Stern drive craps out and the boat is out of commission until it is repaired, or swapped out. Outboard goes out, and it can be swapped out within a few minutes if one has a running backup outboard on hand, as I do, *if* the boat is not *too* big for a cheap smallish outboard. That decides it for me. Though it may take an engine crane or hoist to quickly swap out a larger outboard without help. Mine are 20hp or less, and easy enough to swap without assistance, and none cost very much. If I had way more horses and a much bigger boat, I might think differently for that rig, though I'd always have a small enough boat that a 20hp or less backup outboard would do on hand to have something I can get out on the water without waiting for a repair.
@@ThatGuyFromDK Until the stern drive is repaired or swapped out, yes, good point. Seems it would be much, much more difficult to swap out a stern drive, unless it's a very big boat that would require a heavy outboard, but I'm not so familiar with stern drives.
Mercruiser for example made millions of stern drives , these can be swapped out faster (or overhauled) faster than any outboard of equivalent horsepower. Power/ $ ratio of a stern drive will always be more economical
@@duncandmcgrath6290 Faster than loosening a couple clamps, lifting off the non-running outboard, putting on the running backup, and tightening its clamps, which typically takes a few minutes?
@@dudeski5333 Of course this depends on the rig. I intend to always have a small boat with a low hp outboard on hand, regardless of my main rig, so I always have a rig I can use to fish. Beyond about 20hp, those extra horses bring greatly diminishing speed returns, practically speaking.
In my opinion, outboards are better all around. I have a Bravo II outdrive with a Mercury 454 large block . This engine is fast but burns 20 gallons per hour at 3200-3400 rpm with 50% fuel tank and 2-4 people onboard. If you don’t have a boat lift and/or trailer, you must be very diligent to maintain the outdrive. Saltwater can be hard on outdrive without proper maintenance. I have a diver that cleans the bottom and outdrive every quarter. The outdrive and bottom is thoroughly cleaned and painted every two years as a minimum . If you don’t have the resources for proper maintenance, don’t buy an outdrive and leave it in salt water. The boat is very attractive, has a nice swim platform. Warnings: keep up with the maintenance OR you will pay thousand in repairs. Boat mechanics are $100 plus per hour as a minimum. My future plans is to either get a boat lift OR go with a straight drive, or outboard. My boat is too big to trailer myself.😊
Stern Drive shows an owners inexperience boating. Do not buy a stern drive. Either by an outboard, or an inboard. No one is going to buy a boat on purpose as a stern drive. Also, no one‘s going to buy a four winns hull either. But anyone that has a stern drive typically, specially associated with the bow rider, is an inexperienced and novice boat owner has anybody with experience would buy neither. Get an outboard
My sterndrive has a chevy engine. Parts are insanely CHEAP compared to an outboard. I can buy a rebuilt chevy straight six for $800. Try that with an outboard Mercury! With the intercooler I don't worry about winterization. Also, my 20' boat is trailered so much of the post just doesn't apply to normal recreational boats. I do admit, overall, an outboard may have a slight advantage for a major breakdown.
In the long term, diesel outdrives will be more reliable and last longer, thus being more cost-effective over the life of the boat. Also, in the event of a fuel leak, diesel won't easily catch fire or explode. Contrary what has been stated, some sterndrives can be tilted clear of the water.
You forgot to mention, any petrol/gasoline engine is a floating bomb because the fuel is so volatile, any leak and fire and the thing will go up like a bomb. Very dangerous if some distance from the shore. Diesel on the other hand wont burn.
Outboard all the way, keeps the drive out of the water when its not in use, is much easier to swap and fix. It also keeps more internal space which is more important on smaller boats. Anything above 8m should start probably start looking at inboards
for small pleasure boats, outboards today are leaps better than even 10 years ago. The problem with stern drives is the number of critical failure modes. We have muskrats on our lake, and they like to chew rubber. Not an issue with an outboard. With a stern-drive, there are multiple bellows that are just waiting to be chewed up. Your boat will sink. There is also the added complexity of the tilt mechanisms.
If your bilge pump is working, the boat won't sink, not that much water comes into the boat. I had my bellows fail on in the middle of a 2 week trip last year. It was a non-issue, the bilge was only kicking in once maybe twice an hour. The only bellows that matters is the driveshaft up on top and pretty difficult for a critter to get to. If you leave the drive down, there's no way for them to get to it, it's blocked by the drive. I've always had I/O's, both Volvo and Mercruisers, and always done all the repairs myself as they aren't difficult. One advantage of I/O's not mentioned here is parts are a lot less expensive since many are common car parts. Sure, there's a few that are marine specific like the starters & alternators, but if you break down in the middle of a trip, you can just run to the local auto parts store and get what you need to get back home. They won't have anything for an outboard. If you are in a high crime area, an outboard is relatively easy to steal, on an I/O they'll only get the relatively inexpensive drive. Like everything in life, there's no right answer, everything has it's advantages and disadvantages.
I’ve got a 26 Bertram with 2 alpha one gen 1 drives. If you don’t know how to work on them or hire the wrong guy to work on it, it’s a damn nightmare for you. However, it’s a tank and they’re faster than inboards. And if you hit a rock you won’t lose the whole outboard. If you learn how to work on them by the books they’re really not terrible. Be diligent about about the time periods of water pump, bellows, and shaft seal services. I would definitely recommend getting a counter-rotating lower unit if you have 2, docking can be a pain in the ass.
One thing however, when you make the conversion, for an identical speed on the same boat, you can mount an outboard motor less powerful than its inboard counterpart, as a result the consumption decreases as well as the final total weight of the boat
Sterndrive/inboards are not for the weak and oublards are not for the cheap. One of my restored boats (19' Seaswirl Sierra Cuddy) is a sterndrive and it is such a great handling boat. Its a 4cyl chevy and is cheap and easy to work on, gets on plane smoothly and has a pretty decent top speed. I love it just as much as my Seaswirl Striper 2101 with a 200 Honda outboard, difference is the Honda outboard cost $20k which is more than the purchase, restoration and repower cost of my sterndrive boat. Pros and cons of both. Just get what you can afford to repair because you will need money more than anything!
I don’t know how you are buying your motors but in 2004 I bought a new holdover previous year 200hp Honda for $8600 with begining of the year rebate. Prices have gone up but I can probably deal on one for $15k or a little more. If not I can find used ones for $10k or less.
i find it funny how he said the better power to weight of the outboard allows for better top speed of the outboard. Then we go to fuel consumption, and we see the inboard actually is a decent amount faster at prettymuch every rpm and uses less fuel in the process. That small of a weight difference in the size of boat the 300hp motors go on wont make much if any difference. But the position of that weight makes a HUGE difference. Also dont compare a 300hp diesel to a 300hp petrol/gas engine. That 300hp volvo d4 wil be WAY stronger then all those 300hp engines it was compared to. The torque on that diesel wil make it so much stronger that its more likely going to be competing with a 400hp outboard. And at that point we are comparing it with a mercury wich costs i think 56.000 in the usa? So the price difference all of a sudden isnt big at all.
Stern drives still seem to achieve more speed with lower horsepower ratings. However, stern drives are more difficult to maintain, especially for winterization. Outboards are easily drained for winter storage. Stern drives also protrude down farther below the boat and don't provide as much clearance when raised...much easier to beach a boat with an outboard and safely keep the lower unit on an outboard away from harm when in shallow water or when beached.
The amount of cost and time time to keep an sterndrive operating is significantly higher than on a outboard, its also a much more complex drivetrain prone for failure.
Recently I read a research that although outboards would officially last 1500-2000 hours, with some going 5000 hours with good maintenance, most of them will simply get a hole in the cooling system and die out of corosion at about 750 hours. that aint happening with two circle inboard.
I/Os are garbage especially on saltwater . There's always salt water in the bilge with near 100% humidity causing corrosion on the engine, cables, outdrive etc.. All your fuel savings (GPH) go out the window when you start replacing corroded starters, alternators, cables etc.. Gas outdrives are more likely to blow up from gas fumes in the bilge also. I've seen in numerous times on the Jersey shore. Get an outboard!
I grew up with a stern drive , dad switched to outboards when I was a young adult no comparison give me outboards any day. Navigating shallow waterways and getting ashore on beaches outboards win hands down. No fuel fumes inside the boat is another bonus.
Just try changing the oil on both. You will quickly decide the outboards are better. Grew up with a stern drive. Working on them is nightmare of inaccessible parts.
Two big problems I have with his conclusions are, one, that the main reason for his outboard preference assumes that you don't pull your boat out of the water after every use as so many I know do or even when the bottom needs cleaning if it's water bound. Second if you have multiple outboards you are not saving any money on any part..
As a Tech in Nz. My view is always keep the water and engine out and the people in . Stern drive is twice the service cost. Because of that owners with stingy habits skip services. So when it all goes wrong with a stern drive..and it does the cost is ridiculous to fix. Generally full replacement of the leg.. Unless you on the Titanic you don't need a stern drive.. if you still want 1 or a double don't be stingy with your annual servicing...up to you...
Amazing video I built a 22ft hiliner center console my dad had a engine laying around at his boat yard so I kept it original with a io and I wish I went with a outboard reason being is deck room aboard boat and be able to boat in shallow water
I would go with the inboard/outboard mercruiser because there's the option of switching out the gear ratios for better performance and fuel efficiency.the outboards are limited to just changing the prop for a difference in the rpms and fuel economy.all are susceptible to power to weight ratios for performances
There was a time when stern drives and outboards, when their pro's and con's were compared, were pretty much on par with each other. Outboards were 2 strokes, didn't have the longevity of a 4 stroke stern drive, were noisy, and smokey but today those issues no longer exist. Just about the only advantage a stern drive has now is that it is cleaner looking and you can get a better swim platform. Other than that, outboards win just about all other comparisions hands down.
I would only buy outboards. In boards are difficult to work on and high cost to fix. Look at how many used inboards for sale that don’t work. People forget to do maintenance and blow the “glorified auto” engine. Unless you have money and a really big boat, get a multiple outboard boat then you have redundancy if 1 engine dies.
Stern drive is a big headache and lots of money to maintain in good condition. Outboard out of order ! No problem just swap engine for repairs with touching the hull. One very important thing you forget to mention: stern drive on fire destroys the boat quickly. Outboard catches fire very very rarely
For a fishing boat you definitely don’t want a stern drive if it’s not offshore fishing. There’s just no arguing that you aren’t happy crawling around in a few feet of water with a stern drive. You simply can’t pull it up enough to avoid damage while you can with an outboard. An outboard if left unlocked will ride up and over if you touch bottom. Sterndrive ain’t goin nowhere . In short you just shouldn’t go in shallows with a stern drive with it running.
I feel like an outboard is the way to go if saltwater is part of the equation. Also later in the life of the boat you have to worry about gaskets and such. Outboards all the way!
An under powered engine burns more gas. runs at a lesser RPM. Over power runs longer and in the cases of big catche so bad weather. You need the extra power.
I’ve got all the basic tools to overhaul older mercruiser outdrives . They are built tough and easy to set up . They built millions of these things and most are given to me for free . Try the same for an outboard over 250 hp
OBs all routine maintenance can be done standing next to the engine or small stepladder by anyone with limited mechanical abilities including oil and gear case fluid changes, OB winterization involves trimming the engine down and letting gravity run out the water (although I do the oil and gear case changes too) no paying a mechanic to contort under an engine hatch. OBs can be trimmed up above the boats keel and still maintain steering without stressing the driveline like an IO. OBs have NO bellows (to leak and sink your boat) or gimbal housing to be replaced every couple years. All modern boat manufacturers have retooled their molds to include extended swim platforms that are as big if not bigger than the IO boats. Bottom line, there is zero benefit of an IO over a modern four stroke OB.
For gas fuel motors, there is no comparison for any motorboat boat under about 28 ft. The modern outboard of all the major manufacturers are better in almost every aspect - especially reliability, power, weight, maintenance, and fuel economy. This has been a settled question for at least the last decade or more. Unless you are operating a slower displacement hull.
@@zandemen Maybe you are not buying new motors recently. I modern Suzuki four stroke outboard will go 2-3-thousand hours no problem with regular maintenance. Most outboards made in the last decade plus will do that. Most recreational fisherman generally dont exceed 150 hours per year. That is a lot of fishing. So yeah, a new outboard should be totally reliable for many many seasons.
Outboards have soany advantages, but inboards sure look better amd the sound reductions are good too. I think evonomics and function I go outboard. Inboard for aestetics
on "larger boats", in the 32-47' territory, inboards are often accessible from below decks as well as on deck. for example the Nodric 42 engine room is fairly open. people often use it for extra storage space too... but the key and catch is. if its bad weather out. storming, ice, hail, and you lose an engine, the ability to drop below decks, and work on it there, do maintenance in a safe and secure environment rather then hanging off the bow in and ice storm... is always a plus.
@@Muscleupsanddangles Yep, i tend to view outboards for "day cruisers" and weekenders, where you are operating in fair weather only. inboards for "liveaboards" and long range cruising, where you expect to have to do maintenance, even in bad weather. Perfect examples are peopled doing the loop, boating down the east coast, up the Miss, through the great lakes, down the St L, and back out to the east coast. a 6,000 mile trip... so you KNOW it won't be all fair weather... and yo know something is likely to require maintenance along the way.
@@jenniferstewarts4851 I see. What type of boats are you usually running (purpose)? Salt applications? Inshore, offshore? I am trying yo learn a lot about boats because I am retiring soon and always dreamed about living that boat life.
@@Muscleupsanddangles I'm great lakes. so its "fresh water", but you treat them as oceans. Today its light fog with 1' waves and 10 knot wind... but we can see waves up to 20'. They actually hold "off shore races" on the lakes with 70'ers. I personally though operated a 28' cabin cruiser and boy did that thing EVER get tossed in bad weather. but compared to other boats it fared much better then the smaller ones. and yep it was an inboard the motor though was accessed through aft deck, but the aft deck was covered and enclosed... so we could work on it safely away from the elements.
For someone who switched from outboard To inboard can Tell that the Classic Stern Drive will be much cheaper To maintain ... And the reason IS pretty simple ... Cost of parts. Also outboard tens To need alot of spezial tools
Small Block Chevy with an Alpha sterndrive👍🏻. Parts aplenty . Volvos better but cost mort to fix than renting Swedish hookers by the month. I saw a mechanic replacing 2 hydraulic hoses and he said they were $900. Then he said they came off EBay , they were a lot more from a dealer. I said they must say General Dynamics on the label 😵💫. Those lines lines for my Alpha are about $100 or less.
Diesels in boats require fire extinguisher on board. Got boarded 5 years ago by Coast Guard for safety check. They were going to impound my boat for no fire extinguisher. I had an outboard(gas) hooked to a portable tank,for testing purposes. My whaler doesn’t have internal tanks for a 21ft. I said I didn’t require one. They wrote me up anyway. Went to the Coast Guard station later and talking to the instructor of the boarding class. On my way home I got a call from the commander of the station to apologize. I’m in the aviation business and the Coast Guard was conducting boarding training using a checklist. The aviation business doesn’t stand for such incompetence. I asked the boarding commander to call back to the CG base to verify what I was telling him the rule was. He refused. The Coast Guard’s ability to board without,probable cause should be revoked by Congress
Only 2 ways to go. 4 stroke outboard or for larger boats inboard diesel(not gas). Boat sizes are getting larger that can use outboards. My neighbor owns Freeman boats, enough said
@@jeepowner2675 sterndrives have motors inside the boat and props outside. Inboards have a shaft that exits the boat underwater to a pro- otherwise it’s a surface drive
Not necessarily. Boat engines are compared on weight to power ratio. A 300 HP outboard is lighter than a 300 HP inboard. But some inboards are designed for speed and in comparison it will faster than a 300 HP outboard even if the physical weight is heavier than the outboard. In conclusion efficiency of a boat doesn't not depend on the weight of the engine but on the weight to power ratio
Outboard seems more efficient if it weighs less let's think of how far it really goes per revolution ND not rpm like distance per revolution matters if it weighs less and has better weight distribution it should be more efficient per rpm
That's not true. Boat efficiency is not calculated on engine's weight but on engine's weight to power ratio. A heavier engine with a weight to power ratio 3 : 2 will be more efficient than a lighter engine with engine's weight to power ratio 2 : 1 1st engine Weight 100 kg Weight to power ratio 3:2 2nd engine Weight 50 Kg Weight to power ratio 2 :1 Engine 2 weights less but also less efficient than engine 1 which is far heavier.
It's either high torque or high speed but not both. In between you can use a turbo diesel you will get high torque and more speed than a normal diesel engine. I had 2 Volvo Penta diesel. But keep in mind turbo diesel maintenance cost a lot of money. If it's for commercial use a turbo diesel is a good option.
There's one other issue thats not covered here. Theft. Even at some marina's, outboard motor theft is a big thing. Thieves may not even look at "disconnecting" cables. they just unbolt, cut the the lines and toss the outboard into another boat and drive off with it. in just 1case, police arrested a mechanic with over 2 dozen stolen motors.
@@richmac918 yep. outboard thefts are common, a single outboard in the case of the larger ones is worth 60k new... So people going through and stealing 10 outboards from a marina in 1 night... thats likely a big chunk of cash they are getting.
If you think sterndrives are acceptable, run one in saltwater then wait a month. You won’t even want to know how the inside of you exhaust manifold looks. You also pretty much stuck with mercury and the trim/tilt and trim limit switch are built cheaply with plastic. Try running those in saltwater over a period of time. To replace the wiring you will have to remove the whole stern drive. That will be the last sterndrive you buy
That's if you're too cheap to buy a closed loop fresh water cooling system. And manifolds generally need to be replaced every 5-10 years anyway. Probably less if you have a fresh water system. Also you can negate this by just flushing with fresh water after you get done riding in salt.
The biggest problem for a Mercury is an irresponsible owner. Always flush with fresh water after time in salt or brackish water, and replace consumables regularly.
Break off a seized shift linkage in your lower leg while trying to change an impeller, you'll never go back to outboards. My impeller takes three screws... done. Literally one minute. Also an inline flush system, so no muffs, can even flush without the engine running.
I owned a commercial scuba boat equipped with 2 Volvo Penta turbo diesel stern drive. This boat was moored in the lagoon since 2008 till now and is still working perfectly. Use liquid coolant instead of water cooling system this will avoid your engine lots of problems. It's a green liquid coolant. I don't know what it is made of. The maintenance guy from Volvo always brings and changes the liquid himself. I believe any engine depends on how the owner treat them.
Hi I have a bravo one s/n 0L853683 but when I look for part there’s many Sterndrive letter and number ranger like bravo Sterndrive 0f730000 thru 0m100000 bravo Sterndrive 0B664190 thru 0f729999 an more Bravo 0M100001 thru 0w249999 Bravo one 0W 250000 & up How can know from my sería number which one it’s my right model or ranger numbers Thanks
![DDG & G Herbo - Nosey [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I9Ra0Zc2NlQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Great balanced video. You missed one thing - if you need the resilience, longevity and reliability of a diesel, you have to go sterndrive.
You lost me when you couldn’t pronounce “Verado”
Outboard might be more usefull but such a big thing at the back looks ugly if u ask me
Stern drive craps out and the boat is out of commission until it is repaired, or swapped out. Outboard goes out, and it can be swapped out within a few minutes if one has a running backup outboard on hand, as I do, *if* the boat is not *too* big for a cheap smallish outboard. That decides it for me. Though it may take an engine crane or hoist to quickly swap out a larger outboard without help.
Mine are 20hp or less, and easy enough to swap without assistance, and none cost very much. If I had way more horses and a much bigger boat, I might think differently for that rig, though I'd always have a small enough boat that a 20hp or less backup outboard would do on hand to have something I can get out on the water without waiting for a repair.
Don't have to scrap a boat, all engines can be changed. Just takes more time
@@ThatGuyFromDK Until the stern drive is repaired or swapped out, yes, good point. Seems it would be much, much more difficult to swap out a stern drive, unless it's a very big boat that would require a heavy outboard, but I'm not so familiar with stern drives.
Mercruiser for example made millions of stern drives , these can be swapped out faster (or overhauled) faster than any outboard of equivalent horsepower.
Power/ $ ratio of a stern drive will always be more economical
@@duncandmcgrath6290 Faster than loosening a couple clamps, lifting off the non-running outboard, putting on the running backup, and tightening its clamps, which typically takes a few minutes?
@@dudeski5333 Of course this depends on the rig. I intend to always have a small boat with a low hp outboard on hand, regardless of my main rig, so I always have a rig I can use to fish. Beyond about 20hp, those extra horses bring greatly diminishing speed returns, practically speaking.
In my opinion, outboards are better all around. I have a Bravo II outdrive with a Mercury 454 large block . This engine is fast but burns 20 gallons per hour at 3200-3400 rpm with 50% fuel tank and 2-4 people onboard. If you don’t have a boat lift and/or trailer, you must be very diligent to maintain the outdrive. Saltwater can be hard on outdrive without proper maintenance. I have a diver that cleans the bottom and outdrive every quarter. The outdrive and bottom is thoroughly cleaned and painted every two years as a minimum . If you don’t have the resources for proper maintenance, don’t buy an outdrive and leave it in salt water. The boat is very attractive, has a nice swim platform. Warnings: keep up with the maintenance OR you will pay thousand in repairs. Boat mechanics are $100 plus per hour as a minimum. My future plans is to either get a boat lift OR go with a straight drive, or outboard. My boat is too big to trailer myself.😊
Having had both...I love my outboard...and would never go back to a stern dive.
Stern Drive shows an owners inexperience boating. Do not buy a stern drive. Either by an outboard, or an inboard. No one is going to buy a boat on purpose as a stern drive. Also, no one‘s going to buy a four winns hull either. But anyone that has a stern drive typically, specially associated with the bow rider, is an inexperienced and novice boat owner has anybody with experience would buy neither. Get an outboard
My sterndrive has a chevy engine. Parts are insanely CHEAP compared to an outboard. I can buy a rebuilt chevy straight six for $800. Try that with an outboard Mercury! With the intercooler I don't worry about winterization. Also, my 20' boat is trailered so much of the post just doesn't apply to normal recreational boats. I do admit, overall, an outboard may have a slight advantage for a major breakdown.
In the long term, diesel outdrives will be more reliable and last longer, thus being more cost-effective over the life of the boat. Also, in the event of a fuel leak, diesel won't easily catch fire or explode. Contrary what has been stated, some sterndrives can be tilted clear of the water.
This guy is a novice. Most stern drive can be completely out of water
You forgot to mention, any petrol/gasoline engine is a floating bomb because the fuel is so volatile, any leak and fire and the thing will go up like a bomb. Very dangerous if some distance from the shore. Diesel on the other hand wont burn.
diesel can do it too
@@Antsa15nope
For the moment I see diesel outboard is a good game changer
Way too expensive
Outboard all the way, keeps the drive out of the water when its not in use, is much easier to swap and fix.
It also keeps more internal space which is more important on smaller boats.
Anything above 8m should start probably start looking at inboards
straight inboard all my life from 22ft to37 foot for over 50 years
for small pleasure boats, outboards today are leaps better than even 10 years ago. The problem with stern drives is the number of critical failure modes. We have muskrats on our lake, and they like to chew rubber. Not an issue with an outboard. With a stern-drive, there are multiple bellows that are just waiting to be chewed up. Your boat will sink. There is also the added complexity of the tilt mechanisms.
If your bilge pump is working, the boat won't sink, not that much water comes into the boat. I had my bellows fail on in the middle of a 2 week trip last year. It was a non-issue, the bilge was only kicking in once maybe twice an hour. The only bellows that matters is the driveshaft up on top and pretty difficult for a critter to get to. If you leave the drive down, there's no way for them to get to it, it's blocked by the drive. I've always had I/O's, both Volvo and Mercruisers, and always done all the repairs myself as they aren't difficult. One advantage of I/O's not mentioned here is parts are a lot less expensive since many are common car parts. Sure, there's a few that are marine specific like the starters & alternators, but if you break down in the middle of a trip, you can just run to the local auto parts store and get what you need to get back home. They won't have anything for an outboard. If you are in a high crime area, an outboard is relatively easy to steal, on an I/O they'll only get the relatively inexpensive drive. Like everything in life, there's no right answer, everything has it's advantages and disadvantages.
I’ve got a 26 Bertram with 2 alpha one gen 1 drives. If you don’t know how to work on them or hire the wrong guy to work on it, it’s a damn nightmare for you. However, it’s a tank and they’re faster than inboards. And if you hit a rock you won’t lose the whole outboard. If you learn how to work on them by the books they’re really not terrible. Be diligent about about the time periods of water pump, bellows, and shaft seal services. I would definitely recommend getting a counter-rotating lower unit if you have 2, docking can be a pain in the ass.
Outboard might be more usefull but such a big thing at the back looks ugly if u ask me
Stern drive are dificult to maintain, maintenance " normal " people won't do. Outboard is easy, not very expensive if you do it.
Inboards look so much better 😍
If you want the torque & fuel efficiency of a diesel , go for a stern drive , otherwise just free up space & use an outboard
One thing however, when you make the conversion, for an identical speed on the same boat, you can mount an outboard motor less powerful than its inboard counterpart, as a result the consumption decreases as well as the final total weight of the boat
Sterndrive/inboards are not for the weak and oublards are not for the cheap.
One of my restored boats (19' Seaswirl Sierra Cuddy) is a sterndrive and it is such a great handling boat. Its a 4cyl chevy and is cheap and easy to work on, gets on plane smoothly and has a pretty decent top speed. I love it just as much as my Seaswirl Striper 2101 with a 200 Honda outboard, difference is the Honda outboard cost $20k which is more than the purchase, restoration and repower cost of my sterndrive boat.
Pros and cons of both. Just get what you can afford to repair because you will need money more than anything!
I don’t know how you are buying your motors but in 2004 I bought a new holdover previous year 200hp Honda for $8600 with begining of the year rebate. Prices have gone up but I can probably deal on one for $15k or a little more. If not I can find used ones for $10k or less.
Please stop doing AI narration - It's a turn-off
i find it funny how he said the better power to weight of the outboard allows for better top speed of the outboard. Then we go to fuel consumption, and we see the inboard actually is a decent amount faster at prettymuch every rpm and uses less fuel in the process.
That small of a weight difference in the size of boat the 300hp motors go on wont make much if any difference. But the position of that weight makes a HUGE difference.
Also dont compare a 300hp diesel to a 300hp petrol/gas engine. That 300hp volvo d4 wil be WAY stronger then all those 300hp engines it was compared to. The torque on that diesel wil make it so much stronger that its more likely going to be competing with a 400hp outboard. And at that point we are comparing it with a mercury wich costs i think 56.000 in the usa? So the price difference all of a sudden isnt big at all.
Wrong, seen many carbed sterndrives that guzzled gas. All larger HP outboards are fuel injected, much more efficient
Stern drives still seem to achieve more speed with lower horsepower ratings. However, stern drives are more difficult to maintain, especially for winterization. Outboards are easily drained for winter storage. Stern drives also protrude down farther below the boat and don't provide as much clearance when raised...much easier to beach a boat with an outboard and safely keep the lower unit on an outboard away from harm when in shallow water or when beached.
Negative, prop center line is the same on I/O and outboard.
The amount of cost and time time to keep an sterndrive operating is significantly higher than on a outboard, its also a much more complex drivetrain prone for failure.
Recently I read a research that although outboards would officially last 1500-2000 hours, with some going 5000 hours with good maintenance, most of them will simply get a hole in the cooling system and die out of corosion at about 750 hours. that aint happening with two circle inboard.
Hi, I want you to include surface drive too. thanks
Outboards are superior, only change the direction of power once. More efficiency
I/Os are garbage especially on saltwater . There's always salt water in the bilge with near 100% humidity causing corrosion on the engine, cables, outdrive etc.. All your fuel savings (GPH) go out the window when you start replacing corroded starters, alternators, cables etc.. Gas outdrives are more likely to blow up from gas fumes in the bilge also. I've seen in numerous times on the Jersey shore. Get an outboard!
I grew up with a stern drive , dad switched to outboards when I was a young adult no comparison give me outboards any day. Navigating shallow waterways and getting ashore on beaches outboards win hands down. No fuel fumes inside the boat is another bonus.
Just try changing the oil on both. You will quickly decide the outboards are better.
Grew up with a stern drive. Working on them is nightmare of inaccessible parts.
Two big problems I have with his conclusions are, one, that the main reason for his outboard preference assumes that you don't pull your boat out of the water after every use as so many I know do or even when the bottom needs cleaning if it's water bound. Second if you have multiple outboards you are not saving any money on any part..
As a Tech in Nz. My view is always keep the water and engine out and the people in . Stern drive is twice the service cost. Because of that owners with stingy habits skip services. So when it all goes wrong with a stern drive..and it does the cost is ridiculous to fix. Generally full replacement of the leg..
Unless you on the Titanic you don't need a stern drive.. if you still want 1 or a double don't be stingy with your annual servicing...up to you...
Tell that to a mechanic
Why should inboard engines more efficient, I not understand. What makes this type more effizient?
Amazing video I built a 22ft hiliner center console my dad had a engine laying around at his boat yard so I kept it original with a io and I wish I went with a outboard reason being is deck room aboard boat and be able to boat in shallow water
Outboards tend to be more reliable. Even in the days of 2 smokers
Straight drives are the best Period
I would go with the inboard/outboard mercruiser because there's the option of switching out the gear ratios for better performance and fuel efficiency.the outboards are limited to just changing the prop for a difference in the rpms and fuel economy.all are susceptible to power to weight ratios for performances
I'd rather have a $50 Honda.Outboard motor at pontoon boat Then stern drive
There was a time when stern drives and outboards, when their pro's and con's were compared, were pretty much on par with each other. Outboards were 2 strokes, didn't have the longevity of a 4 stroke stern drive, were noisy, and smokey but today those issues no longer exist. Just about the only advantage a stern drive has now is that it is cleaner looking and you can get a better swim platform. Other than that, outboards win just about all other comparisions hands down.
And there is a limited range of Diesel outboard motors available now, I emphasis limited.
Wasn’t aware diesel outboards were a “thing”. Interesting
Outboard forever for me...
Fresh water or salt water use, makes a huge difference too
A real boat has an inboard engine with a propshaft. Everything else are toys.
Isn't that what boats are? Toys?
I’ll stick to my big block 1350/1550
I have had both. And outboard last much longer.
Johnson Deborah Brown Margaret Jackson Laura
Outboards generally are better for beaching too
I would only buy outboards. In boards are difficult to work on and high cost to fix. Look at how many used inboards for sale that don’t work. People forget to do maintenance and blow the “glorified auto” engine. Unless you have money and a really big boat, get a multiple outboard boat then you have redundancy if 1 engine dies.
Stern drive is a big headache and lots of money to maintain in good condition. Outboard out of order ! No problem just swap engine for repairs with touching the hull. One very important thing you forget to mention: stern drive on fire destroys the boat quickly. Outboard catches fire very very rarely
For a fishing boat you definitely don’t want a stern drive if it’s not offshore fishing. There’s just no arguing that you aren’t happy crawling around in a few feet of water with a stern drive. You simply can’t pull it up enough to avoid damage while you can with an outboard. An outboard if left unlocked will ride up and over if you touch bottom. Sterndrive ain’t goin nowhere . In short you just shouldn’t go in shallows with a stern drive with it running.
B O A T means Break Out Another Thousand
Outboards get stolen easier too.
I feel like an outboard is the way to go if saltwater is part of the equation. Also later in the life of the boat you have to worry about gaskets and such. Outboards all the way!
An under powered engine burns more gas. runs at a lesser RPM. Over power runs longer and in the cases of big catche so bad weather. You need the extra power.
I’ve got all the basic tools to overhaul older mercruiser outdrives . They are built tough and easy to set up .
They built millions of these things and most are given to me for free . Try the same for an outboard over 250 hp
OBs all routine maintenance can be done standing next to the engine or small stepladder by anyone with limited mechanical abilities including oil and gear case fluid changes, OB winterization involves trimming the engine down and letting gravity run out the water (although I do the oil and gear case changes too) no paying a mechanic to contort under an engine hatch. OBs can be trimmed up above the boats keel and still maintain steering without stressing the driveline like an IO. OBs have NO bellows (to leak and sink your boat) or gimbal housing to be replaced every couple years. All modern boat manufacturers have retooled their molds to include extended swim platforms that are as big if not bigger than the IO boats. Bottom line, there is zero benefit of an IO over a modern four stroke OB.
“Ver-uh-due”? Ver-AH-do…
For gas fuel motors, there is no comparison for any motorboat boat under about 28 ft. The modern outboard of all the major manufacturers are better in almost every aspect - especially reliability, power, weight, maintenance, and fuel economy. This has been a settled question for at least the last decade or more. Unless you are operating a slower displacement hull.
Outboards reliable, lol. Is that why people throw them away after a thousand hours?
@@zandemen Maybe you are not buying new motors recently. I modern Suzuki four stroke outboard will go 2-3-thousand hours no problem with regular maintenance. Most outboards made in the last decade plus will do that. Most recreational fisherman generally dont exceed 150 hours per year. That is a lot of fishing. So yeah, a new outboard should be totally reliable for many many seasons.
@@zandemen Coast Guard runs Honda 225s 5,000 hours or more. Not so with sterndrives
Lol veradoo
Outboard. Way easier to maintain.
If you leave your boat in salt water, try to tilt that sterndrive unit out of the water. Barnacle infestation ensues
I see a lot fewer stern drives than i used to
OK, WTF is a "Veradoo"?
Outboard is always the best option unless stern drives are direct shaft.
Outboard.... all day long.
Just a preference and what y do with ur boat tbh either one pushes your boat
Outboards have soany advantages, but inboards sure look better amd the sound reductions are good too. I think evonomics and function I go outboard. Inboard for aestetics
on "larger boats", in the 32-47' territory, inboards are often accessible from below decks as well as on deck. for example the Nodric 42 engine room is fairly open. people often use it for extra storage space too... but the key and catch is. if its bad weather out. storming, ice, hail, and you lose an engine, the ability to drop below decks, and work on it there, do maintenance in a safe and secure environment rather then hanging off the bow in and ice storm... is always a plus.
@@jenniferstewarts4851 I never thought about that, but I see that could be a very big, very important advantage.
@@Muscleupsanddangles Yep, i tend to view outboards for "day cruisers" and weekenders, where you are operating in fair weather only.
inboards for "liveaboards" and long range cruising, where you expect to have to do maintenance, even in bad weather.
Perfect examples are peopled doing the loop, boating down the east coast, up the Miss, through the great lakes, down the St L, and back out to the east coast. a 6,000 mile trip... so you KNOW it won't be all fair weather... and yo know something is likely to require maintenance along the way.
@@jenniferstewarts4851 I see. What type of boats are you usually running (purpose)? Salt applications? Inshore, offshore? I am trying yo learn a lot about boats because I am retiring soon and always dreamed about living that boat life.
@@Muscleupsanddangles I'm great lakes. so its "fresh water", but you treat them as oceans. Today its light fog with 1' waves and 10 knot wind... but we can see waves up to 20'. They actually hold "off shore races" on the lakes with 70'ers.
I personally though operated a 28' cabin cruiser and boy did that thing EVER get tossed in bad weather. but compared to other boats it fared much better then the smaller ones. and yep it was an inboard the motor though was accessed through aft deck, but the aft deck was covered and enclosed... so we could work on it safely away from the elements.
Outboard here I come
For someone who switched from outboard To inboard can Tell that the Classic Stern Drive will be much cheaper To maintain ... And the reason IS pretty simple ... Cost of parts. Also outboard tens To need alot of spezial tools
Small Block Chevy with an Alpha sterndrive👍🏻. Parts aplenty . Volvos better but cost mort to fix than renting
Swedish hookers by the month. I saw a mechanic replacing 2 hydraulic hoses and he said they were $900. Then he said they came off EBay , they were a lot more from a dealer. I said they must say General Dynamics on the label 😵💫. Those lines lines for my Alpha are about $100 or less.
Nice, 0:33 into the video and I can clearly see my boats sterndrives 🙂
Outboard is a an easy win. No real benefit to to a stern drive.
Veradoo?... What?
Good video, but why not discussing the fire hazard with gasoline? That’s the main reason we have diesels in our boat.
Diesels in boats require fire extinguisher on board. Got boarded 5 years ago by Coast Guard for safety check. They were going to impound my boat for no fire extinguisher. I had an outboard(gas) hooked to a portable tank,for testing purposes. My whaler doesn’t have internal tanks for a 21ft. I said I didn’t require one. They wrote me up anyway. Went to the Coast Guard station later and talking to the instructor of the boarding class. On my way home I got a call from the commander of the station to apologize. I’m in the aviation business and the Coast Guard was conducting boarding training using a checklist. The aviation business doesn’t stand for such incompetence. I asked the boarding commander to call back to the CG base to verify what I was telling him the rule was. He refused. The Coast Guard’s ability to board without,probable cause should be revoked by Congress
Life long boater and mechanic, 25 year marine tech. F stern drive. Ill take outboard or preferably straight inboard.
Only 2 ways to go. 4 stroke outboard or for larger boats inboard diesel(not gas). Boat sizes are getting larger that can use outboards. My neighbor owns Freeman boats, enough said
If you intend to water ski, wakeboard or any off the stern activity, the stern drive does offer a little more safety
Inboards even more so,I guess sterndrives are still cancelled
Verdoo? It’s spelt Verado that Veer a dow
Times have changed now 💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵😢
And what about the jet boats?
I know the difference out drive ,stern drive but what is the drive called when you have rudders and props?
It's and inboard configuration when the motor is inside the boat and the prop is outside. Don't think it matter how big the boat or ship is.
@@jeepowner2675 sterndrives have motors inside the boat and props outside. Inboards have a shaft that exits the boat underwater to a pro- otherwise it’s a surface drive
I think outboard is more efficient it weighs less then stern drive
Not necessarily. Boat engines are compared on weight to power ratio. A 300 HP outboard is lighter than a 300 HP inboard. But some inboards are designed for speed and in comparison it will faster than a 300 HP outboard even if the physical weight is heavier than the outboard. In conclusion efficiency of a boat doesn't not depend on the weight of the engine but on the weight to power ratio
Airboat FTW
Direct drive?
Outboard seems more efficient if it weighs less let's think of how far it really goes per revolution ND not rpm like distance per revolution matters if it weighs less and has better weight distribution it should be more efficient per rpm
That's not true. Boat efficiency is not calculated on engine's weight but on engine's weight to power ratio. A heavier engine with a weight to power ratio 3 : 2 will be more efficient than a lighter engine with engine's weight to power ratio 2 : 1
1st engine
Weight 100 kg
Weight to power ratio 3:2
2nd engine
Weight 50 Kg
Weight to power ratio 2 :1
Engine 2 weights less but also less efficient than engine 1 which is far heavier.
If you have to choose an engine for a boat, which is better, high torque or high speed?
Depends on the intended usage, boat weight, engine configuration. Etc.
Prob torque because that's the stuff getting it going
It's either high torque or high speed but not both. In between you can use a turbo diesel you will get high torque and more speed than a normal diesel engine. I had 2 Volvo Penta diesel. But keep in mind turbo diesel maintenance cost a lot of money. If it's for commercial use a turbo diesel is a good option.
Forget the other answers, it’s depends on how you gear it and prop it
@@hayatel2557 then it would be industrial if you don’t turbo it and run 1200 rpm or less
There's one other issue thats not covered here.
Theft.
Even at some marina's, outboard motor theft is a big thing. Thieves may not even look at "disconnecting" cables. they just unbolt, cut the the lines and toss the outboard into another boat and drive off with it. in just 1case, police arrested a mechanic with over 2 dozen stolen motors.
Never thought about this but that could be an issue. That said, I had my outdrive stolen once when my boat was being stored at a storage area
@@richmac918 yep. outboard thefts are common, a single outboard in the case of the larger ones is worth 60k new... So people going through and stealing 10 outboards from a marina in 1 night...
thats likely a big chunk of cash they are getting.
If you think sterndrives are acceptable, run one in saltwater then wait a month. You won’t even want to know how the inside of you exhaust manifold looks.
You also pretty much stuck with mercury and the trim/tilt and trim limit switch are built cheaply with plastic. Try running those in saltwater over a period of time. To replace the wiring you will have to remove the whole stern drive. That will be the last sterndrive you buy
That's if you're too cheap to buy a closed loop fresh water cooling system. And manifolds generally need to be replaced every 5-10 years anyway. Probably less if you have a fresh water system. Also you can negate this by just flushing with fresh water after you get done riding in salt.
The biggest problem for a Mercury is an irresponsible owner. Always flush with fresh water after time in salt or brackish water, and replace consumables regularly.
Break off a seized shift linkage in your lower leg while trying to change an impeller, you'll never go back to outboards. My impeller takes three screws... done. Literally one minute. Also an inline flush system, so no muffs, can even flush without the engine running.
I owned a commercial scuba boat equipped with 2 Volvo Penta turbo diesel stern drive. This boat was moored in the lagoon since 2008 till now and is still working perfectly. Use liquid coolant instead of water cooling system this will avoid your engine lots of problems. It's a green liquid coolant. I don't know what it is made of. The maintenance guy from Volvo always brings and changes the liquid himself. I believe any engine depends on how the owner treat them.
@@zandemen your 20 year behind, Every outboard even before my 2002 Honda have simple external connections to a garden hose. They don’t require running
Hi I have a bravo one s/n 0L853683 but when I look for part there’s many Sterndrive letter and number ranger like
bravo Sterndrive 0f730000 thru 0m100000
bravo Sterndrive 0B664190 thru 0f729999 an more
Bravo 0M100001 thru 0w249999
Bravo one 0W 250000 & up
How can know from my sería number which one it’s my right model or ranger numbers
Thanks