Anyone question the impact of outboard boats?

Reliability. Ease of maintenance, and designed from the ground up to be in salt water (minus the seven marine humongous outboards, which I understand are v8 GM engines bolted on to an outboard drive, I could be mistaken, but that is my understanding). Our next boat will be an outboard cruiser.
 
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Outboards are nice and man are they becoming pricy.
 
I’ve become a diesel convert for larger boats because of the torque and fuel economy.
The simplicity of them is pretty nice too.
If the right kind of diesel outboard powered cruiser were an option I would be very tempted.
Probably not going to be a reality in my lifetime though.
 
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View attachment 76702 Outboards are nice and man are they becoming pricy.

There are some nice packages at boat shows on smaller center consoles with Yamahas on them and I know a couple of guys (two brothers) who have repowered their boats with Suzukis over the last year or so and they love them.
After maintaining my 300 Sundancer and my kids 18’ Maxum, I think outboards are the only way to go in smaller day type boats.
Squeezing in and around tight bilges is getting old.
That’s why my kids next boat will hopefully be an outboard. They want a 21’ or 22’ center console. My advice to them is get either a brand new one or a nice clean and solid used one that needs a repower and start out with a brand new outboard on it.
 
Some will say the majority of engine development these days is with outboards. It seems the longevity is better than inboards, too. I have read many outboard owner posts that say 3000 to 5000 hours on a 4-cycle outboard is common. Reports are the Coast Guard gets 10000 hours, but their maintenance is likely way beyond even commercial fleet maintenance. Running gear issues in shallow water are lower. Easier to work on and to swap out. More expensive. In a similar boat to mine the fuel use of a twin outboard boat is comparable.

I recall a conversation I had at the Boston Boat Show the year the Venture 370 was launched with one of the Sea Ray factory reps. He made the point that SR expected it to be a big hit overseas as the engine could be pulled easily and quickly replaced with a readily available outboard as opposed to dealing with supply chain delays associated with in board engine/transmission/drive parts.
 
30 years of IO boats, but I jumped on the outboard trend with this boat when I ordered it. If you can get past the aesthetics it is better in most ways. I get the trend and am all onboard with it.
 
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30 years of IO boats, but I jumped on the outboard trend with this boat when I ordered it. If you can get past the aesthetics it is better in most ways. I get the trend and am all onboard with it.
Some of the outboard boats are pretty easy on the eyes. Maybe it's an acquired taste but I like the looks of some of these boats. Yellow Fins come to mind. Nice.
 
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I know Merc has a history of dubious designs with the inboards the company produces compared to say, Crusader. But I have owned just one Merc outboard on a Boston Whaler that we bought new for our kids to use. It ran for years and was I'm reasonably sure was used pretty hard. It was bulletproof after more than a thousand hours. It still ran well when we sold the boat after years of use. On the other hand, a friend with twin Yamahas did not like the brand because of ongoing minor issues that required warranty repairs. Who makes the best outboards today? 6 of one and half a dozen of another?
 
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I like the concept of the Outboard . It will not work for me however due the the dinghy issue. Not being able to carry a dinghy along would vastly change our boating adventures.
 
When/if I move to twin outboards (would do immediately once the Admiral gives the OK), it'd get a system to put the hardshell dinghy on the foredeck.
 
View attachment 76702 Outboards are nice and man are they becoming pricy.
Our SPX was available with an I/O or an OB. Base price for comparable performance was virtually the same.

Now, if you're talking about hanging four 425's on the back end then pricey is an understatement...
 
I like the concept of the Outboard . It will not work for me however due the the dinghy issue. Not being able to carry a dinghy along would vastly change our boating adventures.

That is true. Paul who was on CSR when he had his 560DB, bought a nice cottage and with his dock and revised boating, went with a really nice Pursuit. When we were there this summer, he had not sorted out how to take a dinghy along for his overnight anchoring trips. I will say that that Pursuit is a sweet boat, but not much room around the triple 300s.
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I work around both types now and have for many years. I think Mercury’s and Penta’s I/O divisions design teams better face the reality of the challenges facing them in the next decade. O/B’s are kicking tail and taking names.
The sleek look and topside aft space of the inboards and I/O’s are all they have left to compete with.
I/O designers can win this battle, I believe.
1. Make maintenance easier. Some changes like remote oil and fuel filters have helped. More can be done.
2. The ridiculous design of the upper steering pin seal must be improved. Having to pull an engine or hack into a $2000 transom assembly to change a $5 seal - seriously? Is that the best you can do? Change the design of the driveshaft to make the bellow above the waterline at rest. Our insurance cost would be lower for sure.
3. Maybe experiment with carbon fiber or some composite coated outdrives to eliminate the corrosion issue forever. If only stainless steel props and tabs are in the water would dissimilar metals be a problem?
As long as O/B’s can be tilted up and serviced standing up, salespersons can make a convincing case for the choice.
 
How do these,s OB,s effect you’re dock sizes and overhang issues ?

a 34 ft boat overall is 34 ft
So would a 34ft , with OB,s be 31ft + 3ft for motors to be 34ft Overall ? So iare you really paying for a 34 foot boat or are you paying 34 foot boat money for a 31 foot boat ??
I have say the OB boats should run faster , but how much faster can you go in 5-6 foot waves without beating your boat up
 
I work around both types now and have for many years. I think Mercury’s and Penta’s I/O divisions design teams better face the reality of the challenges facing them in the next decade. O/B’s are kicking tail and taking names.
The sleek look and topside aft space of the inboards and I/O’s are all they have left to compete with.
I/O designers can win this battle, I believe.
1. Make maintenance easier. Some changes like remote oil and fuel filters have helped. More can be done.
2. The ridiculous design of the upper steering pin seal must be improved. Having to pull an engine or hack into a $2000 transom assembly to change a $5 seal - seriously? Is that the best you can do? Change the design of the driveshaft to make the bellow above the waterline at rest. Our insurance cost would be lower for sure.
3. Maybe experiment with carbon fiber or some composite coated outdrives to eliminate the corrosion issue forever. If only stainless steel props and tabs are in the water would dissimilar metals be a problem?
As long as O/B’s can be tilted up and serviced standing up, salespersons can make a convincing case for the choice.
The steering pin issue was more of a wrong material used for the pin, that rusted, and that took out the seal

VP is now making their outdrives out of a composite.
 
How do these,s OB,s effect you’re dock sizes and overhang issues ?

a 34 ft boat overall is 34 ft
So would a 34ft , with OB,s be 31ft + 3ft for motors to be 34ft Overall ? So iare you really paying for a 34 foot boat or are you paying 34 foot boat money for a 31 foot boat ??
I have say the OB boats should run faster , but how much faster can you go in 5-6 foot waves without beating your boat up

Regal 38 is 38'9". Outboard model is 38'10".

Not a huge fan of the swim platform loss, but no outdrives in the water are a big plus. Add in more storage space on the boat and no cramped bilge, you have a winner!
 
The steering pin issue was more of a wrong material used for the pin, that rusted, and that took out the seal

VP is now making their outdrives out of a composite.
Good info. Interesting that VP is composite. Are they holding up? Any type of corrosion/erosion/dissolving or other issues?
As far as the steering pin rusting, I agree that is the root cause, but it is still a major project to change the seal. The problem is common on the alphas.
I have always been a Mercruiser fan. I have three of them. I just don’t understand design engineering sometimes.
I will be sticking with the I/O setup and just deal with the maintenance issues. Having the aft space and visibility is still enough for me. That could change.
 
I'm sure we'll see a manufacturer introduce a SR 370 Venture design soon -- with the outboards covered and a full swim platform. Dinghy issue solved.

That boat was introduced way ahead of its time, unfortunately.
 
Good info. Interesting that VP is composite. Are they holding up? Any type of corrosion/erosion/dissolving or other issues?
As far as the steering pin rusting, I agree that is the root cause, but it is still a major project to change the seal. The problem is common on the alphas.
I have always been a Mercruiser fan. I have three of them. I just don’t understand design engineering sometimes.
I will be sticking with the I/O setup and just deal with the maintenance issues. Having the aft space and visibility is still enough for me. That could change.

The VP composite drives were a failure, Google XDP lawsuit for all you need to know about that. They make a newer version, the OceanX, but it's really just a more solid version of their duoprop.
 

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