inboard boats unsafe

Well, this is really going to open up a can of worms. I saw a recent thread where someone made reference to a lawsuit against Malibu for the wedge. While I think the whole thread strayed from the issue that the wedge was not the best design possible I was a little scared to read multiple comments that impacts with submerged objects on the underwater running gear of inboards will often lead to hull failures. Is this true?

The wedge is unsafe? I think running into submerged objects is unsafe in any boat. I missed that thread I think.

What Bill said! That guy wanted to blame someone/anyone else for his own mistake. Yeah, if you hit something, you run the risk of damage/failure in any boat.

Titanic?

Boating 101 - if you hit something that is submerged with your boat, any boat whether it's an inboard, i/o or outboard, you stand the chance of doing some big time damage to it. That guy just doesn't want to own up to his mistake.

Please don't start that whole "Wedge is unsafe" topic again. It was hard enough to stomach the first time around.

Tracie,
I agree with your request. It might help to redirect this thread if you give us another look at your transom.

The wedge may or may not be unsafe ( I don't think its unsafe) but to start a thread "inboard boats unsafe" is a bit unfair to all the other manufacturers.

Actually I'm sure there are just as many boats damaged from excess ballast and other wake enhancing devices.

I love my wedge, it's awesome.

Here is my 2 cents worth. Imagine a boat hull. It is smooth and glossy. Water flows right past it with little resistance. If a smooth hull hits a sand bar, or even a floating log, the damage is going to be minimal. But a hull alone is useless. Now we install a propeller ( inboard, I/O, or outboard) makes no differance. Also a sterring device ( fins, and rudder ) Now hit the same sand bar or log. More damage. there are always things in the water. We try to avoid them. If we hit them then it causes damage. How much depends on how bad, and where it hit. It pretty much has nothing to do with it being an inboard, I/O, or outboard. I have known of outboards hitting rocks, and ripping the transom off the back of the boat. So is that kind of boat unsafe. If you are refering to the wedge. it doesnt stick down lower than the prop, so what ever you hit with it, the prop and fins will most likely hit also.
If an inboard was unsafe it would be from exploding from gas fumes in the bildge.

I agree with Mike snyder ....so what he said plus ive been in and around the wedge as i have friends with at least 4 malibu boats that use the wedge and over 5 years we have not had issues with the wedge hitting anything and tearing the hull off..however we have damaged the prop,strut,shaft,rudder etc on occasion when hitting and under water object with the wedge down..so its only a rare occasion when you hit the wedge and do that much hull dmamge..the chances are slim since the prop and rudder be hit first to hit and usually shut down the motor and stop the boat or at least slow it down before anymore damage is done..

Sorry, forgot to add something.
AS far as hitting something. Anytime you hit something with any boat it can be dangerous. as far as the damage. that is why we spend lots of money on insurance.

I think maybe you all missed Matthew's point. He referenced the Wedge thread but he was talking about the safety aspect of hull failures on inboard boats. I assume he means holes getting ripped/punched in the hull from the tracking fins, prop, or rudder hitting submerged objects.

I can see this being a concern since the most dangerous hazards are the ones lurking just beneath the surface (the ones you cannot avoid). These will do little or no damage to the hull of a planing vessel so the danger is to the underwater gear. While this damage would generally be limited to the underwater gear on an I/O or outboard, it may result in a breach of the hull on an inboard.

I think the answer to Matthew's question is: Yes, you are likely to sustain more damage if you run over a submerged log with an inboard...but that's what insurance is for. As far as safety goes, however, the added risk is minimal. You might be *slightly* more likely to hurt yourself since the impact with more solidly-attached running gear would likely jar the boat more, but as long as you don't put too much weight in your boat, even a gaping hole won't sink it.

Salmon Tacos you hit the nail on the head. A few years back I hit a submerged object in 42 feet of water. Best I can tell it was part of an old railroad bridge (pulled creasote wood out of the lower unit) that had come lose in a man made lake. One of those thing that nobody could have forseen. It impacted the hull first, lifted the boat and then the lower unit hit it square. The drive went all the way up and was completely destroyed, however the hull was intact. At the time I remembered reading in the Mercruiser manual that the outdrive is designed so the trim cylinders will absorb impacts (rendering them unusable, the point was not to mess with them yourself but get to a dealer) and save the transom from being compromised.

Let's leave the wedge thing out of it, but in looking at an inboard in that same collision scenario I am afraid the fins or the prop strut, or even prop would have come through the bottom of the hull.

So my overeaching questions is this - do manufactures (which ones) design there fins etc so that they will shear off the boat if they impact an object?

I realise we are talking about truly random occurences, but my wife is still wanting me to buy an I/O and I am working toward the inboard, I hate to lose arguments.

I would take another look at Mike's posts above.

OK I'll bite on this one. Drives, whether inboard or IO's, are pretty tough. They are ment to bend and destroy themselves before they breach the hull. Tear an IO off and you have a big hole where the drive and bellows use to be. An inboard will probably have a smaller hole if it tears the strut off. Either boat has positive floatation (sp?) and theoretically should float for awhile so you can get your PFD's on and call the water patrol or the CG.

Matthew Hogan,

You can definitely argue with the wife that the inboard is safer for you, her and little ones swimming around because the prop is so far underneath. A close friend of mine's sister fell off the back of an I/O recently and required 7 stitches when her foot struck the prop. The prop wasn't even moving at the time. We're talking diving for body parts if it had been. I also have another close friend who was backed into with his I/O and had a very large laceration of the knee. I've not yet seen anyone cut with an inboard and suspect that scenario is a much more common boating injury than catastrophic failure due to collision with an underwater object. To be cut with the prop on an inboard, you have to somehow get around the rudder.

In general though, I don't think that either boat is safer if you hit something - what do the insurance companies say? Which one is cheaper to insure, a 40K runabout or 40K I/O?