looking to repower my 72 23' cc sf 5.7L i/o

[scrapper]

the boat i bought,it was repowered with a mercruiser 5.7 magnum mpi,with the horizon package and a bravo I drive.it's super quiet,smooth and it's incredible on fuel-over 2nm per gallon-i have "smart craft",it tells the amount of fuel you're burning.i had outboards before,but i will never go back after running this boat.we fight the fish from the bow,the engine box is never a problem.if we're trolling,we "hang" the lures by reeling them into the riggers,and we clear the flat lines,move the angler to the bow and that's it.if we're on the anchor and chunking,the engine box serves as a work platform,it holds alot of gear,when the hook up happens,we pop the anchor,it's rigged on a float ball,and move the angler to the bow,we chase the fish with the boat.
i thought an i/o powered boat was going to be a real pia for everything,i was told not to purchase an i/o boat by everyone,all parties were wrong.up keep is a breeze,and i truly believe it's cheaper than an outboard,and you can't beat the price of a trip.
wow-i'm sorry,just realized i sound like a commercial.

[Fr. Frank]

I get 5 nm per gallon on my outboard.

[77SceptreOB]

I get 5 nm per gallon on my outboard.

Outstanding!

I'll bet it would be hard to get over 3.5 mpg cruise on a 23 footer though.

[Fr. Frank]

On my old 74 Tsunami, with an '88 Johnson 225 looper, I averaged only 2.2-2.3 nmpg.

My current Seafari w/ 90 hp Optimax is very efficient.