On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 18:50:04 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:
Your comments about prop, trailering, etc can all also be addressed with an
outboard that weighs a lot less for the same horsepower. Even a 4 stroke OB
will weigh a lot less than an I/O of the same SHP.
=========================================

That's true of course, and outboards are very popular around here.
It's probably about 50/50 when you look around. I think I have a mind
set against outboards for some reason and I'm not sure if it's
justified or not. My sense of things is that OBs are more expensive,
less reliable, and shorter lived. That may or may not be true, and
I'm sure there are persuasive arguments on both sides. I know that
in the case of my present boat which has a small block Chevy and an
Alpha I/O, parts are readily available, reasonably priced, and the
engine is well understood by virtually everyone. That does not always
seem to be the case with OBs in my experience. Prior to the
availability of 4 stroke OBs, I also believe that I/Os had the edge
on fuel economy.