[1bayouboy]

I/Os get a bad rap most of the time, especially on forums like THT. I have a boat with the same package except a Bravo 1 instead of a Bravo 3. Having that much weight that low in the hull makes it pretty stable. It gets good fuel economy. The engine is fully fresh water cooled meaning raw water enters the exhaust as the exhaust exits the elbow so the manifolds will last a long time having nothing in them but coolant. You have to do the maintenance on I/Os. I remove my drive every year and check the alignment. Change oil and gear lube. Keep the Gimbal Bearing and coupler greased (the coupler is a reach literally). He's already got the Smartcraft gauges and those things are cool....all kinds of engine info, fuel burn, etc. I went offshore yesterday and the gauge said I used 70.8 gallons....I put 70 gallons in the boat when I refilled. I think the package can last 1000s of hours if you maintain it right.

Things to note....replacing the seawater pump could be an engine lift...it will be on my boat this winter. But if you can do that kind of thing yourself you can save a lot of $$ plus have a great understanding of the mechanical side of your boat. I'm also with FrFrank on the two motors for offshore thought so I have a 4S kicker.