[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by macojoe

And a 150 HP is all you need for a V20! Some here have got away with 115!!
200's are to heavy, and to much of a gas hog for these days!

There's one or two here who are running a 90 on there V-20's. They would be considered underpowered though. Like MJ said, each set-up does have it's merits. The I/O wins in the economy department compared to old school 2 stroke outboards. Outboards tend to take alot less maintence to keep running. I/o's do take more maintence, and old iron tends to keep you busy keeping up with it. Check CRAIGSLIST and see if you can't find a 302 or 351 that is blown to get most all of the parts you need off of to convert it. I/O's are nice in the fact that quite a few of the parts are cheaper as you can use some automotive parts. Outboard parts are pretty pricey for the most part. A rebuilt powerhead on an outboard will set you back at least $3000(this is why alot of people buy used running engines and part out the old one), where as an I/O's engine rebuilt can normally be had for $1500 since an auto can be substituted with a different cam in many cases.

If it was mine I would evaluate the whole I/O package and go from there. If the old VOLVO outdrive is going to need some work soon, then a bracket and outboard would be cheaper. I haven't worked on a VOLVO outdrive before, but I know on a MERCRUISER you need some special tools to replace the bellows and re-align and service them. Most side shops charge almost $1K just to replace the bellows in a MERCRUISER, and most of them charge ungodly fees when you mention the word VOLVO. Evaluate everything you have, and then decide how much you plan to use the boat. Then go from there.