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NEWS From BoatU.S. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : After publishing a recent study identifying the causes for accidental outboard powerboat sinkings, Seaworthy, recreational boating's damage avoidance magazine, has combed through the BoatU.S. insurance claims files to identify the reasons why inboard/outboard (I/O) powerboats sink. Interestingly, while outboard powerboats are similar in design to I/O's -- and often made by the same manufacturer -- the study found vastly different reasons why each accidentally sinks. Outboard powerboats tend to sink at the dock due to poor cockpit designs that trap water, but an I/O's weakest link is the delicate connection between the inboard engine and the outdrive unit, called bellows. "The use of bellows or boots -- pleated, flexible rubber membranes -- that run between the inboard engine and partially submerged outdrive to seal the transom where cables and shafts pass through have one weakness: a limited lifespan," said Seaworthy Editor Bob Adriance. He says that bellows should be inspected annually -- and more often in hot, sunny climates. "Any bellows that is over five years old is living on borrowed time," said Adriance. Here are the top reasons why I/O's sink:
While underway:
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