Inboard vs. I/O

Next year was planning to upgrade my 18ft. SeaRay I/O with a early/mid 90's inboard. Maybe a ProStar or something similar. The problem is that as I sit down and really think about it... I don't exactly know why I'd be "upgrading"? The early/mid 90's inboards were built as ski boats and not even designed to throw a wake so you can't use "the hull is better" as a reason. And I can't see how the motor/drive would really improve anything either. My I/O right now has a tower and a nice sun pad on the back. Matter of fact, the way it's laid out, it looks a lot like a newer V-drive. Yet I don't see wakeboarders flocking to buy I/O's. And I know there has to be a reason for that.

So what are some reasons to upgrade to a early/mid 90's inboard from the boat I have now?

depends which mid-90's boat you're comparing to. A few of them (prostar 205, cc sport, etc.). Will have a world class wake when weighted correctly.

Depends how into wakeboarding you actually are. Do you mainly ride or do you mainly use the boat for hanging out and cruising?

I suppose about 50/50 wakeboarding/hanging out. We go out early... get a few hours in wakeboarding. But then as the lake starts to get busy (read: choppy) we rather find a place to soak up sun/swim/etc. than go home.

But you can "hang out" or "cruise" on an inboard just as easily as on a I/O. Can't you?

(Message edited by turbodriven on February 15, 2007)

Put a hydrofoil fin on your sterndrive leg. I used the Stingray brand but others are also good. This will get you on plane faster and give you better speed stability at marginal or wakeboarding speeds. Install a cruise control like Perfect Pass. Enjoy what you have.
There are lots of other reasons to get an inboard but you've got the tower and with the low cost whale tail and higher cost PP you have a pretty decent machine.

Some people get the idea that Any Inboard > Any I/O and that's just not true. I was in a Moomba Boomerang a while back and the wake wasn't any better than my I/O. I hear the ProStar 190 is also a poor boat for wakeboarding. I'm waiting on some of the early wake-specific boats to drop to the $10K-$12K range.

I have an 86 Ski Nautique. Here is a picture that will basically summarize why I chose an 86 nautique over a prostar or something.



It is the same hull design in this older nautique 2001 as the nice shiny new Nautique. The Ski Nautique 2001 is one of the best wakes of all the older direct drive boats. The advantages of the inboard over an I/O are horse power, torque, and handling. With an inboard like a 2001 you can put upwards of 1500lbs of ballast and have a great intermediate wake.

I just traded my I/o in for a directdrive malibu and I can tell you just the handling and throttle response alone is enough for me to be satisfied. Then you add everything else and you are completely stoked. If I new then what I know now I would have not ever bought an i/o . And not just for wakeboarding. an inboard layout is much nicer even if you are just cove chillin. Not having the out drive in the way is a huge plus for safety and just being around the back of the boat. by the way, the WAKE is unbelieveable!!!!

a good reason for switching would be speed control, which is very difficult and can impact your riding with an I/O. Perfect pass would solve that but then you have invested $1500 in the boat that the next owner probably won't even want.

In answer to your question which is better for cruising or hanging out, the I/O without question. Take a look above at the 2001 and you will note no sunpad at all, depending on the model maybe no open bow, and much less seating in general, especially if you have fat sacs taking up the space instead. Also the I/O handles chop much better when cruising. The boarders in your group will appreciate it, but if you bring other friends out who are just recreational skiers/boarders, they will be much happier with the I/O for it's comfort.

Unless you are a hardcore boarder (ie. 95% of your time spent on the boat - like most people on WakeWorld!), I would wait to upgrade until you can afford a V-drive. You are not that far away, your boat is worth at least $10k (in MN anyway) assuming you have the 4.3L.

(Message edited by etakk7 on February 15, 2007)

Like others have said, the handling and overall finish of the inboard is worth the upgrade alone. I have been in very few I/Os that are near the quality of most inboards out there, one exception I can think of is Cobalt. Otherwise, the inboards win hands down.

Do you have children? My kids loved the easy of use of the swim platform as it is allways at water level or below.thus no ladders to slip on

Aaron,

What don't you like about your SeaRay? With perfect pass and 500#s of ballast in the bow a V8 I/O is good intermediate wakeboarding boat.

Looking at the pix of your boat it does not look like it would be easy to get your board on, it may not be a V8, but it does have a tower and it looks pretty clean.

The biggest reasons to go with an inboard is handling and speed control.

It might make sense to see if you can squeak a few more seasons out of your I/O until you can afford a used V-drive?

Aaron, it is all about what is most important to you. A mid/early 90s inboard will be a better boat for wakeboarding. The fact they were developed before wakeboarding doesn't mean anything. In fact, one of the best hulls ever, the hull of the SAN was developed as a ski boat. Sometimes dumb luck is better than by design. But, I don't think a $12k inboard is going to have a better "fit and finish" than your I/O, which looks pretty sweet.

If you primarily use the boat for hanging out, wakeboard occasionally, and only do limited tricks, I would think an I/O will suit you just fine. You are better off spending your money elsewhere than upgrading.

I had an I/O for the last few years and had awesome times on that boat. I sold it and am upgrading to an inboard. My main motivation is to have a bigger wake to land bigger tricks. I am sick of trying to pull inverts off a crummy wake and eatin' $*%&. Those who go with me and only care about hanging out (like my grilfriend) think I am crazy for dropping the amount of money I will drop on an inboard. They think my I/O was awesome. But, those that appreciate and want (or need in my case) a better wake obviously appreciate the desire to upgrade.

You just have to decide what's most important to you.

Thanks for all the insight. I plan on keeping this boat around for at least one more season.

As it sits (even after all your posts) the only thing I'd upgrade for is a bigger motor. See, my I/O is only a 3.0l. And with 6 people the wake is decent enough but she's a dog pulling wakeboarders. I just bought a high five prop for her though and I might even invest in one of the less expensive PP systems before the season is over. Those two things might keep me happy for more than just one more season. We'll have to see.

I think right now the biggest motivations for keeping my I/O is that she is paid for. I hold the title. I can't even imagine the cloud hanging over some of these peoples heads on here. Esp. with $60k V-drives

Aaron,

We have an 18' I/O (Glastron), added tower, swim platform (much easier for putting on bindings) and upgraded audio- still below the cost of a V drive. (not sure about the cost of an older boat). Since we like to ride but are not beyond beginner/intermediate tricks, and the boat fits in our garage, we like it just fine. Granted when we ride behind our friend's V drive the wake is bigger, but we don't have any less fun when we are in our boat. (And you're right about the no monthly payment part- leaving more $ for gas...)

I really strongly recommend getting a hydrofoil fins for your sterndrive leg. It made a much bigger difference than any prop change and it costs very little. The boat planes faster, holds speed better, and has vastly less bow rise. I can choose a speed to run at in a storm better than any boat without it. You won't be sorry.

I agree about keeping your I/O for awhile. It's not like a SeaRay is a boat to be ashamed of. In fact the prices of a new SeaRay/Cobalt eased my decision about buying an inboard.

Here's a boat from Cobalt and SeaRay that I think would be comparable to an X2/RZ2/22SSV.

Sea Ray 220 Select with 6.2L MSRP starts at $52K no options.
Cobalt 222 with 6.2L Bravo III MSRP starts at $62K.

One thing people are leaving out, is that I/Os are designed to cut through wakes and move efficiently through the water. V-drive wakeboats are designed to throw a wake. Many will tell you a DD/Vd will throw a harder wake than an I/O, and the table is nicer. When I switched, I noticed the first, but not the latter.

what paul said is true. If you think about how a DD/VD comes out of the water and on to "plane" the nose never really rises and comes back down like an I/O or an outboard does.