Inboard or Outboard???

[Guest]

Have recently aquired a pacific 550 19ft cabin cruiser in need of minor work with no engine, my father has owned one of these unusual looking boats for around 15 years always with an outboard, for which it is designed. I am wondering if it would be possible to alter the transom for the boat to take an inboard engine ideally a 3.0 litre petrol, if so would this burn an awful lot more fuel than a 90-120hp outboard?, any ideas on prices of 2nd hand engines and drives?

Also any info or sites known offering advice on fitting inboards would be great.

 

[chippie]

I dont know about fuel consumption but converting to inboard sounds like a lot of effort compared with putting an outboard on the back and going boating. You will also lose a fair amount of space in the cockpit. You will also have to arrange the fuel supply and storage. What does Dad think?

 

[Guest]

It is seldom worth it to undertake this sort of conversion as

a) It will cost a lot of money relative to the value of the boat and you will not get your money back on resale.

b) You are into the unknown in terms of how the boat will perform with all that extra weight in the stern, not to mention fuel tanks somewhere.

c) You can get inboard efficiency more or less with a modern four stroke outboard - say a Honda 90.

My advice would be, if you want an inboard powered boat, buy one which is designed that way from the start.

Nick

 

[SeaAce]

Neil, I owned a Pacific 550 for 14 years - a very good stable boat. Are you aware that it was only designed to run with a maximum 65hp outboard? (I have a copy of the original brochure). If you want to use a larger o/b I suggest you strengthen the transom. But like you I wanted more power and an inboard, so I have bought a new boat!

 

[Guest]

Thanks to all who replied, I will stick with the outboard option as advised.
Thanks again.
Regards
Neil.