Welcome to the site! We seem to be picking up a few folks from the left coast. That I/O setup should deliver some pretty-good economy numbers. What engine is it? BTW - the Carolinas are part of God's country too...
The IO is a 5.0L Mercruiser, naturally aspirated, at 220 HP. I don't know much about determining the fuel economy, but I am all ears if you (or any other members) want to make me smart on the matter.Thanks for your kind comments from the other posters. I hope to linkup with some of my 215 Exp "homies".
Welcome and nice rig you have there! I am a 215 Explorer Homey and love the boat. It's perfect for my family of 4 and is easy to tow! I've always owned I/O and would have loved to have one on my current Aquasport. When you get a chance send us some numbers on how she runs.
Once the I/O version was introduced, we actually built quite a few of them, usually 5.0s, Volvo or Merc. I'm pretty sure we offered the 4.3s, but since that boat really liked around 200HP, the 5.0 was the clear winner...The only drawback was the engine box in the cockpit, but I think this really ony came into play with a boatload of fishermen...Love the cover!
same engine that was in our old, restored '81 Cobia 24 Caribbean, loaded weight of 6500 lbs, we could do a 150 mile round trip on less than 40 gallons WOT ran about 40 mph and cruised at 30 mph nice lookin boat