Inboard vs Outboard

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Tim DH

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Hi all. New to this game so if anybody can advise it will be gratefully received. I live on the Solent and intend buying a 2nd hand bowrider type of boat in the next 6 months. They are the right size to trailer on my drive as I'm close to public slipways on the Solent. They also offer the performance but with a bit of comfort. Many on the market at about £5 -£7k. Big question is inboard or outboard. Reviews say standard 3ltr mercruiser best in class. Would a smaller outboard provide better economy? Don't need v fast speeds but enough to possibly wakeboard. What about servicing? Are outboards easier to service or not? Going to Soton boat show to ask around and will be doing rya level 2 but your advice is welcome. Cheers.
 
you will be more confused as if you ask 10 people, you'll get 10 different answers! with your budget, you may not get a very new outboard; but you can upgrade later on a lot easier. but you may well get a fairly new bowrider with inboard. Just remember most inboard boats have built-in fuel tank but a lot of outboards have portable fuel tank (as well as many bigger boats come with built in fuel tank).
 
My advice would to be careful in those waters with a small bowrider. I am currently upgrading as they cant deal with the sea conditions in the Solent unless you plan on not leaving the harbour at all. Bowriders also ship in water if you are hit by a big wave which happens more regularly than you think! On a boat like that fuel economy will be much better with an outboard 100%
 
Its all about the servicing. If the boat is +5 years old and with an inboard, I would want PROOF that the bellows and exhaust manifolds have had a proper inspection. This is an area of major concern and could result in great expense. Its also not something you have to worry about if its outboard.
 
A lot of folk on this forum will have had outbaord and inboard powered boats at some point, and there are pros and cons for both flavours.......a lot depends on what is available at the time you decide to buy, but if it was me, knowing the kind of water the solent provides us all with, I would probably choose a cuddy or at least closed bow over a bow-rider configuration.......just my opinion, but two people in my boatyard have bowriders as Trailer sailers and regularly return with some of the solent still on board.....just my opinion of course..
 
You'll probably wakeboard at between 18-21mph or maybe less for complete beginners and small kids. More power and torque will make it easier to maintain a constant speed especially at the slower speeds. I would think 3.0 and 4.2 I/O would have more power than most outboard bowriders I've seen. Also a fixed tow point is a lot more convenient in comparison to outboards with bridles.
 
Thanks for the advice. Hadn't really looked at cuddy config as they all looked out of my price range apart from much older models. Can appreciate not much fun having a boat full of water though so will widen my scope of potential purchases. Cheers
 
Whopper said:
Also a fixed tow point is a lot more convenient in comparison to outboards with bridles.
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All my watersking back in my teens and early 20's was done on outboard powered bow riders (~16-19ft with 90-115hp engines) and all had ski poles that slotted into a hole just forward of the outboard and held the rope clear of it.. Never had to use a bridle for skiing.. I am sure this must still be the case..

When buying it if your intention is to pull skiers and wake boarders make sure it has a pole (or better yet a tower)..
 
We had an inboard bowrider for 5 years with the 3.0 Mercruiser. A simple straight forward engine which is reliable and ok to maintain. However an outboard is supposed to be easier and cheaper to maintain, certainly inboard engines need an element of being a dwarf contortionist to reach some of the parts. The 3.0 Mercruiser will pull wakeboarders and water toys well, ours had no problem getting up and out of the water with 4 passengers and a victim hanging off the back.

As people have said, a bowrider in the Solent can be a little limiting due to water and weather conditions, we got out ok but it can be a wet ride and we found that running with the bow cover on and (if possible on the selected design of boat) running with bow doors closed helped.
 
Most points have already been covered, but for my pennies worth (having had both inboard & outboard) I would say outboard every time, especially on smaller boats. For starters there’s no Devils Egg Whisk (sterndrive) to have to worry about, outboards are not immune from there problems, but you don’t have to be a contortionist midget to work on them. Also don’t under estimate how useful it is to completely tilt an outboard out of the water when beaching and exploring. A Bowrider in the Solent will at some point take a plunge, and that’ll ruin your day and most likely scare the passengers. I would recommend a cuddy, at least something with a loo, even a basic one. The extra cost of a cuddy or Walkaround over a Bowrider will be money well spent when you need a loo or to shelter from the rain. I currently have a Cap Camarat Walk around, and have to say it’s great, decent loo and plenty of room to overnight if need be. This late in the season you might want to see what you can pick up over winter, if you can stretch yourself I can’t help but think you’ll get more usable boat for the money if you can push to something like a Cap Camarat 625 WA, they are around for under 12k, you might be surprised what some people will take when selling, for a few more thousand you could get a lot more boat.
 
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An outboard will be much cheaper to maintain, as they don't need the universal joint, bellows etc of a stern drive. You can also take it off when you need to. Not sure about fuel consumption, but for sure an older 2 stroke is likely to be thirstier than a 4 stroke. I would also caution about a bow rider on the sea. They do ship water. A closed bow will allow the water to drain off, not in.
 
That's really useful. Starting to think open bow isn't such a good idea for the Solent. Will be launching in Lee on the Solent and intend crossing to the island. Would prefer not to get swamped.
 
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