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Single-prop sterndrives are for smaller boats and are matched up primarily with inline 4 , V-6 and V-8 engines. Today, gasoline sterndrive engines range from around 200 hp to 430 hp. The trimmable drive improves performance and economy, and because the drive can be trimmed out, or raised, it allows the boat to be beached. This allows for easier, more confident maneuvering at low speed. The sterndrive engine (sometimes called an inboard/outboard, or I/O) was introduced by Volvo Penta in 1957 as a power system that combined the torque of an inboard engine with a steerable and trimmable drive capability of an outboard. While some mid-range cruisers are available with inboard gas engines, they are quickly being supplanted by the large outboard engines, and they seem to be bound for extinction. Then the Great Recession of 2008 finished off the few that were left. Unfortunately, global economic conditions, foreign wars, and misguided government tax policies spelled the doom for most of the builder that made this types of boats.
![inboard outboard vs outboard inboard outboard vs outboard](https://www.eyachts.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/4e1acc99436eaf5be12ee1114c40c61e-950x720-1.jpg)
Throughout the 1960s to the 1990s, inboard gasoline engines were popular in express cruisers, cabin cruisers, express fish boats, and even some small motoryachts in the 3o” to 45” ( 9.10 to 13.71 m) range. But, with experience and patience, most owners get onto it, and this issue did not keep over 13,000 people last year from buying inboard engine tow boats. Perhaps the biggest downside to a single inboard is that they are challenging to dock for the beginner.
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With the props no longer exposed, regular bow riders are now being used for wake surfing. Mercury’s Four S forward drive was second to market but is picking up in popularity.īoth Volvo and Mercury have introduced forward-facing lower units that put the props about 26” (.66 cm) forward of where they would be otherwise.