[THEFERMANATOR]

The newer 4 strokes are pretty quiet, but your I/O is a pretty quiet combo. If you go with an older 2 stroke it WILL be ALOT louder. I know my old school 225 EVINRUDE was deafining and impossible to talk over when on plane, but it was slightly built. And yes, your I/O is pretty dang efficient. I still don't know where the misconception came from that an I/O drank alot of fuel compared to an outboard. Even with the extra drag of the outdrive arrangement going through 2 90 degree power changes VS 1 for an outboard, they still manage to stay pretty close to 1 GPH for every 11HP of output. Whereas an old school 2 stroke outboard was around 1GPH for every 9HP produced at cruise(this went way down at idle or at WOT where an I/O stayed pretty flat). The BIG drawback to I/O's is if you keep one in the water. You have all that outdrive and bellows in the water corroding or rotting over time, and if any of it lets go you can loose your boat.

For a trailered or lift kept boat, I see no problems with an I/O. Outboards do also have the 4 bolt tuneup advantage where if your engine quits unbolt 4 bolts and bolt a new one on. And outboards can be alot easier to work on compared to there I/O counterparts. A good example is I'm helping my neighbor out with his 27 SEARAY, and we had to pull the port engine to change out the oil pump and fuel pump because the fuel pump let go and filled the engine with fuel(it dropped oil pressure and the old pump would only make 25 PSI on the priming tool, new pump and it has 50 again).

I know I'm in the minority as I don't mind I/O's, but I can work on them. I know if you have to pay somebody to work on them, then an outboard can be ALOT cheaper to maintain and own in the long run.