Outboard vs. Inboard  ine out of ten Horizon Cats sold are the diesel version. Make that tenth one for me! N  Obviously, I'm in the minority on this one, but this seems a good place to share my reasons for preferring the  outboard powered version, and asking others why they like the diesel. In no particular order: The outboard can be independently steered. It makes it easy to put the rudder one way while approaching a dock at an  angle, and put the outboard the other way and in reverse, resulting in a power sliding stop alongside the dock. The outboard is quiet. Wind noise will drown out an idling Honda, but that diesel at idle sounds like the African Queen. If I wrap something around the prop of an outboard, I might free it without getting wet. I'm a real sissy when it comes to  water below 80 degrees, and I don't like to swim in the ocean at night. I boat in the tropics. Sometimes, I'm in the cabin, and I don't want a 180 degree diesel down in there with me, making  heat and noise. The space filled by the diesel is a nice, large storage area in the outboard version. Holes in hulls ultimately cause trouble. The diesel needs a water intake hole, a shaft log/stuffing box, and an exhaust. The  only hole needed for the outboard version is above the waterline, for the fuel line. I would put an additional hole for  remote controls, which are going to be messier even with the cleanest installation. That hole is still above the  waterline. I hate bleeding diesels and changing the oil. I make a mess. I don't care much for working on engines in tiny spaces,  either. An outboard gets worked on in a shop, next to a full tool set, under a fan, while standing or sitting comfortably. For the price of the diesel option, I can buy two really nice remote controlled electric start power tilt Hondas, and still have  money left over. If one breaks, I go boating anyway with the other, and fix it later. Why drag a prop around when sailing? The downsides (for an outboard): While a 20" shaft will work fine most of the time, you really need a 25" shaft to keep the engine from cavitating when  powering into a chop. Even with the XL shaft, I would think that it can cavitate if conditions get bad enough, which is  the time you need it most. It would be really hard to get that diesel's prop out of the water. The remote controls are nicer on a diesel. The diesel's weight is down in the bottom of the center of the boat. Resale value on the outboard version is going to be terrible. You have to find me, and I have to have the money to add to  the fleet. Finding any other buyer for the thing is going to be difficult. You're more likely to wait around for a while,  and finally find someone who is willing to settle for the outboard version because you're willing to sell it really cheap  just to make it go away. An outboard, especially an XL shaft when tilted, sticks way back off the transom. You can hit things with it in tight areas. The outboard's weight is hanging off the back on the port side. You can balance the outboard's weight with stuff like tools,  anchors, etc that are heavy, but you might not want to/be able to store those things forward and on the starboard side.  This, I think, is the big one for most people: It looks better and seems more like a little yacht without that silly outboard hanging off the stern. 116 Posted By: Tom Ray 