I/O vs OB vs Jet

[tom267]

I know this has been asked a million times and I don't mean to start another debate, but...

I have been looking at 17-19' bowriders and will be using the boat in freshwater 99.9% of the time (I might go to Galveston Bay and run around one day) but for the most part up in the lakes around Dallas. I will be cruising for the most part, but may tube and ski every so often, probably more tubing than skiing. I like the shallow draft of a jet boat, the ease of an outboard to maintain and operate and the style and availability of the I/Os in my area. What should I do?

 

[agallant80]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Yup, you pretty much summed it up. If I was gong to buy a new bow rider then I would get a Yamaha Jet but that is just because I like how they look. Keep in mind with the jets there is nothing searing the boat if you are coasting in nurtal.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Shallow draft of a jet boat? Only if you are pushing it, otherwise you are feeding the lake bottom through the drive. Even our jetski is capable of pulling rocks and much off the bottom in 3ft of water.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

All have their advantages and disadvantages. For the type of boating you're talking about, I have to imagine that the I/O is the most prevelant boat on the water. At least around here that's the case, followed closely by V-Drive wakeboarding boats. That said, I have a Yamaha SX210 jet driven boat and love it for exactly the type of boating you're talking about. I'm sure I could be happy in an I/O or an OB, too, though! Best thing to do is get out on the water in an example of each of the types of boats you're considering and decide what you like best. The rest of us are likely to like what we already have the best! FWIW, we idle ours through 3 foot deep water regularly and don't have an issue with sucking stuff off the bottom. I'm sure that would happen if I opened the throttles in water that shallow or shallower, though. For me, shallow water operation wasn't a huge factor. Layout was. For how we wanted to use the boat, we liked the layout of our SX210 better than pretty much everything else we looked at. All of the I/Os we looked at had the standard bench in the back, two buckets and a bow area. We wanted wraparound seating similar to that of a v-drive, and we got it. We also like the swimdeck layout of our boat, but more and more I/Os seem to have nice spacious swimdecks these days.

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Jet boats are pretty sweet if you can afford it, they're generally newer and more expensive. You will be able to get a faster boat for less money if you go I/O because they are just less desirable and thus cheaper, at least where I live. Then outboards are the easiest to maintain and offer good power in a light package.

I have an I/O because I wanted a 50mph boat and I wasn't going to get that out of an outboard boat in my price range.

 

[Shoreleave]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

If you're shopping for a new boat then you have more choice. Yamaha is making some very good jet boats and they have made jet propulsion a solid choice for a bowrider runabout. If you are looking for a used boat you will likely buy an I/O because that's what's available in the type of boat you describe.

I'm partial to I/O because it's a mature technology. My favorite is the Volvo Duoprop because it is the best type of I/O IMHO. I owned a 25' Larson with a 350 Volvo DP and it performed incredibly well. If I was starting fresh I would go that direction.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Tom, There are tradeoffs, both good and bad for all types of powerplants. The OB powered boat will be the lightest, and therefore easiest to trailer. The Jet drive will be most inefficient compared to the prop drives, as much as 30%. The I/O will need to have a larger and much heavier powerplant to have the same performance as an OB. However, the I/O will have better fuel mileage compared to a carb OB. The I/O will require more maintenance, although in freshwater, it will not be a whole lot more maintenance.

So pick out your most important criteria. I did not have much good to say about the jet boats. They are a bit better for shallow water, of course you could get a power jackplate for the OB, which will make it nearly as shallow of a drive.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Good advice from all. I boat on Dallas lakes and used to live on the TX. coast. After 50 years of boating in all types of boats (except owning a jet, been around them) up through 18' my preference for all around fuel economy and minimum maintenance (headaches) is the 2 stroke loop charged OB. Problems with shallow water are easily solved with PTT and is not the problem it used to be before the days of even tilt...BTDT.

Biggest thing on Dallas lakes is a smooth ride since they are mostly wide open water and the wind blows more here than in Chicago!!!!! That means a nice V mono-hull (forgot the tri-hulls of the 70-80 era) and having some boat weight helps too.....that means a well build fiberglass hull. I know that means more money to push and tow the boat, bigger engine and all that, but if you are sensitive to a smooth ride they are important....BTDT too. Also it means that the draft is deeper and beaching (which tears up your gell coat) is not as easy as with a semi-v with a shallow dead rise. But I never beached my boat anyway. Just anchored it off the beach in clear water with no gell coat damage. Not that big of a problem.

On engine size, like on an 18' deep V boat, a 150 min would be your best bet. You want to be able to pull up a couple of slalom skiers with the boat full of family and friends and it takes HP to do that. I used to have an 18' Caravelle which met the criteria with a 125 hp engine. It did fine with my family of 6 (4 youngsters), but a 150 would have done better. Open bow with seats in front of the windshield is the way to go also. Just all around works better, is more convenient and lets your boat carry more folks with more room for all. Don't forget the canvas. Summers are hot.

HTH,
Mark

 

[H20Rat]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Shallow draft of a jet boat? Only if you are pushing it, otherwise you are feeding the lake bottom through the drive. Even our jetski is capable of pulling rocks and much off the bottom in 3ft of water.

Depends on the jet boat, and conditions you are in. I seriously doubt you can suck a rock off the bottom with a PWC in 3 ft of water, without about 3 really large people sinking the pwc to the bottom. I personally have run my jetboat in water as shallow as 6 inches, and bounce off the bottom every so often. (granted, its mostly sandy) Been doing that for 5 years now, haven't had to touch the pump yet.

I can't count the number of prop boats that I've had to help pull off sandbars because they followed me, thinking it was safe. I zip over the top, they run into it.

 

[Natesms]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

I can't speak to a jet boat other than I love the layouts when I see them at the boat shows.

I switched from an Outboard to an I/O and am very happy I did that. The biggest thing for me was getting a more quite boat and getting a swim platform, for what you are doing that swim platform is huge. An extended platform is also worth every penny. We always end up hanging out on the boat with the biggest swim deck.

There is more maintenance with an I/O but not that much. The only drawback is the boat being winterized on those random warm days in March and April and not just taking it out for a spin. I'm also comfortable working on an I/O. The outboard much past changing plugs I wasn't messing with it.

 

[agallant80]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

I have heard from a few people that the Yamaha's suck fuel like crazy. I have never owned one but that is what I hear at the docks. Take it for what its worth.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Our Yamaha doesn't duck fuel like crazy. It would if we had to spend a lot of time at sub planing speeds, I suppose, but we don't. We have a 50 gallon tank and it will typically go for three all day outings (3 hours cruising/tubing/boarding and 4 at anchor each day) before getting to a quarter tank.

 

[tom267]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Thanks for all the advice! I think I've eliminated I/O at the least. I keep seeing maintenance horror stories and I really don't need a huge swim platform, but if I change my mind I'd go for a jet boat. The gas isn't really a big deal for me. If I have to stop an extra time to fill up and spend a hundred more bucks, so be it. I'm still torn between outboard and jet. The outboards just seem easier to maintain and control, but again I like the versatility of a jet boat and that huge Yamaha swim platform looks awful nice. There's also a lot more jet boats sitting on lots around here. In the end i'll probably end up with whichever I can get a good deal on around here. Thanks again for all the input!

 

[agallant80]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Are there aftermarket parts for the Yamaha or are you stuck going to the dealer and paying what ever they want to charge for parts and service?

 

[tom267]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Are there aftermarket parts for the Yamaha or are you stuck going to the dealer and paying what ever they want to charge for parts and service?

I'd be at the dealer for parts and service.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

I'd be at the dealer for parts and service.

^+1

I've always been an outboard guy but I now have my first stern drive. I like the outboards better. The sterndrive was a concession to Mrs. Fleetwin.

Todays outboards (four stroke or DFI) are no comparison to the old two strokers. They are powerful, easy to maintain and create the best boat handling control.

My outboards and sterndrive get nothing but OEM parts and dealer service, if I don't do it myself.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

All else being equal, the OB will be more efficient and probably faster at any given power level. The jet will give you a big swim deck and exceptional maneuverability (talking twin jet here as I have no experience with the single jets). Maintenance on Yamaha jets could hardly get simpler but the same may be true of OB. OB will give you many more options in terms of repowering in the future but at this size of boat that may not be a realistic scenario anyway. Low speed handling will be simpler with OB. I am thinking it really comes down to how you will use the boat. If lounging and swimming from and tying up close to the beach in it is a big part if the equation, the Yamaha layout is awesome.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Jets are about 30% less efficient than OB and I/Os. This is easily proven by comparing a jet OB with a prop OB. You will see a 90HP Prop OB will share a block with a 65 "Jet Power" block. An OB powered boat will normally have more room in it, beacuse it doesn't need a motor box, compared to the I/O version of the same boat. That advantage disappears when the boat becomes about 25' and the IO is under the deck. The I/O will usually have a better swim platform, but will weigh 600# more or so, depending on what iron engine block it has.

Just some more differences.

 

[carey965]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Hey dont rule out an i/o. I was like you i was looking for o/b and jets but an i/o fell in my lap for a steal so i took it and i love my boat
May even consider buying a newer version of my boat in a few years

 

[tom267]

Re: I/O vs OB vs Jet

Of course if i can get an I/O for such a low price that it outweighs the Jet and OB sure, but if I'm gonna pay an average price, i want to take extra maintenance out of the equation.