Good news!!!!!!

[badmoonrising]

That is really pretty low hours but it is your motor. Do what you want to do. I suppose you get better mileage WOT than 4000 too.

Well maintained motor. If you actually take care of things they last. Anyhow that's the way I do things. But if you want to neglect whatever you have and then blame the motor when it blows up then that's your prerogative.

[badmoonrising]

BMR, this is what people do to I/Os here.

Sure if you fail to maintain something and blow it up as a result it is cheaper to go with an outboard. They don't require as much maintenance, so I'd recommend an outboard for anyone with less than steller mechanical skill and or unwillingness t follow proper service intervals.

Manifolds are routine maintenance items on I/Os and usually the cause of an I/O going south. I've never seen an I/O "blow up" and I'd like to see proof of a well maintained I/O ever "blowing up"...

[GregF]

I agree "blowing up" isn't the problem. It is the extra maintenance, the fact you can't get the foot out of the water, lost interior space in the boat and the difficulty of getting to the things down in the bilge.
You also have the issue of the boat sinking if a rubber bellows fails.
Then you have the heat exchanger thing. Raw water cooling is not even worth considering.
A came down here from a culture of I/Os (in Md) and found nobody here really likes them. It took me a while to get on board myself. I suppose I could shoot a video at a couple marinas here so we can see what the mix is. I am not even sure where I could find a dealer who sells I/Os.
I suppose they could all be wrong. They seem to be wrong about everything else.

At least we agree outboards are easier to maintain.

[badmoonrising]

I agree "blowing up" isn't the problem.

No in fact, I/O MOTORS outlast outboards. Not to many 40 year old outboards sill running. I help people restore Starcraft boats, most of the 20 30 and 40 year old I/O boats are still running.

It is the extra maintenance

Yeah they are more difficult (time consuming because of the cramped space on most boats) to maintain, but if done correctly will outlast ANY outboard.

the fact you can't get the foot out of the water

Yep unless you happen to have a trailer which I do for both boats. Every season everything is cleaned and inspected. It's called not being lazy. Only needs to be done at the end of the season.

lost interior space

Not really. The I/O version of the PC has MORE interior space than the outboard version. Everything is below deck on mine. The outboard cutout makes you lose space in it's sleeping quarters. I know because we looked at both boats at Bass Pro Shops prior to buying.

Somewhat true on the Starcraft but the outboard version of that boat has a HUGE splashwell that takes up more deck space than the entire motor does. The engine box is insulated and makes the motor quieter than most outboards. they are still made the same was as of the 2011 models. There's less deck space on the outboard version of every Starcraft with an outboard.

in the boat and the difficulty of getting to the things down in the bilge.

True on the PC, NOT true on the Starcraft. The engine on that sits above deck. I can easily get to everything on that. I need a midget to help me maintain the PC. It's cool, I just lower him by his legs.[/quote]

You also have the issue of the boat sinking if a rubber bellows fails.

Only happens if you fail to replace it at the recommended interval (3-7 seasons depending on annual inspection). Not true on the PC either. The engine pod would just fill up but would not sink the boat. If a bellows fails that bad, 99.99999 percent of the time it was due to neglect.

I'd bet MORE vessels with outboards sank due to swamping over the stern than a failed boot in an I/O equipped boats.

Then you have the heat exchanger thing.

What thing ? In a closed cooing system, the heat exchanger is sacrificial and has a replacement interval. Closed cooled I/Os RARELY need manifold replacement so closed cooling is more desirable.

Raw water cooling is not even worth considering.

Why ? Both of my boats are raw water cooled. Never had an issue with any of them. Again, replace the manifolds and you get decades out of an I/O.

A came down here from a culture of I/Os (in Md)

Yep, I/Os well outnumber outboards up here, especially boats for hire, commercial fishing boats and ALL go fast boats. Most everything that goes offshore are I/Os.

and found nobody here really likes them. It took me a while to get on board myself.

Most people that don't like I/Os either can't or won't do the maintenance required and probably would be better off buying an outboard. I like them because the longevity versus an outboard.

I suppose I could shoot a video at a couple marinas here so we can see what the mix is. I am not even sure where I could find a dealer who sells I/Os.

See above, if there's no market for them then why sell them ? Up here I can buy parts pretty much everywhere if needed.

I suppose they could all be wrong. They seem to be wrong about everything else.

See above, some people lease cars because they won't do maintenance. That's what society is becoming (throwaway). Me, I'm proud of my 43 year old boat that hasn't given me a day of trouble.

At least we agree outboards are easier to maintain.

Easier to access, yeah. But the 3.0 liter is so basic it needs no special tools to maintain, unlike today's outboards. No computer, no code reader, 2 belts, a carb, that's it. If it's running crappy a carb rebuild, nothing else ever fails on them.

[Ron Burgundy]

I have a somewhat related question. How much speed would I gain switching from a 50hp to a 90hp?

[lakerunner]

On a 20 my guess is about 10mph if that.

[margaritaman]

I have a somewhat related question. How much speed would I gain switching from a 50hp to a 90hp?

What speed are you getting on WOT?

[Ron Burgundy]

I don't really trust my speedometer, but it says about 13-15 mph. Most of the time it is stuck at zero. I'm hoping to get a GPS soon which should give me a accurate speed.

[Bamby]

I have a somewhat related question. How much speed would I gain switching from a 50hp to a 90hp?

According to a Yamaha performance Bulletin on a couple of 20 ft. similar boats they tested the results were:

50 hp. G3 best mph. 5400 rpm. at 19.5 mph at 4.5 gph or 4.33 mpg

90 hp. G3 best mph. 6100 rpm. at 26.7 mph at 9.3 gph or 2.87 mpg.

Source:http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/prod ... tlr-pp.pdf

Source: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/prod ... f50tlr.pdf

[Ron Burgundy]

Hmmm...thanks for the info. I have been considering a motor upgrade, but looks like a lot of money for a few mph.

Congrats on the rebuild Mrtoler

[Mrtoler]

Thanks Ron B. As soon as I regroup some money I'm going to buy all new interior!