Pros vs Cons I/O vs outboard

Warlord

Warlord

Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
1,718
Location
Southern Ontario
I want to start fishing salmon in Lake Ontario more but my 16.5 Alumacraft feels a bit overmatched by some of the waves that kick up. This makes me only go out on the calmest possible days. A man can never have too many boats so I’m thinking about getting an older (90s) boat in the 20 foot range that I can rig up as a dedicated big water boat. Problem is most boats I see in this size have I/O and I prefer outboards for the space saving inside the boat and ease of maintenance. I’ve had friends tell me they hated their I/O 3 and 4.3 mercs. My question is assuming they’re in good condition are inboard/outboards a pain to live with or am I worrying for no reason?
 
Others here have said I/Os are a pain to work on, parts are hard to get, and few boat mechanics want to deal with them. If at all possible, pick an outboard. At marinas newer boats, even some pretty large craft, almost invariably have one or more outboards, not I/Os.
 
You could probably find a low hours Boston Whaler equipped with twin outboards, maybe even checking out the southern States.

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Warlord said:
I want to start fishing salmon in Lake Ontario more but my 16.5 Alumacraft feels a bit overmatched by some of the waves that kick up. This makes me only go out on the calmest possible days. A man can never have too many boats so I’m thinking about getting an older (90s) boat in the 20 foot range that I can rig up as a dedicated big water boat. Problem is most boats I see in this size have I/O and I prefer outboards for the space saving inside the boat and ease of maintenance. I’ve had friends tell me they hated their I/O 3 and 4.3 mercs. My question is assuming they’re in good condition are inboard/outboards a pain to live with or am I worrying for no reason?
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Lund would be a good brand for up there … lots of options
 
ekrampitzjr said:
Others here have said I/Os are a pain to work on, parts are hard to get, and few boat mechanics want to deal with them. If at all possible, pick an outboard. At marinas newer boats, even some pretty large craft, almost invariably have one or more outboards, not I/Os.
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Almost everything around here in my price range is I/O for whatever reason.
 
Snagglefoot said:
You could probably find a low hours Boston Whaler equipped with twin outboards, maybe even checking out the southern States.

View attachment 149253View attachment 149254
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Maybe you saw the Gulf Coast boats when living down south … My buddy has one. They basically cloned the front off the BWO - but put a shallow water tail end on them. He runs big chop or shallow …
 
Warlord said:
I want to start fishing salmon in Lake Ontario more but my 16.5 Alumacraft feels a bit overmatched by some of the waves that kick up. This makes me only go out on the calmest possible days. A man can never have too many boats so I’m thinking about getting an older (90s) boat in the 20 foot range that I can rig up as a dedicated big water boat. Problem is most boats I see in this size have I/O and I prefer outboards for the space saving inside the boat and ease of maintenance. I’ve had friends tell me they hated their I/O 3 and 4.3 mercs. My question is assuming they’re in good condition are inboard/outboards a pain to live with or am I worrying for no reason?
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Outboard is the way to go. Bass fishin' in Texas, nobody, runs an I/O. Try to launch close to where you fish and keep your 16.5. .02
 
FZ1 said:
Outboard is the way to go. Bass fishin' in Texas, nobody, runs an I/O. Try to launch close to where you fish and keep your 16.5. .02
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I’m definitely keeping my current boat. It’s the perfect solo walleye/musky boat. I’ve never seen a bass boat with an I/O either but a bass boat is totally unsuited to the type of fishing I’m thinking of. It’s slow trolling 100 feet down with downriggers bobbing along sometimes miles offshore to find the salmon. I can run the downriggers in my 16.5 but they take up a lot of space so I’m wanting a boat I can leave them set up and worry less about the waves.
 
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Warlord said:
I’m definitely keeping my current boat. It’s the perfect solo walleye/musky boat. I’ve never seen a bass boat with an I/O either but a bass boat is totally unsuited to the type of fishing I’m thinking of. It’s slow trolling 100 feet down with downriggers bobbing along sometimes miles offshore to find the salmon. I can run the downriggers in my 16.5 but they take up a lot of space so I’m wanting a boat I can leave them set up and worry less about the waves.
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I can see that for your application. I/O could work if there is no shallow water to encounter.
 
On fresh water there is no real problem with an I/O. In.my mind. Depending upon the size of the boat the engine can be under the floor boards so it does not take up any room. Swim platform is open with an I/O.

I cannot comment on availability of Mechanicsville to work on I/O engines on lakes or rivers. I think there are significantly more that around salt water.

Proper maint of an I/O should keep it running fine for many years. If the area you will be boating in has shallow areas with rocks use an aluminum prop. Keep fishing line away from the prop.

I would think the weight distribution would be better without heavy engines hanging off the back but maybe that's not an issue.
 
Whaler is tough to beat. My neighbor works for them, quality control, 25 years as Coast Guard Captain. Also check out Edgewater boats. Both are made near me. And yes, probably in Boston too!
 
I hate I/Os! 15 years ago I had a 28' Wellcraft cabin cruiser with twin Volvo Penta 4.3 I/Os. The thing was a total lemon. I had problems with the drives, problems with the engines, etc. My father complained about I/Os back in the 80s, and now I understand why. I vowed to never have an I/O again. My last boat had twin Cummins with straight inboard drives. I think my next boat is going to be a classic Correct Craft with an inboard setup and a carbureted Ford V-8.
 
Donald said:
Easy to do general maintenance. But if you really have to get into it the have really crammed a lot of engine into the outboard.
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Even so it’s all right there at arm height and you have 360 degree access to everything. Plus if you want to replace or upgrade the outboard it’s a jif.
 
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