Boat motor inboard vs outboard

[slurpie]

Looking for used boats and seeing a lot of inboards now. I was initially looking for a 150 four stroke. On an 18' or bigger boat. I want a boat for both fishing and water sports.what is the pro and con of an inboard? What is fuel consumption like on an inboard?

[DooWap]

I'm going to assume when you say inboard you are talking about an I/O where you still have a lower unit hanging off the transom. If this is the case the biggest con of an I/O motor is that it takes up space within the boat. For fishing this is a huge negative obviously. Outboard motors I believe are generally more expensive upfront, but are much cheaper to maintain. Also if you ever decide to repower the boat it's a lot easier to just slap on a new outboard than pull out a sterndrive. As far as fuel consumption, I'm not positive on the I/O but with outboards the rule of thumb is generally that at WOT drop the last digit in your horsepower rating and that will be your fuel consumption in gal/hr (i.e. a 150 hp motor would burn 15 gal/hr at WOT).

Personally I would always go the outboard route on a fishing boat, unless you like the big sundeck on top of the engine compartment of the I/O

[Kyhl]

Another issue is the angle of trim in shallow water. An IO has a shorter distance from the fulcrum (pivot point) to the prop. This makes it point down more for the same amount of rise versus an outboard.

Put it in drive and the down angle will push the back of the boat down harder on an IO than on an outboard. This makes IO's less drivable in shallow water.

[walleye 4 me]

Another issue is the angle of trim in shallow water. An IO has a shorter distance from the fulcrum (pivot point) to the prop. This makes it point down more for the same amount of rise versus an outboard.

Put it in drive and the down angle will push the back of the boat down harder on an IO than on an outboard. This makes IO's less drivable in shallow water.

This is a very good point. I have an i/o now and my next boat will be an outboard. They are quieter than the 2 strokes o/b's and fuel consumption seems to be just a bit better.

[BoxMN]

Haven't had an I/O but I do know that winterizing them is more of a hassle, and more important to do before it freezes.

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm an outboard guy, but I wouldn't be afraid of an inboard based on your needs. Especially if the prices offer an incentive versus outboards, you may be better off getting a used I/O.

[DooWap]

An I/O definitely has it's place, but I would limit it to watersports and deep water trolling.

[walleye 4 me]

Haven't had an I/O but I do know that winterizing them is more of a hassle, and more important to do before it freezes.

There have been a few times were it was a nice day in early spring and I wanted to go fishing but didnt because I was worried about this afterwards. Not a big deal if you have a heated garage though. Same for late fall.

[slurpie]

Thanks for the replies.

[leech~~]

Outboards are lighter, faster reving out of the hole, use less fuel, cheaper to repair and Service. Wait until you have to winterize or change the oil on an I/O!

[upnorth]

Used to be a fuel economy and noise thing with I/O vs outboards. But the more modern outboards a much better than those of the past. Older outboards sucked fuel bad.

I/O is also going to be a lot heavier than an outboard. Big boat, not so much difference under 20 foot I would even think about an I/O myself.