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Coming from I/O boat - What to expect, advice, etc


mofaster

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I'm coming from an I/O boat (SeaRay Bowrider) and was hoping to get some advice, insight, etc about what to expect as far as big differences with driving the boat, etc. I have not had the boat out yet (next week will be the first time), and I want to make sure I have a good idea of what to look for, expect, etc. I have read the manuals, etc.

Thanks in advance.

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I'm coming from an I/O boat (SeaRay Bowrider) and was hoping to get some advice, insight, etc about what to expect as far as big differences with driving the boat, etc. I have not had the boat out yet (next week will be the first time), and I want to make sure I have a good idea of what to look for, expect, etc. I have read the manuals, etc.

Thanks in advance.

The hardest thing to get used to will be docking, what speed to come in at and which way the boat backs up, once you master that the rest of the boat will feel superior to the I/O.

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You have absolutely no controll of the boat in reverse :crazy: Once you learn what it will do (it will do it every time) that will help. Until then you will have to be very careful around the dock and trailer.

Otherwise :welcome: You will really appreciate the performance of you new Bu over the IO.

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some good advice so far - we made a similar switch back in 06 getting used to the inboard handling characteristics took a bit of time - especially with my wife, and like the others have said, you'll come to appreciate the inboard even moreso then the I/O - here's a few thoughts off the top.

-since you can't raise and lower your prop - be mindful of what the depth guage reads - if you don't there's plenty of threads on prop replacement.

like the others - docking is different, don't kill the motor use reverse to slow - in no time you should be able to jockey the boat using forward and reverse to suck your boat right up to the dock.

-your prop rotation will dictate which way the back end of the boat will pull when in reverse.

-your inboard throttle control will offer you more precise speed control over your I/O (you won't be playing with the throttle as much to hold speed)

-you will get out of the hole and on plane quicker with less bow-rise- you'll love the power and responsiveness

-you'll quickly notice that in choppy conditions you'll get a rougher ride then you're I/O

-you'll probably enjoy a quieter ride then your I/O -

-you're steering won't be as responsive at slower speeds (docking, trailering) again use the throttle, the rudder does nothing if the watter isn't moving over it.

practice - we tossed in a spare lifejacket and my wife and kids practiced coming up along side it as well as if it were a skier getting on the platform.

and remember, you have a responsibility as an inboard owner to respect the water and others around you - no more power turns or churning up the lake unresponsibily... :lol:

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mofaster and jrz1 - an I/O can pull the rearend of the boat in whichever direction the wheel is turned. that's the only advantage that an I/O has over an inboard. Since inboards use a rudder to turn, they rely on pressure against the rudder for steering. In reverse, there is virtually no pressure on the rudder, so you can turn the wheel all you want and you will have no effect on where the boat is going. Malibus, Mastercrafts, and everybody other than Nautique pull to the driver's side in reverse. Since Nautique turns its prop in the opposite direction, Nautiques pull to the passenger side in reverse. This only applies to reverse. Even at low speed in forward, the turbulence from the prop creates enough pressure that you have better steering in an inboard than an I/O.

The biggest thing to expect from making the switch is that you'll never want to switch back! The performance of an inboard is in a completely different league from an I/O.

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All makes perfect sense. Boat comes in Thurs so ill have plenty of time to get used to it before the water warms up and the season begins in earnest. Like the life jacket idea. Good for practice in open areas.

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Welcome to the bu crew.

As someone one the crew so adeptly put, when docking don't go any faster than you are willing to hit the dock. Thow a bumper out in the middle of the lake and practice "docking" to it.

Also, the throttle by wire is extremely sensitive, never, ever leave the drivers seat unless the boat is in neutral. You barely need to tap it and the boat is blasting out of the hole.

Always turn off the motor when people are climbing in on the swim step.

Edited by MalibuTime
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All good stuff. And I agree docking is the biggest difference. When docking, I approach with the boat almost parrallel to the dock, with the bow in close and the starboard stern approximately a 15 degree angle to the dock. Moreso with an inboard than an I/O, it is best to approach a dock upwind. You will have even less control of steering going downwind due to reasons explained above.

Assuming there is no wind, approach the dock semi-parallel with the bow about a foot away and the starboard stern out 15 degrees. At idle speed or slightly less. A quick shot in reverse will stop the boat completely and gently swing the back end towards the pier. You can use this motion to actually turn your boat around in a tight spot of you need to. It's pretty slick to see someone really good at it (not me...yet).

But getting on a trailer works the same way, anytime you hit reverse that back end is going to move to your right every time, so you have to plan for it.

The only other thing I would say is that if pulling people up, you say "HIT IT", that doesn't mean full throttle with the inboard. Seriously, you can hurt the skier, these things have a ridiculous amout of torque. Gently roll the throttle.

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I think everyone has missed the most important thing about going from an I/O to an inboard: gone are the days of being dragged 1/4 mile through the water before getting up on plane on your ski/board. And when you cut across the wakes you won't be slowing down the boat or pulling the a$$ end around. You're going to love it, congrats!

Also, you'll be amazed at how quickly you become an inboard snob and begin to look down your nose at I/O's. It's OK, it happeded to all of us.

Edited by msuwaterski
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I recently moved from an outboard to the v-drive and have noticed everything mentioned above. I went out for the first time "alone" last weekend and managed to dock the boat and get it on and off the trailer without much problem. Luckily there wasn't much current or wind that day, or a crowd at the boat ramp. I'll probably choke when I get a crowd of people waiting on me to get out of the way.

The other thing that will take some time for me to get used to is the throttle. It has a much different feel, more sensative, especially at low speed than my outboard did. I'm also concerned about pulling people out of their skis with all of the extra power.

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They used to be "Ski Nautique Snobs" around here :lol:

These guys pretty much nailed it.

Around the dock GO SLOW.

Get a couple of the G 5 fenders or one G 5 and one G 4.

We use a ski dock at our local course so we do the docking procedure after each skier change, pretty much.

I use a couple of techniques that my buddies use, also.

One is you aim the nose right about where you want to tie the bow up, approach at maybe a 30 degree angle, staying in gear and when I get within 10 feet I just shift to reverse. Then turn the rudder toward the dock while in reverse. All of this is at idle speed. If you take the boat out of gear you lose your steering crispness.

Another technique is to approach the dock from the opposite direction you want to be docked say 2 boat lengths away from the dock. Make a hard left turn and begin your 180 degree rotation, still in idle. The boat is now turning counterclockwise with turning momentum. Assuming you are going slow you will allow the turning rotation momentum to bring you right up parallel to the dock.

A huge help when docking is if you have a good first mate with a dock line handy to step to the dock just as you are arriving to hold you in place at the dock. With that particular aid you will be docking like a veteran in no time.

Deep water starts are a breeze with a direct drive. Don't slam the throttle down immediately. It should be a smooth but quick advance on the throttle to full power. Start pulling the throttle back once you reach your skiing RPM say 3300 or whatever your preference is.

Edited by DONTW8
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I too am new to an inboard. I took my new to me boat out on Sunday for the first time and noticed all of the above conditions. I had little problem getting the boat on the trailer successfully however it is much different than the I/O or OB that I'm accustomed to. Once I get my lift, I'll endure that learning curve as well and will likely not have to contend with docking much however I do plan on getting it down in the event I have to do it. After only one day on the water I can officially say that I'm addicted to the DD!!! Power and handling are second to none.

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Got :30?

This is what everyone is talking about. You cannot do this on the passenger side. Actually you can, but it involves bumping from forward to reverse multiple times, getting the boat to spin in place.

Also, someone mentioned a quieter ride, that may not be the case. If your I/O had through prop exhaust you will probably enjoy the sound of your new muscle car.....er boat at a slightly higher volume.

Edited by jk13
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You can get these boats to go the opposite way of their natural prop rotation in reverse. I haven't dialed in the Malibu to the level of the Nautiques in college but it can be done. It was best to back out of Our boathouse in school to the right. Which after doing in enough, most of us could pull the Nautique to the right every time.

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Moreso with an inboard than an I/O, it is best to approach a dock upwind. You will have even less control of steering going downwind due to reasons explained above.

How do you manipulate the wind so that you can approach upwind? :crazy:

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What is it about inboards that results in better hole shot? Prop size/angle/pitch, less deadrise in typical hull? Motors are generally same so i was just wondering from physics perspective.

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You can get these boats to go the opposite way of their natural prop rotation in reverse. I haven't dialed in the Malibu to the level of the Nautiques in college but it can be done. It was best to back out of Our boathouse in school to the right. Which after doing in enough, most of us could pull the Nautique to the right every time.

You can actually spin your boat in place if there is no wind, I do it in tight places. Turn your wheel fully to the left and go forward, reverse, forward, reverse. The boat will move back and forth a couple of inches and spin. DD Bu's pull to the starboard side in reverse, so it helps to dock on that side. Pull in on a slight angle, hit reverse and she swings the back in.

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Got :30?

This is what everyone is talking about. You cannot do this on the passenger side. Actually you can, but it involves bumping from forward to reverse multiple times, getting the boat to spin in place.

Also, someone mentioned a quieter ride, that may not be the case. If your I/O had through prop exhaust you will probably enjoy the sound of your new muscle car.....er boat at a slightly higher volume.

I have watched this video before. It's helpful however as was mentioned previously, thrown a PFD out into the water and using it as a target is wonderful practice.

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What is it about inboards that results in better hole shot? Prop size/angle/pitch, less deadrise in typical hull? Motors are generally same so i was just wondering from physics perspective.

1:1 ratio and all of what you have mentioned. Look at a stern drive prop compared to a inboard, there is alot more surface area in the inboard.

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How do you manipulate the wind so that you can approach upwind? :crazy:

Ha! That does sound funny. But look at the video JK13 posted. There is no wind, and that's how I would do it too. However, if the wind was blowing some chop from the starboard side, this won't work well, as the back end can get blown around before getting to the dock, and/or you can have too much speed in the approach. In that case, you are better off approaching with the port side facing the pier, since you will never lose steering. Our dock faces West and somedays we have a heavy southern breeze blowing, and I have to approach from the North with the bow facing into that breeze.

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BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!

I really appreciate all the great advice, and the YouTube video from jk13 for the visual is great!

Thanks again, and anymore advice is always welcome.

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What is it about inboards that results in better hole shot? Prop size/angle/pitch, less deadrise in typical hull? Motors are generally same so i was just wondering from physics perspective.

1. The angle of the drive shaft naturally pushes the nose down.

2. Center placement of the direct drive moves the center of gravity forward.

3. An Outboard boat will plane faster ( I /O also ) if you tilt the motor into the transom. Same idea, you push the nose down.

once the outboard is up to speed you need to tilt the motor back a little.

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Backing up was the greatest challenge for me.

Once you learn how it can be done with a fair amount of precision.

The key is knowing that while backing up the stern will pull to the right due to prop rotation. Once the stern has moved to far to the right, put it in forward and steer right so the stern now is redirected. Now pop it in reverse again and go until the stern is out of alignment again. Quickly go forward and steer right until stern is aligned and repeat.

I will openly admit that it took me a bit to catch on to this and I had to watch BS001 do it a couple of times before I had it down. Last summer I successfully backed out of a VERY tight crowded dock without any crew member even having to get out of their seat. :rockon:

Edited by Ruffdog
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