A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is
powered by an engine.
Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit. An inboard-outboard contains a hybrid of an inboard and an outboard, where the internal combustion engine is installed inside the boat, and the gearbox and propeller are outside.
There are two configurations of an inboard, V-drive and direct drive. A direct drive has the power plant mounted near the middle of the boat with the propeller shaft straight out the back, where a V-drive has the power plant mounted in the back of the boat facing backwards having the shaft go towards the front of the boat then making a V towards the rear. The V-drive has become increasingly popular due to wakeboarding and wakesurfing.
