New outboards!

[japlata]

Hey folks, I have been thinking of purchasing a new rig sometime later and wondering what kind of engine would be best. A fishing buddy of mine said that he has heard that the new Evinrude E-TEC was the way to go. He said that he was told or he had read that the e-tec was thirty percent more fuel efficient than the four stroke counter part. he also said that a one hundred fifty horse e-tec was one hundred lbs. lighter than the four stroke. Said he saw a demonstration where two identical boats one with the four stroke and the other with the e-tec. He said a crew made sure every thing was the same. And I believe that he said they both had 150 horse engines. He said that the e-tec had so much more torque that it pulled the other boat under and turned it over.
I know this sounds like a commercial for that e-tec engine, but I was wondering if anyone ownes one of those e-tec engines or knows if any of this is true.................Tony: emoScratch

 

[ranman]

mercury optimax beat them all in the last 225 shootout that I read.

 

[Guest]

The E-Tec is probably the best out right now for several reasons. No scheduled maintenance for 3 years, 5 year warranty, quiet as a 4 stroke, lighter than a 2 stroke, better fuel economy than a 4 stroke. They have been out long enough that any off the new design bugs should be gone. I dearly love my Yamaha and have not had the first complaint about anything but would probably go with an E-Tec if buying new today. JMHO

Cheez

 

[Skeeter]

I have to go with Ranman on this one even though i am a Johnson Man. The 225 Merc out tested the Evinrude and the Yamaha in B&WB Magazine

 

[beetlespin]

I have owned them all and I can tell you for sure that the HO on the etec stands for over rated! I just traded my 2006 z-20 with 225 HO etec for a legend 199 with a 225 hpdi Yamaha and I wouldn't go back to a piece of chit Evinrude for anything. It started good and was quiet but that was about it. You couldn't idle around for any length of time or the stupid thing would overheat. You can't run the engine high enough to perform because there are no low water intakes. The gear ratio is 1.86:1 which is too low for a big so called performance engine. If you want speed go with the merc. If you want some speed and great reliability get the Yamaha. Also if you want to hop one up get the Yamaha. There are some nice hopup kits available for reasonable pricing from Hydrotec. I would go with Yammie or Merc. I am not biased either. I just wasn't impressed by the rude.by the way, its no lighter than the other two strokes either. They are all a little over 500 lbs.

Lance

 

[Paul Nichols]

I would go with the Mercury or Yamaha.

Paul

 

[bassfishingnerd]

I have an Optimax and I would never pay the premium for the E-TEC. The new Optimax engines are quieter too, and they start like a champ, and are easier on the gas.

 

[Liveliner]

I do not have an E-tec. I will tell you however why I do not trust them. It is plain to see the hype in there comparisons for their ads. They are comparing the weight of a compact Two-stroke to the weight of a big Four stroke Merc. I have never seen an E-tec ad putting it heads up against a Merc Two stroke in any of it's tests.

 

[Guest]

I have owned both OMC and Merc. The last OMC I owned was a 1998 Evinrude and it was a tough ol bird. She is still running and probably has a million hours on her. Good service out of it. I have a Optimax now, and it is given me good service. Better gas mileage than I have ever seen. I have no experience with an E-Tech, but I would imagine they are probably pretty good.
I really boils down to price and the ol Ford/Chevy thing.

 

[Bumble Bee Kid]

I know guys that run the E-Tec that swear by them. My experience with them is they are quiet, good on fuel milage. They are faster on the Ranger bass boats than the Yamaha motors. But the Yamaha eats them alive on Holeshot. Atleast on the Heavy Rangers anyway I agree with Bettlespin on the lower units that is pretty stuipid to have a noseconed gearcase without low water pickups. I would go with Yamaha or Mercury for sure Yamaha is our best selling outboard here. But like wormhook said its all in what you like Ford\Chevy\Dodge same thing with boat motors. On a bullet, Stroker, or Allison no question MERC all day long. The new PRO XS or Sport XS is one bad engine on a 20 ft bullet.

 

[Rivermont Jeff]

EASY ON THE E-TEC GUYS. I HAVE A 200 HO E-TEC ON A 294 STRATOS 06 GOT IT NEW 3-06 PUT 120 HOURS ON IT IN TEN MONTHS. THE ONLY PROBLEM I'VE HAD WAS SPARK PLUGS @ 100 HRS. STARTS GOOD RUNS GOOD AND EASY ON GAS AND OIL . I GPS AT 77.1 WITH A BALLISTIC 26P @ 5800RPM. THE BEST PART WAS NO BREAK IN. GOT IT NEW AND WENT FROM GRASSHOPPER TO WATTS BAR DAM (36MILES) AND BACK (36 MILES ) JUST TO TEST IT OUT. BUT ALL OUTBOARDS ARE GOING TO BLOW IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHEN AND DO YOU STILL HAVE WARRANTY? MY NEW E-TEC CAME WITH A 7 YEAR WARRANTY. WHAT WILL YOU HAVE AFTER 5 YEARS WITH ANOTHER ENGINE? WITH THE E-TEC YOU WILL HAVE 2 MORE YEARS. THAT'S WHAT MADE MY DECISION. SO REALLY OTHER ENGINES MAY OUT PERFORM THE E-TEC BUT EVINRUDE HAS THE BEST WARRANTY.emoThumbsup I'LL CATCH UP WITH THE MERC'S IN 5 YEARS AT THE REPAIR SHOP emoPoke

 

[jon the fisherman]

If you want to get there first, get a Merc...If you want to make it back to the ramp, get a yammie

 

[Rivermont Jeff]

IF YOU WANT TO DO IT EVERYDAY GET AN E-TEC emoTongue

 

[minner]

http://www.bwbmag.com/output.cfm?id=1122463 judge for yourself. I personally would stay away from any Bombardier product right now. If I were looking for speed I would go for the Optimax as it can't be beaten in any category. I love Yamaha but the HPDI scares me. If I were looking at fourstrokes I would look first at Yamaha, then it would be a tie between the Verado and the Zuke. I would probably sway towards the Verado simply because it's "fly by wire" technology is the wave of the future for outboards and so far little trouble has come from them except the first run of motors (this always happens when any new outboard, car, 4-wheeler, etc. hits the market).

One thing I might add; don't take this the wrong way as I am sure your buddy is a great fisherman and knows the ins and outs of HIS boat, BUT don't be so hasty to make a decision off of one persons expereince. Do the research for YOURSELF, ask around, read, the internet is a bounty of information. Not only will you be a smarter buyer when you've done your reserach but you will know more about each product and maybe even be able to diagnose some of your own problems down the road. Again, don't rely on just on what one person says because "THEY had this cousin's uncle's brother's buddy at work had a 200h.p. brand XX and it blew the first ten minutes in the water brand new.

AND just take my opinion as you should any other.emoBigsmile emoAngel You will get a lot of great feedback from this site, forums are a great place to start. emoThumbsup

 

[japlata]

minnow= Do the research for YOURSELF, ask around, read, the internet is a bounty of information. Not only will you be a smarter buyer when you've done your research but you will know more about each product

Thanks guys for all your input, I guess all type engines have their ends and outs. I think I will take minnow's advice and do a little more research and perhaps I will make a good decision on the best motor for the boat and the type fishing I do............thanks again ...........Tony: