QFT--I drive by the Tiara factory in West Michigan on a daily basis where the final detail is done in front of big glass windows and by far most are rigged with OB's regardless of size and configuration.

If you go to the Miami boat show its all Outboards - Jet skis - and wake boats.

Will add as of the end of Oct 2019 new boat / engine package sales -- everything was down from 1.5 to 40 percent except wake boats in which was up 3 percent compared to end of Oct 2018 new sales.

I/O s was down 12 percent.

Mercruiser and Volvo and Ilmor I/O s have not even sold 8 K worth of new gas engine packages. That's all 3 combined for this sales figure.

Indmar out sells Mercruiser 2 to 1. And they have out sold Mercruiser for the past 8 years

ILmor sells not that far off compared to Mercruiser for new engine packages.

Its not good at all for I/O sales. Sales do not even pay the lite bill

Only my opinion but I certainly hope not. :)
Of all the amazing boats Cigarette has built over the years, that's not the best looking one.

RR

Eye opening last year standing in the middle of the cigarette booth . I just stood there and was in awe of the fact that they had one , one , 38 top gun in display . Everything else was outboard CC’s ... were talking about THE cigarette boat company. Think about it ..OL and skater were the only IO performance boats there that I remember.

And the 2019 Lake Havasu street party had only 5 I/O s - and out of those 5 - I/O s at the show --- Lavey Craft / RPM was the only brand new boat at that show, The 4 other I/O s were the -- OL 29 a used boat about 5 years old. IMCO Hallet in which is about 10 years old, and then 2 other I.O s -- 20 year old plus old boats - One was a old scarab that prob had a weak transom - and another old boat with blower engines and twin carb set up. I know this cause I attend all the major events every year

No one is doing any real engineering on I/O boats.

other than the Merc 4 valve cammers the rest are based on the BBC. Oldschool. Even the LS motors are what a 20 year old car design?

OB’s are reliable because they spend time engineering them for the boating environment. But if I was paying close to 120k for 900HP it better be reliable! LOL

That`s an understatement.

Will add Indmar is all Ford Raptor base in which is not old tech actually that's fairly new. And all others but Mercruiser is GM --- GEN V Direct injection VVT engines. Even ILmor uses this platform. Volvo penta in 2014 was the first to use the DI - VVT Gen V platform when GM put forth that Gen V DI VVT platform fairly close in timeframe. Volvo Penta started with a 4.3 V 6 as I know I drove their test model with the engineers on board before it ever came out to the public. . .

Mercruiser black side only has one big block only and its done 2 ways 380 hp and a 430 hp - All engines today for rec boats in the USA are Catalyst engines with O2 sensors - about 4 years they finally incorp wideband O2 as one set to replace the narrow band O2 s. Catalyst marine gas engines been like since 2008 California models and 2010 the rest of the USA. Indmar started CAT engines in 2006.

Also indmar last year came out with a Ford ecoboost SC 4 banger super lite engine with 350 hp. That is not old tech at all especially for a marine engine. Just saying for jist of info

DdI a guy with a (however fast boat) just call out a 180 mph boat?

Good info BUP, I forgot about the raptor. Are most of those motors you listed other then the V6 and ECO SC4 used in the tow boat market?

In the performance world I have wondered why a closed cooled LT4 Direct injected motor hasn't been used. (600ish TQ and 650 HP).

https://www.schwartzperformance.com/...en-5-19417413/

For someone like me the issue is the cost of newer performance boats with OB's. Almost all are CATs and not only is the price out of reach the cost of insuring a cat (In Fl) is stupid.

Even converting something like mine over to OB's doesn't make much sense from a cost compared to rebuilding the current motors when they are needed, and a CC just isn't for me.