Thinking of changing from 78 closed bow, 19ft aquasport w/ 88'100hp merc ob to a 91' 22ft seaswirl striper w/ a 5 liter omc inboard /ob walkaround.
Boating one season, dock in a tidal cove in Pawcatuck river.

Major reason to consider change....spot for two kids to hang below, porta ptti, little more room, neat look.

Question is, would this be more to handle? Do people have (valid) opinions on I/O vs. OB for drive drain, and any opinions on seaswirl. Gas mileage, longevity of drivetrain?

Or should I stick w/ my boat that runs fine?

BTW, finally snagged some bluefish last weekend w/ poppers.after no luck all yr bottom fishing....my 9yr old was thrilled!

kp

I shouldn't see too much difference with 3 feet. It really depends if the hull shape is different.

One thing you might want to check is the place where you have your slip. Most places charge by the foot. Might be more cost than you are comfortable with.

The main difference between the OB and I/O besides the I/O being a fourstroke is the I/O is much harder to work on.

The other thing you have to look out for with the I/O is if you need to pull it out for the winter, you need to take the outdrive off. It should be 6 bolts. Down here at least, people who leave their outdrive on wake up to find them stolen. Other than that, you just have to take care of it like you would your car.

Of course, being a 4 stroke, you no longer have to add oil to your gas. There will be an oil pan underneath that has to remain full.

Good luck,

In the waters you fish, there is a monumental difference between 19 and 22 feet. Where the Aquasport is the 19 lessens the difference somewhat, the 22 should be better in the bigger stuff you're likely to face in those waters but I'm just not familiar with that model Seaswirl. The cabin would be good for the kids and the wife too... Take them to an island and camp the night on the boat - major brownie points...

As far as OB or I/O, if you're working shallow, rocky ledges, at least you have a chance that the OB will pop up on you and reduce possible damage to the drive unit. Not going to happen with an I/O so that depends on how you boat...

Now, as having OWNED a handfull of boats, I/O and OB, I would say that the I/O is easier to maintain than the OB and usually less costly when things go wrong. If you were comparing a 25HP OB to a 130 I/O, I might agree that the OB is simpler but when comparing a 5.0/205HP/4 barrle carbed chevy small block V8 versus an Evinrude 200HP Oil injected Outboard - densely packed into a relatively small package - the I/O is easier to maintain and fix. If you have experience working on the good ole American V-8, that experience translates well into doing at least SOME of your work on the marine variants. Obviously, the marine parts are different for numerous reasons and should be used... The I/O engines also have more displacement per horsepower which often means less wear and tear to get the same HP the the strung out outboards. I/Os tend to be more fuel efficient per HP than outboards. And they tend to smell less and create less pollution...

About the only thing I truly agree with Patrick is that you need to pull the outdrive off at the end of the season for both winterizing and so someone doesn't just walk off with it but people steal outboards too...

How many hours on the boat? After 10 years, most motors have been rebuilt or need it regardless of what type...

After owning an I/O for the last 15 years, I am now just starting to run an OB again. Everyone talks about that outdrive being complicated, and corroding, etc. I just don't see it. Take care of it, change the oil and pump and it'll be just fine. The I/O is also quieter, cheaper to run, smells better,easier/cheaper to fix. The big downside for me is the engine box taking up prime transom cockpit space, so I recommend that you pay attention to the layout and think about that when you look. As far as size, a 23 is a lot more boat - but thats a good thing. And the reasons you want the cuddy are very valid - I struggled with my choice for the same reasons and would have preferred the cuddy if I had my way. I see Seeswirls around, they look nice, haven't heard a lot of negatives, but have no first hand experience.Do a search on the wmi boating board and you may find some specifics.Good luck.

I had a 19 ft center console boston whaler with an ob and upgraded a few years ago to a 24ft proline walk around cuddy with twin ob's. i agree with billy bob and feel that you lose valuable cockpit space with an i/o. I have never owned one myself but have fished out of quite a few. As for the cuddy cabin it is great because of being able to keep everything dry. although i thought i had a nice dry storage space under the center console i had until i had "steve from mass" on the boat and he spilled a can of tomato juice on the top and it all ran down my electronic cables getting all my dry storage red and sticking ( thought i forgot about that didn't you steve?) Besides from the porta potti being able to lock up your rods and other valuables under there when you are not around is a nice stress relief if your on a mooring or leaving it at a slip. My 6 year old neice calls my cuddy her little play house when she is on the boat so i am sure your kids will like it.

No Dave, I didn't think you forgot about it. But if YOU remember, that was the same day that I caught that fish that is posted in the new "Gallery" and you took it back to the yacht club and.......well, we'll keep that between you and me......;)

so what are you trying to say that i put you on that fish that is posted in the gallery? YOUR WELCOME !! and if you are impling that I entered an illegal fish, i beg to differ. The rules stated that any fish entered must be caught on a members boat, which it was . Fortunately i caught a bigger one later on in the year and revised my entry or else i can see that i might not of ever have heard the end of it.

Yeah, well you also told the commadore that we caught it on doughballs at World's End, so I guess it all evens out in the end.

;)