Inboard v. Outboard

[scgilligan]

Which would/do you prefer on a boat.? Seems to me that the outboard would provide more drag...and, if it is lifted out of the water, the weight hanging from the rear of the boat would dampen performance a little.
Is there anything substantial about an outboard that would warrant using one as opposed to an inboard.?
Just curious..

[Zach]

I don't like working on the inboard engine of my triton. The flipside is... the tiller on the outboard is hard to reach unless you sit on the back deck and steer the main rudder with your feet!

Docking is a breeze with the outboard though!

[viking69]

same discusion here...
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...oard-9483.html

[rsn48]

I have mentioned this before but here is what I did. First you should know I prefer an inboard, but I have an outboard. I have an older Catalina with a hole cut out for the motor; this rectangle isn't large enough for a 4 cylinder motor so I had it filled in, but this isn't what I can recommend to you.

I have used other sailboats with outboards and invariably the motor would hang up on the bracket and the most inopportune time. Instead I had a power bracket mounted which raises and lowers my motor electrically. I have one of those spare emergency batteries as back up to my main battery, in case I run out of juice for one reason or another. The tiller is removed from my new Merc 9.9 and I like this system a lot. The space it frees up where the inboard motor would have gone is being used for four golf cart batteries to power my other goodies.

Servicing the engine is easy, sending it out for repairs if necessary will be easy.

The engine is also a heck of a lot quieter than the in board motor would have been.

There is never any smell of diesel.

Parts for the Merc are anywhere and everywhere; mechanics to service it abound.

People say having an outboard ruins the lines of a nice boat; I say having a wind vane ruins the lines of a nice boat.

I think an inboard is better, but there is a lot going for an outboard.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by scgilligan

Which would/do you prefer on a boat.? Seems to me that the outboard would provide more drag...and, if it is lifted out of the water, the weight hanging from the rear of the boat would dampen performance a little.
Is there anything substantial about an outboard that would warrant using one as opposed to an inboard.?
Just curious..

Generally outboards are lighter than diesel inboards. They are also cheaper, and usually easier to work on. Much easier to replace. The drag of an outboard can be eliminated by lifting the motor - the drag of a inboard's propellor is always there. (You can reduce it by fitting a folding/feathering prop, but at about the cost of a complete outboard motor)

[cat man do]

Also with the weight at the back, well usually it is'nt (on Australian cats anyway), it is more like 1/4 of the way in from back.

And at the end of the day, the weight of 2 yammy 9.9 is about the weight of 1 crewmember.

Dave