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Make an inboard an outboard

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starsh1p

Regular Contributor
Does anyone here have any expe

Does anyone here have any experience with removing the inboard motor and sterndrive and replacing the entire unit with an outboard? Can it be done? Can the same shifter and steering setup be used? What is the difficulty level? etc..... Just looking for any words of wisdom that may be out there. Thanks
 
"It can be done, remove everyt

"It can be done, remove everything down to the bare transom, lay up some plywood panels to fit the hole, re-glass the area, re-paint area, add outboard bracket and outboard motor.
control cable ends are specific, so you`ll need cables, steering may work as is.
Difficulty:
carpentry
fiberglassing skills"
 
"Thanks BtDoctur, can always c

"Thanks BtDoctur, can always count on an informed answer from you. One more question. Would it be worth cutting and refiberglassing the transom to fit an outboard instead of attaching a bracket?"
 
"Outboards are made for 15 inc

"Outboards are made for 15 inch, 20 inch or 25 inch transoms.
What kind of HP are you talking about?
Bigger outboards will require a substantial bracket. Under 150 hp would only need an inexpensive aluminum bracket.
Outboard tubs built into boats take away lots of room in your hull.
If you use a short outboard and don't build a tub, you will get wet sooner or later."
 
"The inboard thats in now is o

"The inboard thats in now is only 140 hp so a 150 would be fine with me probrobly, maybe a little bigger. As far as taking alot of room in the hull goes. I am losing the inboard so I have a bit of room to spare I would think. What does your last line mean? (If you use a short outboard and don't build a tub, you will get wet sooner or later.) Thanks"
 
"Most inboard boats have a hig

"Most inboard boats have a high transom. As high as the sides. They are a better setup for bigger wave water.
Outboard transoms are cut down in the middle. Water comes in that cutout sometimes. so tubs are built to take a splash and drain off.
If you were thinking about just cutting down the transom heigth. just think about the heigth of the outboard, and how low you might have to cut down.
Most 150hps are 20 or 25 inches.
If you made a 19ft fiberglass boat with a 20 inch high cutout, You would get a splash just slowing down quickly.
If I fish off the back of the boat, I hate outboard tubs.
If you need to work or look at your outboard,while on the water, I like the cutout and tub.
If you want the most room out of your boat and want a place to stand right at the back, the bracket is the way to go."
 
"Thank you Gene, that was much

"Thank you Gene, that was much more clearly explained for a noob like me. I believe that I will not be cutting the transom unless someone gives me a good reason to do it."
 
"What you actually should cons

"What you actually should consider doing is building or having built what is commonly refered to as a pod. It can be made of wood and fibreglass but most prefer one of aluminum construction. A pod serves two purposes. It is usually built flush with the hull of your boat so it extends your planing surface and it allows you to maintain the full hieght transom.It also can be made to cover the existing hole from your sterndrive.Therefore it is not as necessary to take near the time and effort to fill it in as sturdily.Here on the west coat of British Columbia, a lot of the fishing guides have gone to converting some of the older and sturdier built I/O boats into outboards using pods and quite a few of them are running twin outboards and a trolling kicker on their pod equipped boats.Having a big outboard 2 feet behind your boat on a bracket can make it pretty tail heavy whereas a pod will have the affect of extending your boat to the new outboard position , it`s just not as high as your I/O transom but of a heighth to suit your outboard leg length."
 
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