Anyone question the impact of outboard boats?

I believe it. I have been interested in outboard cruisers for awhile now. I like the idea of a larger mid-berth, more storage, quietness, ease of winterizing, limited below the waterline through-hull holes. Not to mention the ease of replacing the powerhead. Lots of benefits.
 
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This trend is effecting even “traditional” style builders. Back Cove started to deliver the 34o (outboard) model this year. The 34o has been so popular they have mothballed both the 30 and 34 inboard models.

They recently announced a 39o model to be delivered next year. Seems like outboards is what boaters want.

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This trend is effecting even “traditional” style builders. Back Cove started to deliver the 34o (outboard) model this year. The 34o has been so popular they have mothballed both the 30 and 34 inboard models.

They recently announced a 39o model to be delivered next year. Seems like outboards is what boaters want.

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Funny how the pendulum swings. OB's were once looked down on and the vessels that had them thought low-brow, no longer. As the auto industry continues to chase impossible gas mileage goals, their power plants will be less and less functional for the power needs of the marine industry.

MM
 
As the auto industry continues to chase impossible gas mileage goals, their power plants will be less and less functional for the power needs of the marine industry.

MM

I think the second part of your statement is entirely true, but I not sure I'd say the reason is chasing "impossible gas mileage goals"...?

I think about my first Jeep GC. It was a '96 with the 5.2L V8. It had decent grunt and got decent mileage. It towed pretty well. Then the hemi's came along and I thought that was an ideal combo of HP, torque and economy. By the 2000-teens we started checking the box that said "3.6L V6" instead of hemi. Honestly, the 6 mounted to a sophisticated 8-speed trans feels and sounds better to me than both of it's big V8 siblings and the economy is really impressive. It honestly doesn't tow as well, but since most SUV's never see a trailer, I can see why these are taking over.

We can have a similar discussion about F150's and eco-boost engines. I test drove examples of each back-to-back, and the V8 was my least favorite.

This is good news for the auto industry, but it doesn't translate well to marine. Maybe we'll start to see big diesel outboards... that would be interesting!
 
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.
 
Funny how the pendulum swings. OB's were once looked down on and the vessels that had them thought low-brow, no longer. As the auto industry continues to chase impossible gas mileage goals, their power plants will be less and less functional for the power needs of the marine industry.

MM

That's a good point. Most gasoline boat engines are based on automobile V8s that have been marinized. With the shift from large displacement V8's to smaller 6 and 4 cylinder engines, the powerplants for boats and cars will continue to diverge.

In the case of Back Cove it may be different. They almost exclusively used single Cummins power plants for their boats, with a couple of Yanmar and Volvo mixed it. Their sister brand, Sabre, uses mainly Cummins Zeus with some Volvo-Penta IPS as well. It could be argued that Cummins has more market with large pickups and heavy equipment, and therefore the disparity for land-vehicle and marine engines is less.

Outboards don't fit the way I want to boat. I highly value a clear swim platform, the ability to carry a dingy on the stern, and single engine simplicity.

That said....after spending a weekend in the bilge doing winterization, I can see the appeal of the outaboard's low maintenance.
 
The four stroke outboard seems like it changed everything. I am still getting used to them on bigger boats though. As a traditionalist, I like straight shaft inboards.
 
That does it! Over the winter I'm taking out the 454 Crusaders, putting on a bracket and installing three 627 Seven Marines! Think I'll add two more 400 gallon fuel tanks so I can cross the Atlantic! :D
 
The four stroke outboard seems like it changed everything. I am still getting used to them on bigger boats though. As a traditionalist, I like straight shaft inboards.
Agreed. I had my Bravo III for 12 years and it was great, but I'm very much enjoying my straight shaft single diesel.

I'm wondering how the new diesel outboards will pan out. I wonder what the benefit will be, as they seem to have props that are similar diameter to gas outboards. One of the advantages of a diesel is the torque to turn a larger prop; if that is not being utilized what is the purpose?
 
[QUOTE=Outboards don't fit the way I want to boat. I highly value a clear swim platform, the ability to carry a dingy on the stern, and single engine simplicity.

Yup, lack of dinghy on swimplatform is one of the major drawbacks.
 
As a teenager I had an outboard, then an inboard and an I/O for the last 35 years. We switched to 4-stroke outboards 2 years ago and currently have a Boston Whaler and a SeaRay.

I'll never go back. OBs all the way. Better all around with no drawbacks.

I can see the issue with the swim platform, but with the huge sundeck where the engine would have been, we don't need a platform any more.
 
I'm patiently waiting for Sea Ray to introduce a 260 Sundancer with a 300 hp Mercury four stroke outboard on the back. Anybody from Sea Ray reading these posts? Anybody? ;)
 
I can see the attraction to outboards.
Sometimes I think my 65 year old aching back would really appreciate not having to twist and turn around in the bilge to do simple maintenance.
My kids 18’ Bowrider is an I/O. When the opportunity presents itself it will be replaced by a slightly larger boat and an outboard is a must have.
 

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