I am thinking of converting my GW 197 from I/O to Outboard to lose my Mercruiser 470. Has anyone done this? Can you give me pros and cons? Thanks, BTW, great forum site...
I/O to Outboard
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Chessie246G
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I have not done it.
I am not a fan of I/O engines. Had one on an old bayliner 20 years ago. pain in the a$$ to work on....
Hate the idea of rubber boots keep me afloat.
The hardest part is going to be finding an outboard engine.
I am not a fan of I/O engines. Had one on an old bayliner 20 years ago. pain in the a$$ to work on....
Hate the idea of rubber boots keep me afloat.
The hardest part is going to be finding an outboard engine.
SkunkBoat
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Its not a reasonable thing to do.
Especially on a 19 fter.
Unless your old boat is REALLY nice and you just love it and you are going to do it yourself because you want the fun of a big expensive project and you are going to keep it for 10 years...
Look at newer boats with an outboard. Get a sense of the value.
.
Especially on a 19 fter.
Unless your old boat is REALLY nice and you just love it and you are going to do it yourself because you want the fun of a big expensive project and you are going to keep it for 10 years...
Look at newer boats with an outboard. Get a sense of the value.
.
It's a pretty big job - and if you're paying someone to do it the labor will get expensive very quickly (along with the prices for the OB/controls). Fill the outdrive hole, run a transverse support across the inside of the transom, tie the transom into the stringers with knee walls or aluminum bracing run down at an angle. Buy the components (bracket, OB, controls, cables, etc) and install.
The job is extensive but not impossible BUT I would have several big concerns. First and foremost is the question of whether the transom is strong enough to hang a motor on it. Second concern would be how the hull will sit with the engine weight now hanging off the transom. In addition, I wish I knew for certain if there is something in the hull design that is appropriate for an I/O but not so much for an OB.
Asking if anyone has done this is an appropriate question to ask as well as what challenges they faced and if and how there were resolved.
Asking if anyone has done this is an appropriate question to ask as well as what challenges they faced and if and how there were resolved.
blindmullet
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If you want to do it correctly your looking at a new transom/bracket before the motor/rigging. As someone that has been rebuilding boats most of my life I wouldn't want to dump that type of money into a boat like that unless it was free. Resin prices are up 4x, aluminum is similar, brackets are on backorder, motors are on backorder--the list goes on. Just getting the boat ready for a motor you will be $4k-$6k on a bracket and probably another $3k if you do the transom yourself.
Thanks to all who have offered advice. My boat has the dreaded Mercruiser 470 in it, and I wanted to go to something more reliable. The cost of boats in my neck of the woods is very pricey, and I was hoping that the conversion would be a viable option. Maybe I'll just buy another 470 and restore it to replace the one running now. Again, thanks to all...
84grady197
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I have the same boat! Mine at some point in its life has had a swap with a mercruiser 4.3 from the early 90’s. Things built proof! It’s matched with an Alpha 1 drive. I also looked for options and I know if i ever needed to replace it i would be getting a factory restored 4.3. More horsepower and has EFI. Fairly reasonable.
good luck!