Hey. I love the performance of my 23' Tsunami with a Mercruiser 300hp, 350 with a bravo 3. I honestly don't think that the boat could run better with any other motor... Fast, torque'y, maneuverable, responsive, fuel economy etc ! Better than any O/B I've been on.
At the time of my resto from twin V4, i/o's to one big V8, for economics as well as the work I was willing to do, I went with a new V8 and new Bravo 3.
Prior I had always been an O/B guy - ALWAYS... Old school carb'd ones...
And, with all that said, I still love the simplicity of an O/B. Cannot be beat ! If you're keeping the boat in the water, being able to lift that hunk of aluminum out of the water completely after use is a great feature.
Todays outboards are awesome. Though expensive and nearly impossible for the DIY'er to tackle; however, dependable, efficient - turn the key and go...
The i/o is great, but I am a very meticulous DIY'er and to see what the drive, gimbal, transom-mount looks like after a long salty season gets my blood to boil. It takes a lot of work in the Spring to clean her up and make her look like I think it should.
Also, the parts that are expected to be routinely replaced can be staggering; elbows/ risers, manifolds, fuel coolers, bellows, water pump, freshwater exchanger, ( I have a dry manifold so it was just elbows for me )... It has been a lot of maintenance - all I have done myself except this past seasons preventive-maintenance, bellows job. And these parts ain't cheap !
My motor and drive is an '03 with about 500 hours. They are absolutely MINT. My attitude has always been to keep things in perfect mechanical condition and cosmetically, as clean as possible. This way, when something goes wrong, it's obvious...
Every Spring I bitch about the amount of maintenance I have to do. But, once she's in and done. I am VERY happy with her.
So, I probably confused you more than when you started. If I had my boat in a lift, or I trailered her - this would be a moot point. But, the fact that I'm in the brine for (7) months a year definitely is a factor.
If $ is not an issue. Go with an O/B. If you are super handy and have time and want the best performance, IMO, then a I/O is a great option. The other thing - a Bravo 3 drive is bullet proof - any Bravo drive is. Down the road, when you need a new motor, you can get one for 6-7K and re-use your Bravo. A new O/B ?? OUCH !
The above is just my opinion - I'm sure completely debatable - just my opinion and experiences... Good luck...
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