"An inboard is a center mounte
"An inboard is a center mounted engine and transmission with the propshaft angled down thru the bottom to the stern. This arrangement requires the engine to be mounted at an angle to keep the driveshaft geometry right, and you have the doghouse in the middle of the boat. The weight balance is good though.
A V-drive is a stern mounted engine driving a forward shaft to a V shaped transmission, then the propshaft is angled down thru the bottom to the stern.
This arrangement moves the engine out of the way in the passenger compartment, and also puts the weight back on the stern, which is better for wakeboarding. V-drive transmissions have a characteristic whine that you can hear for a long ways.
Both these arrangements allow lots of power to be transmitted to the prop, as the transmissions are quite robust. Unfortunately both arrangements are no good for shallow lakes as there is no way to raise the prop. A prop strike on one of these will usually bend the propshaft and fritz a 1000 dollar prop.
Stern drives provide capability to raise the prop, and they put the engine at the stern out of the way. In many ways they are the handiest arrangement, but the drive system is maintenance prone, and in the case of the Alpha, they are the weak link in the system.
Hope that helps.
Rod"
