Why Outboards are on Bass Boats

[Paul P]

I'm sure many on this site know the obvious answers but I thought it would be good to start a thread for why bass boats are primarily designed for outboards only (not to mention that I'm not totally sure why).



Some reasons I can think of are:



Outboards are necessary since inboards would require a deeper hull. i.e. Outboards allow for a shallower draft.



More deck, storage, and cockpit space.



Are Outboards lighter than inboards?



Do outboards perform better than inboards?



Paul

 

[Tony Payne]

Much easier to replace when they get blowed up.



Probably something to do with performance/lift (getting up on plane).

 

[TrepMan]

Outboards I believe ARE lighter then their HP rated counterparts.



I'd also say because - you can offer MANY more options (from 5hp to 200hp + in theory without changing anything inside the boat.



Also, the I/O's take up a LOT of space in the boat, that would be better served in a fishing boat with storage.



Just my thoughts...

 

[william Clark]

They just look cool. I just pulled my boat out of the garage and that big opti got my blood boiling to go fishing.

Personally I like that they aren't as loud either (most anyway). I hate fishing in a calm peaceful setting and what sounds like a dragster comes down the lake. Imagine what that sounds like and feels like to a fish.

 

[Bryan McDonough]

Space being the most obvious as mentioned above.

Performance of a 200hp outboard 2 cycle is far superior to a 4cycle 200hp i/o.

Weight.

Construction. You can build boats before you know what engine ther customer wants.



The power to weight ration of an Outboard is hard to beat.

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

YOU CAN STAND ON THEM AND SIGHT FISH

 

[Norm Gavlick]

As a Tracker Jet owner (PT 185 175hp jet) I can tell you my boat gets up on plane faster than an outboard. I can run in 4" of water. The two disadvantages are: 1 space. You do lose some space in the back of the boat. 2. Speed. It will beat most boats out of the hole. I get 50 mph out of my jet. If it were a 175 hp outboard on the same boat I would probably get over 60 if not more. But I can fish in places that you guys with the big outboards can only dream about.

 

[Larry Harp]

I think the main advantage of an outboard over an I/O is the fact that you can use it during the winter without having to winterize it all over. In my climate I never have to do more to prepare my outboard than the few things I can do in my driveway.



Harpo



PS. Something I just remembered. I did see an I/O bass boat one time, it was a Ranger. Looked like it might be 10 or more years old. So at least somebody did experiment with the idea.

 

[Mini]

Why an outboard on a bass boat?



Cause the lakes are too big to row!

 

[TritonGlenn]

I had a friend with a inboard on a older fish/ski type boat. It always had the "doghouse" (cover) off, and more times than not, he had a wrench in his hand instead of a fishing rod. I pulled up alongside him one day, seeing him working on it again. Immediately upon pulling up to him, I pointed and in a very excited voice told him, "Hey man! There's your problem!". He looked up at me, anxious to hear what I had to say. I then told him, "You've got a dang car engine in a boat! ". He threw the wrench at me.

Outboards are the only way to go. I even prefer them on Saltwater boats.

All the best,

Glenn