[willy]

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.