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Wayne.B

On Fri, 5 Oct 2007 19:29:07 -0400, "JimH" ask wrote:

My twins were on boats with I/O's. I could pivot either of them on a dime
and could easily stern in when docking. My single drives (I/O's also) could
not and my ability to maneuver in reverse was/is a bit challenging. I could
not imagine trying to stern in with an single I/O.

I'm now on my second single engine I/O, both in the 24 to 27 ft range.
I've had no issues backing them in as long as there are no cross wind
or cross current issues. It does take some practice to anticipate how
the boat will react to combinations of steering and throttle.

If there is in fact no advantage in maneuverability between single and twin
outboards (vs. when comparing with I/O's or inboards) perhaps it is due to
where the drives sit in relationship to the pivot point of the boat and not
the space between the drives.

Space between the drives and size of props makes a very big
difference. The more distance between props, the greater the turning
moment on the boat.