I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

[golf101]

I am in the market for a new boat. I most recently owned a 24' deck boat which I bought because of the extra seating capacity. I liked it, but I'm now looking at other options. I did not look at inboard ski/wakeboarding boats when I bought the deck boat because they seemed to be a lot more expensive, so I know very little about them. However, in looking at some used boats, there are some affordable used inboards that I've seen, and many of them seem to have a tremendous amount of seating (the 24' Tige seats 17).

We use the boat for wakeboarding, tubing, skiing, and just hanging out on the lake, generally with our family of 5 and some of the kids friends and sometimes even another family. What are the pros and cons of an inboard ski/wakeboard boat versus an I/O bowrider or deck boat?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

Inboard wake board and ski boats are specifically designed for those two sports. Inboard Ski boats excell at towing skiiers, however the motor and tow eye is in the middle of the boat, breaking up the seating(no seating aft of the tow eye, while towing), and they have almost no wake, which is better for skiiing. Normally you would need to fill up some weight chambers with water to convert the boat for wakeboarding. They also do not beach well due to the inboard prop. You alos cannot trim the motor to optomize speed or ride in changing conditions. In summary, they are great for their intended purpose, but lousy at anything else.

I/O Bowriders will tow skiiers and wakeboarders, however, they have some wake which the skiiers hate, and it is not enough for the wakeboarders. They do allow better seating and beach very well. In short they are a compromise boat that doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but will do anything pretty good.

Unless you plan to do some competative skiing, my personal advice would be to get an outboard or I/O bowrider. it will pull skiiers and tubers pretty good, and allow you to do most anything else you want.

 

[salty87]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

i agree with some of what chris has said but not all of it.

the hull decides whether a boat is good for skiing or wakeboarding. the engine placement has less to do with it. some hulls create more wake than others....some nautique hulls, specifically a model called 2001 that was built during the 80's, are known for awesome wakes. that was before wakeboarding was even popular, just happened that the hull was ideal for creating a big wake when weighted down with ballast. get rid of the ballast and speed it up the same hull is great for skiing.

all of that said, inboards don't handle chop or seas well at all. if you're going to be on inland lakes or rivers, inboards are awesome. it is true that they aren't as efficient as an i/o since you can trim the engine on an i/o but inboards are much better at holding speed and line than an i/o for watersports...don't forget that the prop is tucked out of the way for the safety of swimmers.

go take a test ride, bring some boards and take a set. an inboard handles like a sports car compared to an i/o. like a sports car, it costs a little more but does what it's designed to do very well. the i/o is more of an all purpose vehicle that does a bit of everything. it will probably handle chop better and get better gas mileage but you've also got a prop sticking out.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

The hull design does designate the shape of the wake, but not the size of the wake. The amount of draft normally controls the size of the wake, which is normally deeper with I/O's because of the weight distribution of the engine being at the very back.

Handling like a sports car is debateable. The rudder-style steering is much more vague, and an I/O will turn a tighter corner pretty much everytime since it is able to provide propulsion in the direction of the turn. Slow speed maneuvering is considerably better in an I/O. The "safety" part of the inboard I never understood aside from jumping off of the back of the boat, you shouldn't ever hit it. The engine shouldn't be running if the swimmer is near the back of the boat, so it's a moot point.

Generally, since the inboards have shallower hull deadrise to keep the wake down for skiers, they don't take waves or chop very well. So unless you always have glass to run on while skiing, they can beat you up.

Less maintenance with the inboards. There are several I/O's that have ballast systems to make the wake as large as a wakeboard boat. I'd say unless you are running a slolam course or into competitive wakeboarding/skiing, go with the I/O as it does everything well.

 

[cwhite6]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

Just a thought, but have you looked at the newer Yamaha jet boats? They make some really nice boats that come loaded with towers and all for less than an I/O. There are handling difference, but many swear by them. I looked at a couple last weekend and they are really nice boats. Maybe an option you might want to look into.

 

[golf101]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

In looking at this a little more, it appears that my question was not as precise as it should have been. What I am actually looking at are I/Os verses v-drive wakeboarding boats. I like the interior space of these boats.

 

[smclear]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

all of that said, inboards don't handle chop or seas well at all. if you're going to be on inland lakes or rivers, inboards are awesome. it is true that they aren't as efficient as an i/o since you can trim the engine on an i/o but inboards are much better at holding speed and line than an i/o for watersports...don't forget that the prop is tucked out of the way for the safety of swimmers.

It isn't the engine (inboard, I/O, outboards) that determines how a boat handles the seas, it is the hull. I know of plenty of inboards that will handle any sea you can throw at them. That being said, you are more or less correct when referring to "tournament ski" boats. However, an inboard is definitely more efficient than an I/O. You loose a lot of horsepower going through all the gearing in an I/O. I have owned both. A V-drive inboard sounds like it will fit your needs very well. Also, an inboard (whether v-drive or a straight drive) ski boat such as Mastercraft, Nautique, Malibu, etc. will turn much better than an I/O at speed. Now, my Century Resorter does not turn as well as my old Rinker I/O did. But it is not a "tournament ski" boat.They handle fine off the throttle as well but an I/O will respond quicker to the wheel. I/O's also wander from left to right at idle. Typical for all I/O's (at least I've never seen one that doesn't wander) and there's not much you can do to correct that.

 

[salty87]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

sounds like a pissing match based on which type of boat you own. as i said, grab your board and take a set behind the boat and the wheel of each for comparison. there's really no other way to find out. the differences between an i/o and v drive are significant but also somewhat subtle. they will both pull wakeboarders, the difference is in how well. most people decide on i/o, that market is huge compared to the tournament inboard market.


and smclear, the discussion is between 2 specific designs. no one is talking about ocean going inboards here. also, there's no way an inboard is as efficient as an i/o. some of that gearing in an i/o allows you to customize the angle of the drive based on the attitude of the hull at a given speed. an inboard just plows ahead with lots of power.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

Inboard is not as efficient. There is no way to trim an inboard, so it cannot optimize the angle to which the power is given. This also makes them worse in chop and waves since you can't raise the bow out of the water at low speed to keep waves from coming over the front. We aren't talking about 30ft cruiser inboards here, so ocean capability is not there.

Again, both types will serve the purpose. But for the recreational boater who doesn't do the tournament stuff, the I/O's offer more brands and layouts. They are not generally as expensive either.

 

[QC]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

However, an inboard is definitely more efficient than an I/O.

This is true in a test stand, this is false, when you put them in a boat . . . you can check all of the data you want and you will rarely, if ever, find anything that supports this. Even with 30 footers.

You loose a lot of horsepower going through all the gearing in an I/O.

This is true and it is as much as 30 horsepower, but . . .

some of that gearing in an i/o allows you to customize the angle of the drive based on the attitude of the hull at a given speed. an inboard just plows ahead with lots of power.

Yup . . . Ever wonder why there are absolutely no tournament style, wake-board or ski, inboard or V-drive, boats, regardless of horsepower, that exceed 50 MPH? But there are 4 cylinder I/Os that do . . . Speed is directly indicative of potential efficiency. Same horsepower + go faster = mo 'fishunt

 

[golf101]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

Cobalt has something on their website that says that the ride on their bowriders is much smoother in chop because they have up to 21 degrees deadrise at the transom, whereas some v drive boats are only 4 degrees. How much better are bowriders in chop (I'm talking lake chop, not ocean chop), and what's the minimum amount of deadrise I should look for?

 

[QC]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

Cobalt is correct, this is about deadrise, not necessarily Bowrider vs. something else. Buuuut, almost all tournament style boats are light on deadrise. My rule for where I boat (very large inland lakes) is 20 degrees and 22+ ft. 20 degrees is good even with smaller hulls, but for me that combo is very good.

Edit: there is a thread on deadrise in this section less than a week old. I belive it is titled something like "What makes a deep V" . . .

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

I wrote in that forum, it seemed pretty unanimous that most consider a deep-V at 20 degrees and above for deadrise at the transom. The deep V's perform excellent on lake chop, even on the big lakes (not talking about great lakes). Raising that bow definitely helps on those less than perfect days, or even when you are dealing with busy boating weekends with 30+ ft cruisers throwing their wakes around. You have to sit there and take it in an inboard, the I/O's at least let you keep chugging with the drive trimmed up.

 

[QC]

Re: I/O bowrider v. Inboard ski/wakeboard - Pros and Cons?

There is a downside to deeper Vees . . . The flatter the bottom, the more stable at rest. Oh, and speaking of efficiency, flatter bottoms with an I/O or OB are faster than deeper Vees. Sounds like a contradiction, but tournament bottoms with V-drive or direct, is a different discussion than a flat bottomed boat with ta trimmable drive setup.