Outboards are slowly coming back in popularity here in Ontario Canada. Do you see that where you boat?

I have to say, I really appreciate your content, right now...I am about to take the plunge on my first boat and realize a life long dream...as a Marine, I am very familiar with the water, boating, and seamanship...never having had to maintain or pay for one, though, is another matter! I appreciate all the tid bits of information, a guy like me is always hunting for when starting something brand new. Quick, concise, and straight to the meat of the matter. Thank you for educating me and filling in the civilian blanks. Semper Fi

Think this is a great video for most people. For those who say it's too "high level" I would say they are more of a technical person and these videos are geared towards them. Well done!

Hi Shaun, good general comparisons. I live in the inland Pacific Northwest For the general boater, your advice is good. We have a good number of people who fish year round, I'm one of them. I was taught many years ago, especially in the winter, that OBs are better. That's because it's easier to flush out all the water in the system as you don't want to have water in the motor when its 0° outside or you can kiss your engine goodbye. Just my 2 cents worth

Huge difference in salt water, outboards are mostly aluminum where car engines and exhaust manifold are cast iron.

Merci des ces explications.

Good video thank you.

Suzuki outboard for 13 years...not one issue. before, chevy 350...always issues 4 Stroke outboards, in my mind, the ONLY way to go.

Great video to introduce new prospective owners to this conundrum. However two issues not really touched on -Performance characteristics and shallow drive (not just docking). Outboards have a much higher performance characteristic than IO but IO cruiser much better, and outboards will generally speaking drive shallower which is why almost every freshwater fishing boat has outboards.

If you are buying a pleasure boat for water sports or just cruising. Then I think a inboard/outboard boat would work for most people. But get the size that fits your needs. My family size was 4 person. So I bought a 17.5' 3.0-4 cylinder i/o. It's great on fuel and easy to maintain for the diy person. I have had mine since 1997 with no mechanical issues. A year ago I pulled the sparkplugs and looked into the cylinder bores with a scope. You could see that the cylinder walls still had the cross hatch in them and the top of the pistons had little carbon buildup. I was very pleased. We only use it during the warmer seasons and winterize it during the off season. The key is to winterize it correctly. I can tell you what I do for winter storage. Now if you want a fishing boat, a outboard motor is the way to go, since you will use it throughout the year. They say boats are money pits, but like an automobile. If you maintain it correctly and don't abuse it, it will last for years.

Good comparison! I've owned boats since old enough to and have had both. For maintenance reasons, I am not a fan of sterndrives kept in a saltwater slip. Sterndrives may open up the option of diesel power (Volvo Penta has a lot of experience with this). Some outboards may offer Japanese technology and build quality which can be very good. Outboards can cost a lot to repower whereas the marinized automotive engine on a sterndrive setup may be rebuilt for a lot less if a common GM or Ford engine. I personally find the modern outboard to be quite reliable and a better overall choice if the type of boat lends itself to OB power. Of all the choices I like a shaft inboard the best but few trailerable (non-wakeboard/ski) boats offer this now. I have a 22ft Boston Whaler with outboard power. A sterndrive might defeat the capabilities of such a boat since if swamped it can easily dewater without submerging the engine. Whaler tried sterndrives a long time ago and gave it up. If in the future electric power ever becomes a cost-effective option in the 150 to 300hp range an outboard would just bolt to the transom.

There is an article that compares all 3 types in an exact glastron, jet, outboard, I/o. The outboard was better overall. You can find it on line. Good read.

We wakeboard and love having a swim deck on the back of the boat. The extra weight is needed and wake shaping is an option. Therefore I/O is the only option for us. Better and safer. Btw: we always run our blower.

For stern drives, what are your (Len's Cove) thoughts on the cooling solutions for the upper section of the outdrive? Things like the Simrek showers etc.

Great breakdown!

This is a SUPER VIDEO! Thank you! I heard that there are EPA emission regulation differences between an outboard and inboard-outboard engine...perhaps the less strict regs. on an outboard allows them to be more powerful and have less emission control technology? I don't know...not much info out there. Would love your insight! Thank you!

one thing that wasnt mentioned was replacing a stern drive with an outboard. I found adding a pod and changing the dynamic of the boat is a massive consideration. not just cost of pod. the boat is designed for a stern drive. so changing that will change how the boat performs particulalry at lower speed.

Well done video that covered the basics. I’ve owned both and prefer outboards. For many years, I complained that manufacturers were not building what I wanted; an outboard bow rider more than 18 feet long. Man, has that changed in the last few years. Now, everyone is making big, outboard powered bow riders. Part of the reason was that stern drives were cheaper to build and to buy. That has changed as emission laws have required expensive changes to stern drives. Obviously, a stern drive is more useful in fresh water if you are swimming off the boat; unobstructed big swim platform is superior. But that is the only advantage. I got stuck with a huge repair bill after less than five years when I had to replace the Volvo out drive; I still don’t know why it failed. I use my boat occasionally in salt water, and now that I’m retired, I use it more hours in salt during Florida winter trips. Glad I now own an outboard. I no longer worry about being sure my boat is winterized by October 15th. If I don’t have access to a lift in Florida, at least I can raise the entire motor out of the salt. Makes it a lot easier to flush the engine. Outboards are better for beaching or anchoring in shallow water; no guessing if you are two shallow. I also like instantly knowing which direction my prop is pointing when backing; a quick glance to the stern tells me. A lot of people still own stern drives, even in salt water, so they can’t be that bad. But, even as a non-fisherman who uses my boats primarily to just hang out, I prefer the outboard, primarily because I take it to salt water.

I have a 115 merc 2 stroke 1994... Simple and great on gas. Easy to maintain

Don't forget about those bellows

Thanks Shawn That was a good comparision! One question I had was ride quality on a boat of same size. In other words if I buy a 20' boat, would the Outboard hanging off the stern, essentially stretching bow to Propeller length, would that length improve or worsen the ride smoothness?

I think outboards will become increasingly popular as they have become so much better than they used to be. In the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s, outboards were always two-stroke, meaning they were loud, smokey, and didn't have the best reliability. They were also not very powerful. You had to go to an inboard/outboard to get respectable power and a more reliable four-stroke engine. Since outboards are now four-stroke and much more powerful, they can be used on a lot more boats than they used to.

You missed one HUGE con of sterndrives: bilge blowers and needing to run them for at least four minutes and sniff for fumes before starting the engine!

Hi Shaun, thanks for the video. One thing I rarely see mentioned in the outboard vs I/O discussion is the cost of repairs. When I compare the prices for a Mercury Marine product protection plan (what some people call a extended warranty) on a 250 HP outboard vs a 250 HP inboard/outboard. I find that the outboard costs twice as much. This makes me think an outboard will breakdown twice as often, cost twice as much to repair or last half as long? Do you think that these new outboards will have the longevity and reliability that I/Os have?

The options with an inboard engine is gas/petrol or diesel. Diesel engines produce more torque, are more fuel efficient. Diesel has a much longer storage life and the risk of fire or explosion is greatly reduced. Over the years diesel outboard engines have been slowly coming to the work boat market - not really designed for pleasure craft because of weight. I hope this helps. Cheers

I own a 150 Hp mercury on a Lund and alpha one on my proline. As someone that owns both to repair urself the inboard is easier as it’s essentially a Chevy engine that someone that mechanically inclined can fix like working on your truck

Clean rear end is the most important for a pleasure craft

I bought a new 1997 Maxum 17.5 foot with the 3.0 LX I/O for 10K. It has been a great boat for all these years. I still own the boat. No major issues all these years. Just general maintenance which I do myself.

I was really hoping he was going to say "let's go motorboating"

Noting like skiing behind a 2-Stroke outboard :)

I am a Chinese，as far as I know, in China‘s offshore, the inboard/outboard(sterndrive) might be better than outboard for fishing man, because there are lots of broken fishing net abandoned in the sea, so I am looking for a surface drive, which can avoid the problem, but surface drive is always very expensive, for example, SDS Twindisc. So I payed a lot of time to look for more reasonable ones. And finally, I found one, the company is called UKS, you may not hear about this before, as well as me, but after I get to their factory, they just have built their first product, a surface drive, and also follow them to the offshore to test it, wow, I believe you may not imagine the speed and sound, the used the surface drive let the old fishing boat fly like a racing boat, they said if I want to buy their surface drive, I need to wait for a time, they still have lot of work to do. I think it is worthy to wait, because this surface drive is better and cheaper.

First, if we’re comparing modern outboard to modern Inboard / outboard, there is really nothin the IO does better than the outboard. New outboards burn less gas, perform better and are every bit as quiet. I’ve had both and I promise you that there is nothing good about an inboard / outboard. You forgot the most important con. If your blower fan fails or you forget to run it, or even a minor gas line leak, your inboard / outboard WILL cause the boat to explode when you try to start it. If that’s not enough to steer you away here are a few more. They aren’t a little heavier, they’re a lot heavier. The same or even a little less horse power outboard will always out perform an IO. Because car engines were not designed to run at high RPM for prolonged periods like boats do, they will not last as long as an outboard that was designed for that. Try running an IO with the out drive tilted up like you need for shallow water and you learn quickly how expensive gimbal bearing replacement is. If you run in salt water, you’ll be replacing manifolds and risers every couple years. The parts alone are over $1000. The IO system takes the expensive parts from an inboard and uses several bearings and universal joints to marry it to the most expensive part of an outboard. Great system if you like constant maintenance. The only reason anyone would buy an IO is because the initial cost is cheaper than an outboard. That’s a mistake you’ll kick yourself for later. Happy motor boating. 😃

Would you recommend an inboard bow rider for beginner water sports such as kneeboarding and wakeboarding or a V-drive boat ??

I just spoke with my new mechanic about this. He said outboard motors can be more costly to maintain and isn't sold on them.

I/O only for me. Swim decks and all around better for having fun and cruising. Never had an issue with any of them.

Great channel, great content, excellent explanations. Question: I’m getting ready to replace my back mounted mechanical rack & pinion on my 2002 Maxum 1800SR bowrider 3.0 Mercury Alpha drive, will a no feed back mechanical rack system reduce steering effort and improve feel or handling vs just a rack? My steering required a lot of effort before the rack teeth broke, hence why I have to replace it? Will a new rack vs a new NFB steering be the same?

I would add another disadvantage to inboard which is that they can have a worst fire hazard risk and that they can create an explosive atmosphere which needs to be vented before turning on the engine.

Just bought a 19 foot prowler. Its a nice bow rider

Thanks for this video. I’ve just purchased my first bowrider with an inboard motor. I had the trim up and I noticed it wouldn’t start. Is this normal and bad for the motor

Just went to the Nassau County (Long Island NY) boat show. I saw one (1) inboard ski boat all the other boats, were outboards. I think outboards are easier to maintain, easier to winterize, and safer. While I love old school Chevrolet small blocks, I'd rather have it in a classic car rather than in a boat. Here in the USA after 2011 you are also stuck with a very expensive cat converter exhaust system, outboards don't have to have that. Having had one, there is no way I'd ever have another I/O in salt water.

Beautiful presentation 🙂 Calm & knowledgeable speaker 🙂 well done

Hello. Thank you for this interesting article. I have two rib boats on 45 feet. One with 3x350 Suzuki and one with 2x750 Seatech with JMD surfacedrive. My choise is diesl inboard and surfacedrive. My opinion is that it is the best combination when it comes to speed, economy, draft and running cost.

I have an IB/OB. From a mechanic point of view, my next boat will be an outboard. It's a real PITA servicing IB/OB. It's a lot easier to work on an outboard.

I was hoping that this video would cover more about the differences in water activities, ie water skiing, tubing, or just getting to your fishing destination, how fast each type of engine can get the boats up to the proper speed and plane out. Otherwise, very informative video. Thank you.

Been working at boat/PWC shop for about a month. Outboards are way easier to work with. Repair costs are lower too.

I personally think inboards are a bit easier to work on as most people who are around cars know how to work on a Chevy 350 but people may not know how to work on a mercury 150

Don’t know about the US (where parts are cheaper for Mercruiser engines) but in Europe inboards are way more expensive on repairs. I’d a 4.3 V6 mercruiser for 13 years - I’d to take the engine out twice to replace the starter motor (located underneath the engine - easily located for a pick up truck on a ramp but not a boat!), once for the starter motor, second time for an incorrectly sized bolt shearing on the starter motor - an absolute fortune towards the end. New Japanese outboards are incredibly reliable now, which is why I changed across. I had a Mariner 60hp 2 stroke 25 years ago, when it was 15 years old and it never failed me in 10 years. Outboards definitely the way to go now, fuel wise / maintenance but biggest negative is theft risk. Go outboard if you’ve a choice. Added to that, in 15 years just remove it and replace it with a new or second hand one to get years more out of your boat at a minimum cost to change across.

I've had both and worked on both. I like outboard but the risk of theft and transom damage from the weight being all the way on the very back is a no go for me. The price of a newer outboard is ridiculous.

Here on the lower Colorado river, outboards are king! Nothing like a 475 pound, 250hp motor on an 18 foot boat! Running mid 70s all day long!

3 more cons for sterndrive. You can hav a freshwater system for the engine. Its easy to warm up water for the dishing or shower. At last in Skandinavien expensive outboard engine are often stoolen. No problem woth the sterndrive.

I’ve always felt the ride of an i/o powered boat was better than an outboard… lower center of gravity and more weight forward of stern . Also, can you run an outboard at higher speeds for extended period of time? And last, if used the same way, which will last longer ?

I'm looking at an inboard powered boat, Mercuiser 5L with Bravo drive. I am told it puts out about 240HP. I will mainly be diving out of the boat. How do these Mercuiser engines compare with fuel efficiency when compared with a similar HP modern 4 stroke outboard?

Hmm. Interesting. Thank you for that presentation. What experience do you have with jack plates?? You mentioned that one of the benefits of an outboard is the ability to trim right out of the water. However, I have a brand new boat with an outboard on a mini-jack plate, which neither brings the prop up above the bottom of the hull like it's supposed to, nor does the engine trim fully out of the water regardless of what position the jack plate is raised to because a mercury level trim limiter is fitted that restricts the engine from trimming up fully. It trims you even less under slow power becauhse the boat tips up at slow speeds, so the mercury level is affected. The trim limiter was installed post purchase of the boat, because trimming it up fully breaks the hydraulic steering fittings. Do you think the problem could be an incorrectly sized and positioned jack plate by the dealer??

problem with an inboard/outboard in my area of southeast g.a is there is no one that does repairs to them here....and if you do find one it is ridiculously priced to fix them!

Jet drive FTW 😎👍

I have a Chaparral Sunesta 224 with an I/O and I absolutely love it. I want the stern of my boat open and free of obstructions. I want to be able to sit on the swim platform or sit on the rear-facing seat and not have an engine in the way or messing up my view. Will heavy maintenance be more expensive? Hopefully I'll never have to find out. I got propulsion insurance on the boat that includes normal wear and tear so I'm not too worried about it. I'm not going to get a type of engine I don't like because of a cost I MAY have to deal with years down the road. Just my opinion.

I have a 5.7 in 18 1/2 ft, It can out accelerate most 2 stroke Outboards. I feel that a 5.7 is too small in a boat over 22 ft.

Any comment on purchase price for equivalent HP of both types?

I have a 1978 sea ray inboard I am looking for a top to keep the sun off the wife and I were want it to go from windshield to the back. Can you help us get one for our boat and we want to replace our box to cover our Motor with cup holder thank you we can't find what side the top we are looking for we want to be able to mount a light bar on the top .

Why was there not any mention of inboards not being ideal for saltwater environments because you have to change the manifold and headers often?

How do I find out what engine came with my boat

Very few boats available in the 1990-2015 range?? Wow that's funny, considering 75% of the boats out there including mine, which is a 1996 model, have an outboard setup on it.

Hi you said that that the io would last a little longer . Wrong a car or truck will go 200000 miles a out board motor will not all parts of the io stern drive unit are much more robust as well. I have power trim on my stern drive so it will come out of the water like a outboard. AS far as longevity I have a 1972 slick craft from new it cost me about $50.00 per year for up keep with no over hall ever

I have had both. An outboard seems to ride in top of the water easier than a stern drive boat. A stern drive boat seems to ride through the water and not on top of the water.

Is there a lower unit jet drive I can replace my Mercury 3.0 135HP inboard-outboard propeller with?

All great and factual information, but I would argue that nobody seems to talk about the physics of outboards vs inboards, or even Inboard/Outboard powered boats. Outboards place the weight off the transom, or even further back on a bracket. This makes an outboard powered boat more likely to porpoise or lift up at the bow every time it encounters a wave. Just watch the motion of outboard powered boats, there is more bow rise. Weight further forward reduces this from happening. Now let's consider the sideways motion of a boat, or the pitch or roll. An inboard or I/O is placed much lower on the boat offering greater stability. The engine acts like ballast as in the keel of a sailboat. The weight of the engine wants to right the boat, or return it normal. With an outboard, not only is the weight of the engine further backward, it is also higher up. The weight wants to pull the boat over when leaning hard in either direction, not a good thing. We tend to fish mostly off the back of planing boats. Who wants the obstruction of an outboard in the way? Next is cost. I can purchase a used 350 or 454 for cheap. Try replacing a similar horsepower outboard for that amount. Highly unlikely. Lastly, an inboard engine is basically a marinated vehicle engine. Many mechanics have knowledge of this type of engine. Have I convinced you yet?

1) I/O have a lower and more forward centre of gravity. Much better when towed on trailer. 2) the superior CG gives lower planing speeds 3) don’t need trim tabs 4) easier to diagnose while driving 5) more dangerous due to blower/fumes

What about pilothouses?

Nice thing is the ease of working on winterizing and swapping an outboard if you had any issue. True inboard or jet drive isn't for me.

That cruiser looks like a repurposed lobster boat, I like it

Are outboards best for shallow water and beaches ? But the thought of a sharp propeller at the back terrifies me.

Nobody is gonna talk about the guy backing the boat at 3:50 jack knifed or hit something😂

At my Home lake there’s a lot of I/O pontoons

Stern drive has all the problems of an inboard and all the problems of an outboard.

You forgot direct straight shaft drive, z drive, allison and pods.

Inboard spent more time in workshops that on the water. It always something wrong with them. Also crazy fuel consumption compare to outboard

Here in south Florida I/O's are rare. Nearly every boat up to about 40 feet is an outboard.

No mention of the increased fire risk in a boat with the engine mounted inside the boat? I am not sure I agree with the inboard being more difficult for the do it your selfers. Conventional "car" engines are much easier than an outboard. Access my be tougher on some. a 300 HP out board is >30k, you can get an I/O >300 HP for less.

Outboard for life!!!

Outdrive trims up past the hull, how is that any different in a shallow situation, if anything weight distribution gives it to the inboard engine boat.

Outboards all the way especially if you go anywhere near salt. Only buy an inboard if you have mountains of money to maintain it. IOs force most owners out of boating. Outboard is for life.

I/o setups are easier to maintain for diyers than outboard engines. Especially if they are used to working on cars. Outboard engines are a lot more compact and not as easy to work on in my opinion.

Next video: paddles vs oars

One point that was missing was high performance boats. Outboards are way way more expensive to run high horsepower. More outdrives in the water scrub speed Where are you going to buy an 800hp outboard for $25k? You’re going to have to buy two 400s that will be slower and cost $80k.

So let's see an outboard engine attached to an inboard outdrive

To anyone who wants to get into watersports PLEASE don't get either of these. Once you ski behind a true inboard inboard nothing will be the same. Your heart will sing. Colors will be brighter. You will never want to go near an i/o again.

With all the advantages of outboards, why were they hard to find recently?

TEAM OUTBOARD

Con - Outboard engines being totally exposed are much easier to steal.

Outboard all the way, don't forget that the exhaust/cooling water runs through your hull, if your seals (bellows) fail you're looking at a sinking boat. Not to mention working on them is a MASSIVE pita. (I own one)

Ill take inboard any day. You want it shallow, put a tunnel in it. Note, anything multi-purpose does nothing well.

New outboards are quieter than I/Os.

You left out a BIG consideration on this decision and I think it is due to your lake bias. Here on the coast of Florida where salt water is king, outboards are also King. Outboards are better for salt water applications since the entire engine was designed to run in salt, whereas a converted car or truck engine that uses salt water for cooling will rot the engine from the inside out faster. I/O Exhaust risers are know to corrode much faster in salt water.

Inboard V8 jet. Anything else is a compromise in capability.

Watch at 1.25x

The main difference is: I/O's are trouble-prone and break all the time; expensive to have repaired. Avoid them if you boat in salt water.

Not a boater, but my common sense is telling me that it is a whole ton easier to swap out outboard engines.

Never buy out boards, someone will steal it sooner or later.

I dont think seasons matter when u live in Florida

Outboards dont explode when you forget to operate blower