Summer is in its prime, the time when those who can enjoy the boat to the fullest.
During one of those taciturn harbor returns, where there is only the engine muttering a bit underfoot, our reader Elia Marchiori thought and thought and finally decided to write us his thoughts on the perfect engine for him.
As a “hardcore inboarder,” as he calls himself, he too finally decided to convert to the outboard.
And “fashion” had nothing to do with it. Do you agree? Here is his letter:
Outboard VS inboard: “Why I changed my mind.”
“I confess that I have always been a staunch Intraborderist.
And among entrobordists, a hardliner.
Reliability aside – undisputed – the reason has always been rather trivial: aesthetics and space.
When I look at a boat for the first time I retain the approach I had as a child when I walked around the Boat Show (of Genoa ed.): I have to find it beautiful.
And an inboard does not alter the lines of a hull, which can descend naturally to the water, without external appendages, leaving the stern with immediate access to the sea.
A feature I still look for, without much success, in watercraft, which now, at the stern, all seem to have the same bathtubs.
In short, I always saw the outboard motor as a hindrance to the man-sea symbiosis conveyed by the medium that is the boat.
Then I grew up.
I began to understand the technical advantages and disadvantages of the two alternatives.
But most of all, I began to pay.
That is where we all lose our virginity of ideals.
It all started when I asked my motorist how much a new, more powerful engine would cost: 20,000 euros for a 65-hp 4-cylinder inboard.
And I started to do some reflections.
- First, power: most 40 hp outboard engines have a version that reaches the actual 60/70 hp of power in a practically official way.
Now, leaving aside the goodness of the solution from a regulatory point of view, it is undeniable that, for the same installed power, a vehicle that does not require a license is certainly more marketable. - And speaking of salability, the market for used inboard engines is much more limited, for obvious reasons of spread, size and adaptability.
This means difficulty both in finding a used engine, a solution that always saves money, and in reselling your own.
For outboard engines it is the exact opposite: availability of engines, versatility in changing brands, power and size, and also, a factor that is always given too little importance, ready availability of different propellers. - Thepropeller is the fundamental component of the engine apparatus, the tool that converts power into thrust.
Finding the ideal alchemy between hull, power, speed and propeller is not easy.
It is a theoretical, non-trivial study whose effectiveness is not always confirmed in practice, often turning it into an iterative, experimental process.
For outboards it is easier, given the availability of propellers on the market.
For shaftline propellers, the prices, even of entry-level models, are very high, and they are often not found with the required parameters, having to resort to expensive custom production. - Speaking of size, let’s give a reference. Weight of the 65 hp mentioned above: 250 kg.
To which must be added the weight of the axle case, the axle itself and the propeller (made of bronze).
This is only as far as the engine apparatus is concerned.
But you have to steer, so let’s add the rudder.
More than 300 kg to push and steer the boat.
Functions that an outboard of equal power does with half the weight, not to mention those approved 40 hp, where we are almost closer to a third. - And all these “accessories,” which then are not accessories, since they are necessary components of the inboard engine apparatus, not only weigh, but cost money.
And they cost We have already talked about the propeller, but between the stainless steel axle, axle-inverter coupling, case and rudder you can easily get on the 2/3000 euros, when new, for the size of the boat used in example.
Does it cost more for an outboard or an inboard?
This brings the economic balance to almost three times the price of an outboard, for less than half the embarked weight.
And I insist on the weight in that, on a vessel, especially a small one, constantly sailing with 200 kg less is like traveling each time with 2/3 less people, or going faster, or consuming less.
- And here we come to fuel consumption.
Outboards, which are so popular, have prompted engine manufacturers to invest significantly in research and development, leading to a significant increase in efficiency and reliability, once the prerogative almost exclusively of inboard equipment.
Coupled with the aforementioned and not inconsiderable weight savings, it is not uncommon to see respectable fuel consumption per mile even on outboard boats.
Of course, direct comparison is practically impossible on smaller hulls, which are now constrained, depending on the category, to mount one or the other solution.
But the considerations made so far, figures aside, also apply to larger and more expensive hulls.
And that is why every year the power ratings on outboards are going higher and higher, allowing them to be installed on larger and larger boats.
In the end, no matter how experienced the boater in question is, the number of zeros in a payment is a metric that anyone understands.
- At one time the diesel engine had the great advantage of using a significantly cheaper percentage fuel.
But now the price of diesel fuel has risen so much that it has almost completely eroded this benefit. - Last but not least: the outboard has the inherent ability to give trim, then change trim depending on gaits, weather and load conditions.
To achieve the same effect on a shaftline, one is forced to mount flaps or intruders, which can only intervene to lower the bow anyway.
And, again: more money, more weight, more devices to maintain.
Not to mention the low-speed handling that outboard thrust vectoring can give, especially in single-engine installations.
So part of me wants to continue to believe in the plank line, if only for some healthy nostalgia of those fishing trips with grandpa on an old gozzo.
And the other part of me?
Well, that one is already looking for a boat with an outboard…”
And do you agree with Elijah?
Write us your opinion at info@barcheamotore.com
