Inboard or outboard? A question that either out of chatter or because they have to make a choice, all boaters have asked themselves. The second question is better one engine or two, but we will talk about that another time.
So, for a fisherman, is it better to have an inboard engine, which for Tuccoli means shaftline, or an outboard? The answer is one: it depends. It depends on how you use the boat, because the merits and advantages of each configuration are different. So as far as it makes sense to install an outboard motor, both versions are proposed.
Let us go in order. Obviously we reason with equal power. Outboards have greater acceleration and an often higher top speed. However, at peak performance they generally consume much more than inboards. So it is a question of how long we are interested in top speeds. If we need to go fishing fast an outboard may be more useful, but if cruising is our main vocation, the inboard may be advantageous. The outboard engine is in most cases lighter and above all it is… outboard, i.e. it is not inside the boat. This means that for those inside there is an increase in available volume. All the space in the engine room becomes one big storage locker.
If you are looking for an excellent companion for manoeuvring in harbour and fishing, today you will find in the manoeuvring joystick what you are looking for. And outboards in this respect are advantaged, because they are now born with this useful accessory available. Shaft drives can only be equipped with it if they also install a bow thruster.
Even when it comes to maintenance, outboards have some plus points: they require simpler and cheaper maintenance. Suffice it to say that when not in use they have all their components, propellers included, out of the water. It has to be said, however, that the shaftline is the least onerous, in terms of commitment and cost, among marine transmissions.
Finally, outboard thrusters are easier to replace, although, unfortunately, more prone to theft: simply because they stay out.
A blaze of advantages for the outboard? Not necessarily. First of all because, especially at mid-range and cruising speeds, an inboard may consume less than an outboard. So going back to thinking about usage, an inboard drive may make sense. And speaking of consumption, one must consider the choice between diesel and petrol. Further reasoning to choose the most advantageous solution in this case as well. On the fact that diesel consumes less there is not even any reasoning. The petrol engine, however, costs even less than half as much as a diesel engine with the same power output. To give an example, on an engine with around 300 hp there can be as much as 30,000 euro difference in the purchase price. Multiplied by two engines this means 60 thousand euros. Which translated into fuel means over 35 thousand litres of petrol. How long does it take to consume it all before the lower consumption of diesel pays back the difference in the initial purchase price?
From a hydrodynamic point of view with the inboard, the position of the propeller and engine make the propulsive thrust closer to the boat’s centre of gravity, as well as concentrating the weights. To the benefit of dynamic sailing stability. In addition, the inboard, it is more welcoming, you could say. Because it offers the possibility of a large stern platform. The propeller is all in the engine compartment and the propeller is under the hull. Another advantage for safety when swimming, for example, or in emergency conditions. This space is thus exploited and this increases the floor space with a very comfortable platform for getting in and out of the water. Finally, when the soundproofing of the compartment has been done to perfection as in Tuccoli, the inboard is quieter.
So, if you have to choose a Tuccoli T280, engine in, as in the Tuccoli T280 HT or engine out, as in the Tuccoli T280 outboard? Choose according to advantage.
