Here's one of the many fields I need to know more about; ski and
wakeboard tow boats.

I'm writing a very short piece (surprise!) noting that a manufacturer
of tow boats has appointed a dealer in the Pacific NW. While looking
over some of their models last week I noticed that they are equipped
with ballast tanks- and I do understand the benefit of making the boat
heacy in the stern to adjust the wake for wakeboarding.

I also noticed that even the smallest boats in this manufacturer's
line (about 20 feet) are all inboards, with the rudder slightly offset
from centerline. I presume the location of the rudder allows the boat
to turn circles in one direction faster than in the other?

I was told that "all tournament quality tow boats are inboards". Is
there something about the function or physics of a tow boat that
precludes using an IO, or is it more of a safety and logistics issue
associated with getting the running gear under the boat away from the
skier or wakeboarder and the tow line?