Inboard or outboard

[V8mate]

The good lady and I have been looking at day/fishing boats. Does anyone have an (informed) view of the pros and cons of inboard v outboard motors.

For example, two boats we like: one has a 90hp Suzuki outboard, the other a 110hp Volvo inboard.

How do such engines stack up in terms of reliablity, ongoing maintenance requirements, erm... anything else?

[Simpo Two]

And the one in the middle - outdrives.

[danyeates]

Personally I’d stick with an outboard, but get a modern four stroke if possible. Sterndrives/Outdrives incur higher servicing costs and are generally less economical and heavier than an outboard.

[Seight_Returns]

Assuming that the inboard would be diesel, pros and cons as I see it are.

Outboard

- Diesel more exonomical and marine diesel cheaper (assuming you will be declaring that you use a third of the diesel you buy for heating rather than propulsion, just like all other recreational diesel boat owners do).
+ You can take it home and work on it in your garage
- So can the theiving scumbags
- Safety issues of petrol on boats
- Reliability issues of HT electrics on petrol engines on marine environments
+ You can mount a tramsom bracket for a small auxillary "get you home" outboard as well. You can of course do this with a diesel inboard too, but you'd need to carry enough petrol to make it worthwhile.

[graemes75]

Get something with either Volvo Tamd 31, or a Tamd41 inboard, 100-150 horsepower. We run a mixture of them at work , (30 boats) and they are damned reliable considering the conditions they are operated under.

Or something along the lines of a Nanni 5250 tdi engine is fairly nippy / economic and very quiet!