Great info.
I also have a stern drive on my Tsunami,and also on my last boat.The whole sterndrive bashing is kind of like the bashing Bayliner took.Most of it is done by people who never owned either a stern drive,or a Bayliner.
No doubt that in salt water stern drives require more maintenance,and proper care needs to be given to the drive.Because of the salt corrosion problems parts may need to be replaced more often,and you can't tilt the drive completely out of the water like an outboard.
I'm ten years into pretty hard use with sterndrives,and can count on one hand,any problems that required any serious work.
Like anything else you have to maintain them,bellows need to be inspected and changed periodically,gimball bearings need to be greased properly,as well as the u-joints.Exhaust manifolds need to be changed occassionally,especially in salt water.In fresh water they last for years and years.
I know that most of the members on this site are salt water boaters,but on the great lakes where guys like me and Floorboy fish,I/O's(and inboards) are much more common.I like the big high transom when we're fishing in snotty stuff and the waves are rolling up the rear.I also like the open transom for netting fish(we only troll),nothing in the way.
I also like the fact that I can do almost all the work myself,as it's a simple 350 GM engine.I don't have to worry about a computer or printed circuit crapping out and not being able to fix it myself.
Even the drive doesn't require a rocket scientist to work on it,and even if it blows up,companies like SEI make great good quality after market drives for cheap money.
I guess if I was fishing the salt,and I had to decide on a power package,I'd go with outboard power.But,I wouldn't be scared off from going with a fresh water cooled I/O.
I can't even begin to imagine what it costs to fix a modern four stroke outboard,never mind trying to fix it myself.I shiver just looking at it when the cover is off.They are a marvel of engineering and nice,but way beyond my skills.
Both have their pros and cons.
