Outboard trawlers

[BandB]

Thanks. Always kind of wondered. It seems up here that if you have a boat with an outboard, you also have committed to a trailer (and finding a place to store it) as well as a vehicle large enough to tow it.

Not necessarily. Plenty of outboards stored at marinas including in dry storage or high and dry type marinas where they are handled by fork lifts or travel lifts. I owned 5 different runabouts and never owned a trailer. We have a 39' center console and own no trailer.

 

[BandB]

The reality is the outboard segment of the industry has been the fastest growing segment. Outboard center consoles gradually got larger and took over from small sportfishing boats. The 45' Hatteras is one of the few small sportfishing boats left with the demise of Cabo.

Then on the runabout side outboards took over first in the 16-20' range selling for thousands less than inboard outboards and outperforming them. Then they started moving up. Fishing boat companies took advantage first building center consoles and double consoles, basically walk through bow riders. One of the more interesting was Robalo, owned by the same company as Chaparral. Chaparral was all I/O and as that business was stagnant, Robalo was selling well so they expanded a fishing boat line into many runabouts and Robalo grew rapidly, one reason the parent company never lost money. Companies like Sea Ray resisted outboards and lost market share.

Now though you have 30+' outboard runabouts and you have outboard center consoles up to 60'. Inboard-outboards struggle as they are more expensive without any real benefit today other than appearance and what we're use to. Simply big heavy car engines linked to outdrives. So their share of the 20-30' market is shrinking. As if that's not enough problem for Mercruiser, from the other direction you have the attack of the pods. Many boats in the 40-60' range that once had stern drives, now have pods. Another huge issue for Sea Ray that they weren't competitive in the pod market due to the engine size limitations of Cummins which is what was used with Zeus pods. The majority of the pod market belonged to Volvo which Brunswick wasn't about to us.

We have outboards like the Sevens with 527, 577 and 627 hp and they haven't made a dent in the outboard market, just gotten people thinking. However, as Yamaha and Mercury have moved up in size, that's changed things significantly. Not long ago 250 hp was huge, now mainstream outboards go to 350 hp, and 400 hp and the Yamaha 425 hp designed for offshore 50' plus boats.

Easy to see what the largest manufacturer of I/O's, Brunswick, thinks in that they're selling Sea Ray, the largest user of I/O's.

 

[Art]

Seems to me that if I take a 36-50' boat and I hang 1, 2, or 3 outboards on the back instead of an inboard engine, that I've picked up a lot of internal space, I have reduced my draft problems, I have reduced repair costs and challenges. I'm not talking Nordhavn or KK replacements, but I'm certainly talking the typical person here doing coastal cruising and those taking the loop.

Have given this some thought. By hanging outboards beyond the transom you are lengthening the distance to the fulcrum point. Thereby giving the outboards a mechanical advantage to pull your stern down. In a planing hull this does not make a difference when on plane. For displacement hulls would this be an issue?

Heck, just saw mine is the 180th response. Sorry if this has been addressed already.

O/b hydraulic trim automatically eliminate need for standard trim tabs??

 

[Woodland Hills]

Car engines used in boats always had the advantage of using mass produced inexpensive technology that followed automotive production trends. Years ago it made sense to marinize big lazy car V8s and the I/o was just the best (cheapest) way to apply that power to the water. But, if you look at the auto market today you see very few gasoline V8s beyond legacy engines used in American pickup trucks and high-tech low production motors used in German luxury cars. All the action now is in lightweight turbo 4-cylinders and v6s, technology which can be readily adapted for outboard use and has been.

 

[Benthic2]

Seven Marine is using a 6.2liter supercharged aluminum Cadilac engine for their outboards....but they are a little pricey.....

" The purchase price of the triple 557 package with joystick steering is $270,000,"

source: https://www.sportfishingmag.com/blo...deo-take-ride-seven-marine-s-557-hp-outboards

 

[OldDan1943]

So, Dan - How long have you had this problem!

I have run out of wives and mothers in law.

 

[Art]

I have run out of wives and mothers in law.

I haven't!

 

[OldDan1943]

I haven't!

Be nice to her. She is the woman you sleep with and she has a lethal weapon, the pillow. LOL

 

[ssobol]

Car engines used in boats always had the advantage of using mass produced inexpensive technology that followed automotive production trends. Years ago it made sense to marinize big lazy car V8s and the I/o was just the best (cheapest) way to apply that power to the water. But, if you look at the auto market today you see very few gasoline V8s beyond legacy engines used in American pickup trucks and high-tech low production motors used in German luxury cars. All the action now is in lightweight turbo 4-cylinders and v6s, technology which can be readily adapted for outboard use and has been.

The engine in my outboard is based on the same engine that is in my car.

O/b hydraulic trim automatically eliminate need for standard trim tabs??

Not necessarily. My outboard powered boat also has trim tabs.

Have given this some thought. By hanging outboards beyond the transom you are lengthening the distance to the fulcrum point. Thereby giving the outboards a mechanical advantage to pull your stern down. In a planing hull this does not make a difference when on plane. For displacement hulls would this be an issue?

A displacement hull running at displacement speed with a diesel or an O/B is going to be the same. Even with a LOT of HP it is going to be difficult to plane a displacement hull. While you might be able to do it, a displacement hull is not designed to plane and the handling would be interesting to say the least.

 

[Art]

Be nice to her. She is the woman you sleep with and she has a lethal weapon, the pillow. LOL

"Nice" doesn't even begin to cover what I am to this sweet jewel. Neither does it begin to cover what she is to me!

 

[Art]

Not necessarily. My outboard powered boat also has trim tabs.

My little tow behind o/b runabout has mechanically adjustable little trim tabs [by hand placed bolt positions] but, the 34' Tollycraft has big ass hydraulic trim tabs. I know of Sea Ray i/o's that have no trim tabs and do just fine with trim angle adjusted on the out unit.

 

[sbu22]

Had a chance to go by the boat posted in 148-9 above. Nobody home, but took more pics of the install. Looks to me like a smidge of aft rake, but not much. I don't know the answer to several of the specific questions, but took some closer photos that might tell somebody knowledgable about the nuts and bolts of the installation.

 

[sbu22]

Did "it" again

 

[Donsan]

Geez, the weight of those Yamaha F350's is over 800 pounds per engine or 200 pounds engine more than a F250.


Also the mounts appear to have some kind of a jack on them to raise or lower the engine probably to optimize shaft placement. Never seen that before.

 

[sbu22]

The jack plates are made by Bob's Machine in Tampa. They have a website - looks like Bob's specializes in high end stuff of this sort.