time to buy

[fiftywide]

ok guys help me out....????!!!!!!!

It has come to the point where my brother and I are ready to buy a boat. We have limited our model selection down to the steiger craft 25 Chesepeke. We will be using it for mainly bass and bottom fishing with the once a month inshore tuna and or sharking trip in the 30-40 mile range. The power options seem to be our point of contention. I seem to think twin Honda or yami 150's while my brother likes the efficiency and fishability of the i/o stern drives they offer. I know, Iknow this is probably one of the many disagreements we will have concerning the vessel and its usage but we are ready for that we understand it comes with the territory. So whatcha got fellas? Help us out.

[steeptek25]

It's i/o or inboard for me...just don't like all that $ bolted on the back

[Proheat]

I had all Mercruiser I/O's before the present boat that I have now, I currently have a Merc.250 Outboard on a transom bracket. There are pros and cons with each.
I/O pros:
1 Quiet compared to OB
2 You can work on them inside the boat
3 More fuel efficient from my experiences
4 Closed Transom so water don't come into back

I/O cons:
1 more expensive to winterize
2 engine and cover takes away fishing room
3 possible leak into boat when transom seal leaks after age
4 must remove from water and winterize early compared to OB

Outboard pros:
1 Easy to winterize
2 can drain by tilting motor straight down in winter- which extends season
3 Easier to replace when repowering
4 more fishing room
5 If boat has a transom bracket- you have a full transom(no water into boat)

Outboard cons:
1 Noiseyer than I/O
2 two strokes use alot of oil
3 Uses more fuel than my I/O's that I had
4 harder to work on if broke down out in the water

These are just my opinions- hope it helps!

[Sea Draggin]

I think your up north right? You wouldn't have to worry about winterizing with outboards, and you could fish right on through.

I have a version of direct inject motors, but the four strokes are very nice.

[Deep C]

I'd go 1000% the outboard route... They are more efficient and far more reliable... I look at the service centers at the marinas I keep my boats at to get a pulse of whats breaking or not. When I see a place with half the bays loaded with outdrives when they represent only 10% of the product we have locally that says by 5 to 1 they are not to be considered trustworthy...
Me, I'm a Yamafreak... My 115 crossed the 5000 hour threshhold a couple months ago and only now seeming a bit tired. I had two excells dthrough the years that went 3600 and 3940 respectively before they got sick...

[fiftywide]

First I just want to thank you guys for the responses. Anybody else got any opinions. Keep in mind a lot of learning will go on with this boat and the vessel we will run probably 2-3 times out of Shark River, NJ, a week if we are lucky from April to November/December. Hopefully we can also begin to take her offshore within the 30-40 mile range. Thanks again guys! This info is invaluable!!!!!!!

[jawz12]

ok...here's the voice of experience....a guy who works on this stuff every day...

outboards-the only way to fly...forget those 4 strokes...you want either the yamaha hpdi's or the new bombardier e-tec engines the 4 strokers appear to be a good deal,however,check it out and READ the owners manual-there's alot more moving parts,therefore,greater potential for failure....all common sense....
now i know some of you guys are gonna beat up on me over this,but this is how i see it-and remeber....this is what i do for a living....

stern drives....the drive needs to be removed and serviced every season-no getting around this...the drive shaft bellow and the shift cable bellow will need to be replaced at a determined interval...the exhaust system-manifolds and risers will also need to be replaced after about 5yrs-due to the corrosive nature of the sea water-flushing or not...
you've got essentially a car engine in the bilge..granted it's quiet...notice we haven't even touched on the hydraulic system yet??? that would be trim cylinders and the related hosing....
you've got to service the engine reguarly...read that as oil changes and winterization-a little different for these versus outboards....

remember this....the only power system designed strictly for marine use is an outboard engine......

the new di outboards are just as efficient as the 4 stroke outboards with out the extra up keep of valve adjustments and fuel injection recalibrations(required on some mfg's engines) and oil and filter changes...

last note....the outboard brackets are a tough life on an outboard-the engines are constantly getting saoked with a salt bath-i can look at an engine off a boat and tell you if it's been on a bracket-it's that tough !! the engines last longer on a standard notched transom....
also,in the case of the aluminum outboard brackets,they can and will corrode-not a good thing,as they will fill with water-think about the leverage factor here folks....not good again huh??? in the case of scuppers that are allready close to the water line-the result could be pretty bad huh??? read that as sink the boat !!! the aluminum bracket must NEVER be painted with a copper based antifoulant paitn-this will result in galvanic corrosion-read that as make a battery-the aluminum of the bracket will sacrifice itself to protect the copper in the bottom paint !!! there needs to be at least a 1" gap between the anti foulant paint on the hull and the bracket....you guys would be surprised by the amount of "professionals" who overlook this important step.....if you do go for a bracket on the boat-do yourself a favor and get a fiberglass bracket-they cost much more but they're worth it !!!

i really hope this helps you......

now ask me how to set up your electrical system.......

[TheChumStain]

Hey I know an advertiser on here that does financing

[74Formula233]

Damn jawz....

You just described everything I think about outboards too!!!

Having worked on engines since I could turn a wrench, I can certainly appreciate the differences in 4-stroke vs. 2-stroke.

2-strokes have so very vew moving parts.....4-strokes... LOL

Quiet? yes
Clean? yes
Fuel efficient? yes

But with the new technology 2-strokes, the 4-strokes no longer have any of these advantages! As you mentioned the HPDI & Etecs are right up there now!

If I were to go outboard I'd be going 2-stroke.

Still can't go with 4-strokes in the snowmobiles either.....although more and more are changing to 4-strokes......

And as far as brackets....I hate 'em. I was looking at a 26' Blackwatch and it had twin outboards on a notched transom (typical for that hull). I remember showing it to my friend saying "THAT'S how I'd go with outboards!" Notched transom or euro-transom before a bracket. Hate 'em (brackets).

[Andaman Andy]

Some great info here guys!