As mentioned, I got to agree, it's that two stroke smell. I'm addicted to it, it is the smell of fun toys. Boats, dirt bikes, snowmobiles......for those that have been hit by the 2stroke aroma it is as bad as crack............except bettera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

run some klotz 2 stroke, it smells better

Gotta try some in mine!!...JK....:you:


Have to agree w/space issue on this size boat...I/O would take spot where my bait tank sits when striper fishin'...also agree w/salt water issues brought up earlier...OBs better suited hands down

I prefer I/Os cause I can do the work myself as the engines are th same as a car, but in shallow areas I would go with an outboard cause you can lift the OB and float off a sandbar etcc. with an I/O you are stuck.

In the trailer position the outdrive is high enough to be even with the keel so I think sand bars would not be a problem. But even the trailer position is not high enough to get the outdrive out of the water. So if your boat stays in the water I would choose an outboard. My boat is an I/O with fresh water (closed) cooling system. The engine is approaching 20 years of use in the Chesapeake bay and still running strong.

Have we seen any pics of yer boat?...did the closed cooling come from factory on yours?...

20 years!!...congratulations!!:happy:

To me it is blondes and brunnettes. Which do you prefer. I think the I/O requires more car type maintanence but so what. It is very fuel efficient for the horsepower, generally much quieter, which I like a lot. The boats with the I/O or sterndrive with shaft and prop are the best in my opinion due to boat ride etc, the weight centered and under the floor or center console like you would see in commercial boats and boats like Albe and Shamrock are the sweetest set up.
In smaller boats with limited space, or if the highest speeds are your preference then an outboard has it over the I/O.
I know gents that are still running twenty year plus chryslers, fords and chevy blocks and have done nothing but regular maintanence. Try to tell these guys in the salt that the I/O is inferior they just look at you and smile.
Even those that are raw water cooled. Though I believe the closed cooling would be the best in the salt a lot of the clammer and inshore pro fisherman are running very old raw water cooled I/O's or straight inboards and would not change them for the world.
I also see a lot of the commercial guys run dry stack exhausts on their boats and I think that is a definet advantage. I was aboard a commercial fishing boat, I think twenty eight footer with a semi-displacement hull last year talking with the guy, he catches bait for the sport guys and goes deep, goes real shallow and he runs an at least twenty year old straight six gas engine with drive shaft to a prop and it is located high in an engine box in the middle of the deck. Had a exhaust pipe going up the side of the pilot house with some type of internal muffler. Guy told me he changes oil and fluids, converted it from points to electronic ignition and other than that fishes all day and uses very little fuel and cruises at 15 knots smooth as silk.
Loved it.

exhaust system failure on I/Os and IB's cause a lot of problems(especially in salt). If left alone and not fushed with fresh water after each use, raw water manifolds last about 3 seasons before they need repalcement in our area, usually if you wait to the fourth season, you have waited too long and you now have damage to the engine. If they are flushed with fresh water after each use, I've seen them last five to seven years. fresh water cooled(antifreeze) manifolds generally last much longer, with the risers giving up somewhere between 5 to 10 years. You have to watch it no when ordering fresh water cooling on new engines as most of them do not include the manifolds as part of the fresh water system.

boat pics
 

Hey Reel I think you've seen these before but you can check page 4 in the V20 gallery, right in the middle. Rick's '89 V20. My screen name changed to rb437 (my login) with the new site, but it's still me. The closed cooling system came from the factory. Raw water from the outdrive pump passes through the voltage regulator, then the heat exchanger, then the power steering cooler, and finally to the exhaust elbow. Everything else has fresh water flowing through it circulated by a seperate pump on the motor.

Can I have both?...at one time??...:hide: