

Depending on your budget and how you’re going to use your boat, either of these will get the job done and give you an enjoyable time on the water. These are just a few examples, and as you can tell, there are plenty of pros and cons to each propulsion system. Since the motor is deep in the hull of the boat, it improves stability because it lowers the boat’s center of gravity. While sterndrive boats allow a smooth ride when trimmed up, larger boats with inboard engines can have a smooth and stable ride as well.The engine is then connected through the transom, or back of the boat, to an outdrive unit that hangs down below the boat’s bottom. Since a sterndrive boat has the equipment on the back of the boat, it allows more room onboard than an inboard boat. MerCruiser Sterndrive or Inboard-Outboard Engines (IOs) A MerCruiser sterndrive is essentially a car or truck style engine mounted inside the boat, lower in the hull.Inboard propellers are tucked up underneath the boat, which can be much safer than a sterndrive tiled up but without a tilt up mechanism, an inboard engine has a larger draft.However sterndrive motors are easier to get to. Sterndrive’s can, at times, have higher maintenance requirements than inboards.With a sterndrive boat, reverse thrust is directional. Inboard boats go in one direction in reverse no matter what the position of the wheel.Sterndrive’s put out great wakes for wakeboarding inboards create flat wakes for waterskiing.On the other hand, inboards will hold a speed more easily than a sterndrive. Sterndrives will go faster than an inboard with the same horsepower and even use less fuel.Sterndrives draw less when slightly tilted up. However, inboards draw less than a sterndrive does if the sterndrive is all the way down (inboards need less water to float). Trimming down allows quicker acceleration.

It also allows smoother rides when trimmed up. This allows you to raise the sterndrive up when loading/unloading or when in shallow water. Sterndrive’s provide the boater with a versatile range of trim.Now let’s look at the pros and cons of both. The propeller then pushes the water past the turned rudder and turns the boat. The boat is steered with a rudder when the steering wheel is turned by the captain. The driveshaft goes from the transmission to a propeller outside of the boat. No rudder is needed.Īn inboardis a marine propulsion system that is enclosed within the hull of the boat – it is usually connected to a propulsion screw by a driveshaft. When the captain turns the steering wheel, the entire drive turns. The drive unit is both the transmission and propulsion. Both have pros and cons and are two completely different machines.įirst of all, let’s start by explaining what exactly sterndrives and inboards are.Ī sterndrive is a marine propulsion system that is attached to a sterndrive, also known as an outdrive. In this post, we’ll present the facts and let you decide on the rest. As a result, sales suffered, and it wasn’t until almost 30 years later that the modern sterndrive of today was created. For years there have been debates about whether sterndrives or inboards are better. Johnson Motor Company introduced the first sterndrive in 1930, but the initial design required most boats to be redesigned to accommodate the motor.
