has it over the I/O.
I know gents that are still running twenty year plus chryslers, fords and chevy blocks and have done nothing but regular maintanence. Try to tell these guys in the salt that the I/O is inferior they just look at you and smile.
Even those that are raw water cooled. Though I believe the closed cooling would be the best in the salt a lot of the clammer and inshore pro fisherman are running very old raw water cooled I/O's or straight inboards and would not change them for the world.
I also see a lot of the commercial guys run dry stack exhausts on their boats and I think that is a definet advantage. I was aboard a commercial fishing boat, I think twenty eight footer with a semi-displacement hull last year talking with the guy, he catches bait for the sport guys and goes deep, goes real shallow and he runs an at least twenty year old straight six gas engine with drive shaft to a prop and it is located high in an engine box in the middle of the deck. Had a exhaust pipe going up the side of the pilot house with some type of internal muffler. Guy told me he changes oil and fluids, converted it from points to electronic ignition and other than that fishes all day and uses very little fuel and cruises at 15 knots smooth as silk.
Loved it.
 
exhaust system failure on I/Os and IB's cause a lot of problems(especially in salt). If left alone and not fushed with fresh water after each use, raw water manifolds last about 3 seasons before they need repalcement in our area, usually if you wait to the fourth season, you have waited too long and you now have damage to the engine. If they are flushed with fresh water after each use, I've seen them last five to seven years. fresh water cooled(antifreeze) manifolds generally last much longer, with the risers giving up somewhere between 5 to 10 years. You have to watch it no when ordering fresh water cooling on new engines as most of them do not include the manifolds as part of the fresh water system.
 
boat pics

Hey Reel I think you've seen these before but you can check page 4 in the V20 gallery, right in the middle. Rick's '89 V20. My screen name changed to rb437 (my login) with the new site, but it's still me. The closed cooling system came from the factory. Raw water from the outdrive pump passes through the voltage regulator, then the heat exchanger, then the power steering cooler, and finally to the exhaust elbow. Everything else has fresh water flowing through it circulated by a seperate pump on the motor.
 
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