I/O vs. Outboard

[dave524]

After a 10 year absence and retirement I got the urge to get back on Lake Ontario for a bit of salmonoid fishing with the odd excursion to Erie for some pickeral. The class of boat I am looking at is a well cared for, used 20 -22 foot walk around cuddy, probably best represented by a Bayliner Trophy 2052. Most of the Trophies seem to be powered by a Mercruiser 4.3 litre I/O.

In searches I've run across some other boats in this class powered by 150 HP. 2 stroke class outboards of early 2000's vintage. My last boat was an early 80's centre console aluminum with a pre oil injection V4 OMC. My recollection was that the early oil injection was tainted by problems and it seems to continue as I've read about majour issues with the Ficht technology of even these early 2000

vintage OMC 6 cylinders. My question I guess is should I avoid any of the 5-10 year old outboard packages? Would an I/O be a better choice in this vintage be a better choice as far as durability and repairs if necessary? any other relative comments.

 

Also I've always trailered, but as I live a brisk 5 minute walk from the harbour I'm seriously contemplating leaving it in the water.

At 60 the rigours of launching every day are not appealing and it would make a nice place to go relax and putter around even without going out. Question here is would I need antifouling paint if it is coming out of the water maybe a 6-8 times a summer for day trips to Erie and could power wash in the drive occasionally?

 

Thanks to all you have more and more current boating knowledge than me.

[BITEME]

In my opinion at 60 living near the water I would leave it in and I would definately go with the I/O you wont need a kicker either If I were to do it it would be an I/O hard top Im just not there yet hope that helps the Trophy is a very nice boat fantastic lake boat

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[OhioFisherman]

1.) check the prices of docking for the summer at suitable marinas. The last time I had a boat docked it was like 650 dollars for the summer, back in 1986. I would guess prices have gone up.

 

2.) you do want to keep insurance on the boat, summer and winter. I had friends that lost boats in marina fires, and marina floods, while the boats were stored on shore for the winter at the marina.

 

3.) I had a 25 foot SeaRay, I didn`t paint the bottom every year, I did take it over to the beach a few times during the summer season and scrub what I could of the bottom with a stiff brush.

 

4.) the rumor here is 4 bucks a gallon for gas by spring, it will be higher at a marina, and they generally frown at you bringing in gas in cans and putting it in your boat.

[canadadude]

If you get an I/O prepare for lots of repair costs,if you troll with your I/O then you'll need more $$$.I/O are notorius for breakdowns, the drives tend to wear alot faster, shafts, gears bearings and such tend to wear out.Most newer boats are all designed with outboards now for a reason, with the 4 stroke outboards in todays markets the I/O's will soon be history. The other option is a screw drive ( straight shaft), it's about 10X more relaible then a I/O, but with a single can be a bugger to steer.

[craigdritchie]

If the boat will rack up a lot of hours trolling, then I would agree that an I/O is the way to go provided you're okay with the amount of interior cockpit space the engine doghouse eats up. It will be quieter than an outboard, and you won't find yourself inhaling exhaust fumes when you troll downwind. The 4.3L, in either a Merc or Volvo platform, is a very reliable engine; if anything does go wrong, then spare parts are widely available and cheap. An I/O is obviously a lot heavier than an outboard, but if you plan to leave the boat in the water that's less of a concern.

 

Most of the early oil-injected outboards are fairly reliable, but definitely not in the same class as today's four-strokes. I would not touch an OMC Ficht engine at any price - they are notoriously unreliable and parts are becoming harder to find. Who needs the headache when there are plenty of reliable used Mercs, Yamahas, Suzukis and non-Ficht OMCs out there in the same price range?

 

If I were leaving a boat in the water, then yes, I would definitely paint it with an antifouling product. Interlux ACT is a good bottom paint designed specifically to repel zebra mussels and freshwater algae.

[BITEME]

If you get an I/O prepare for lots of repair costs,if you troll with your I/O then you'll need more $$$.I/O are notorius for breakdowns, the drives tend to wear alot faster, shafts, gears bearings and such tend to wear out.Most newer boats are all designed with outboards now for a reason, with the 4 stroke outboards in todays markets the I/O's will soon be history. The other option is a screw drive ( straight shaft), it's about 10X more relaible then a I/O, but with a single can be a bugger to steer.

 

 

 

I have to disagree a bit here if you are looking after them and taking care of business it should not be a problem I have the great pleasure to work on a a set of twin 4.3 with sx drives and to be honest they get about 500 hours a season with a hundred different people driving them so do the math on that. every 3 years change a clutch pack not a hard job every hundred hours the oil comes out of the motor and drives no problem with bearings or seals well seals if we get fishing line only thing i can say if you can get it with a closed loop cooling system do it alot les crud. and be religious about your winter shut down if you have the ability to do it yourself its piece of mind and the motors have 5000 hrs each on them (they were both rebuilt at 2500 and are each 10 over this was done not out of absolute nessesity but as a good maintenance practice)I cant afford to have a motor go down for stupidity although there is a spare its about a 4 hour change over that could thast can mean the difference between good and bad there is another boat out there exactly the same set up for out boards a pair of 150 i believe its a problem child

[craigdritchie]

Most newer boats are all designed with outboards now for a reason ...

Absolutely! You can clearly see the manufacturer's logo on an outboard - not so much on an I/O. It's all about advertising!

 

Joking aside, the move towards four-stroke outboards in smaller boats (under 25 feet) has more to do with lower production costs and greater weight savings (which equals fuel savings) than reliability. For example, a 3.0L I/O, at 130 hp, weighs almost twice as much as a 135 hp four-stroke outboard. On the same boat, the outboard takes up less interior space, uses less fuel, and is easier to tow.

 

In the case of a used boat, reliability comes down to how well the thing was maintained by the previous owner. Paying a marine mechanic a few bucks to look it over and give you an unbiased opinion is money well spent.

Edited December 23, 2010 by Craig_Ritchie

[canadadude]

Keep on trolling with your I/O's boys, my brother is a Marine Mechanic and make big dollars rebuilding drives. He loves I/O's lots of chicken to be made hahahahahaha.

[dave524]

Thanks for the input so far. I will be running a kicker for trolling. Remember a day oh so well that I broke a steering cable, disconnected the EZ-Steer and came home on the 9.9 and the tiller handle. Wouldn't leave port without one now. The doghouse on the Trophy actually looks fairly low and unobtrusive, might be a good work area for changing baits, removeable jump seats either side looks like good stern access.

[aplumma]

A well maintained I/O is a very reliable set up and will serve you for a good long time. The bellows are something that you need to watch for cracks and tears. The I/O was designed as a space saving measure to get the weight back closer to the rear for better balance. The manufactures of almost all of the big boats now have the options of some of the largest O/B motors with multiple engines configuration in history at their disposal. They are using the O/B because the initial set up cost is less and it greatly simplifies the design. The big plus of the I/O is it frees up the transom for fishing off of and a swimming platform makes a dandy way to Catch and Release your fish. Either way it is best to have a mechanic take a good look at the running gear before buying. The anti fowling paint has a few benefits most don't think about. The paint keeps algae from growing and that increases your MPG you will also slow down the absorption of water thru nicks in the glass.

 

 

Art

[Bernie]

As far as longevity it's pretty hard to beat an I/O although outboard technology has come a long way in the past few years. And I suspect it will continue to do so in the near future as well.

I/O's used to be better for fuel economy but it's now the reverse.

I like outboards, lighter, stronger, faster and takes up less space in the boat.

Also if you don't like it, you can upgrade easier.

I think for a boat such as the one you are interested in, an I/O would be your best option.

Merc outdrives are very well made and parts availability is easy.

Pay attention to the bellows as Art has suggested.

 

I don't know if parts are hard to get for Fichts, haven't needed to get any.

Actually parts availability hasn't been an issue for us at our shop and they are as reliable as any other make.

[bigbuck]

A 4.3 Volvo Penta with an SX outdrive is a great setup (I have one in my 19ft fish'n ski). It will last for years and years and years if maintained properly. I see a lot of 1970's vintage and 1980's boats on GBay with I/O's that get yearly service and lots of use. Original engine, original drive(unless they banged off a rock). I don't see very many old outboards bigger than 9.9's from the 70's. The bellows every 4-5 years and make sure you bottom paint it each season with antifouling paint.

[Billy Bob]

For fishing outboards are the best choice......less headaches and more time for fishing especially if you like COLD soft water fishing as a outboard is self draining at the boat ramp.

[dave524]

Thanks again for the replies. I can pretty much guarantee that it would be slipped on Lake Ontario from early April till the end of May, trailered to Erie a few times June and July for Pickeral and back in the Big O for August and probably go into storage Thanksgiving/Columbus Day weekend or shortly thereafter. Time to hit the rivers for steelhead

Really not seeing a lot of choice in the used market for 20 foot walkarounds, probably the final choice will boil down to the best deal and condition of the rig, the Trophies seem to be all I/O's in this size while the others I've found, Prolines and a Grady White come with O/B's. I'm really liking the looks of the layout of the 2052 Trophy with Bimini and full curtains, done 15 years in a centre console out there time for a few amenties Thanks again