Which Outboard To Buy

[BFB]

I am not looking at starting a fight in regards to which is the best brand of outboard but I would like to receive some feedback on people's opinion.

I am looking at purchasing a new 115HP outboard to put on my Haines Hunter 520SF.

I am tossing up between the Yamaha and Evinrude E-Tec. I am leaning towards a 2 stroke due to sometimes using the boat to tow water skiers,etc.

I would be grateful if some of you Fishraider could give me your opinions in regards to each of these motors.

Edited May 2, 2008 by BFB

[donital]

Tough choice, both good engines .I am looking at the same problem for my boat.Yammy is tried and true and E-tec 's have been all the rage but now I am starting to hear of E-tec owners not being totally happy as the stated performance is not the same as the actual performance.I am going to sit back for a while and do my homework on these carefully.I suggest you do plenty of research aswell, its a big investment.

[cut_loose]

i would go for the E-TEC ---- just ask huey @ huett marine ( craig ), he always go out of his way to help members, he tell you why him and i are big fans of the E-TEC, there more powerfull then a four stroke, but just as quite and use LESS fuel then the four stroke, also i would quote him on the E-TEC, he has the best prices on them going, i seached for ages and could not find one cheaper

[a boat]

Hi BFB, as stated both are good engines, but I can guarentee you on your boat there is no way any brand of 115HP 4-Stroke is going to have the torque to pull an adult from a deep water start. We sell both 2 and 4 strokes and service all brands and we prefer the E-TEC design and I can only comment on the 100 odd E-TEC we sell each year, but the V4 has been bullet proof and as for a 4-Stroke being "tried and true" I would like someone to show me a 15 year old 4-Stroke 115HP of any brand still running. The fact is the E-TEc is the only tried and proven design in the clean market due to the fact that it is based on proven 2 stroke design (next year is 100 years of Evinrude) and direct injection has been out for as long as 4-Stroke outboards have been around, and having ALOT less moving parts make it more reliable over a long period and less prone to fail due to not having these moving parts.

The benefit of the Evinrude is it gives you the best of both worlds. The fuel economy and noise is on par with any 4-Stroke, the E-TEC is cleaner being 3 star plus the fact that it puts out less CO and you do not have used sump oil to have to dispose of correctly, but with the E-TEC you get a powerful, light weight and simple engine as well, which no 4-Stroke can claim. Also when doing your sums you will need to make allowances for the service costs of a 4-Stroke vs and E-TEC. Yes the old arguement of not having to buying 2-Stroke oil will be told by the 4-Stroke guys, but the fact is the cost of owership will be less with an Evinrude. Also do yourself a favour and ask the Yamaha dealer how much a cylinder head will be if out of warranty you have to replace it-you might be shocked. The V4 E-TEc also comes with cool I-Command gauges which in my opinion give you the best gauge package in the business for useful info.

At the end of day price up both and go for a run with both and you will see what we mean because trust me I have driven my share of boats and I just prefer the V4 E-TEC over any brand 115HP 4-Stroke, but it is your money and your call.

Cheers,

Huey.

[pelican]

What's the warranty on the different motors at the minute?.

I saw adds in the USA coming into their spring with longer manufacturer warranties than the same manufacturers I think were offering here. Shame as the warranty is a real selling point for peace of mind and honestly apart possibly from corrosion and lack of general maintainance all new outboards should outlast their warranty easily.

With the computers on both 4 stroke and 2 strokes being sealed and so expensive it would be good to see them offer 10year warranty on computers , stators as most other parts are not $2000 each and don't fail for no good reason and near impossible to interrogate or repair computers. Surely manufacturers get enough dollars out of your pocket on the original sale and trust their computersshutdown systems enough to replace a dodgy one when they play up in the first 5-7 years?? On a several year old motor a $2000 expenditure becomes a large proportion of the outboards worth and that sucks which is one reason why a well maintained carby job if you don't do a lot of hours each year ( low fuel usage difference in $ terms) is still a worthwile option as they are so simple and repairable at a small cost but they don't in general have really temperature and lack of oil warning systems. Also have the lower tech smell a bit as well but quality oils are much better.

Pel

[a boat]

Hi Pel, yes I agree with you about warranty. The Evirnude warranty here is three years unlimited and undeclining, without any catches like some other brands. The same engine in the States gets 5 years, but with the more outboard sold in the States it is a numbers thing and most brands have a longer warranty in the US.

What I see as more important is as I mentioned the cost of parts and repairs out of warranty. Like you said any brand of engine, if it lasts 20 odd hours and in that time does not fail big time due to a faulty component from new, it should not have a problem in 3-5 years warranty period. The big worry for me if I owned a complicated outboard with alot of moving parts is what happens when the engine is 10 years old or older, and that is what we are starting to see with more and more 4-Strokes, becasue do not forget they have only really be available in any great numbers for the last 10-12 years and we are seeing more and more fail and as an example if it costs about $8K to replace the corroded or broken cylinder head on a 12 year 115HP 4-Stroke, the engine itself is not worth that and it becomes a throw away. On the other side is the 2-Stroke design, that once you take the injectors and EMM off the block it really is a simple proven design that can be cost effectively rebuilt.

Just my thoughts and you will always have fans of both technologies and brands and what I say to potential buyers is buy what you prefer and from who you trust becasue all modern "clean" engines need to be set-up correctly to get the best out of them.

Huey.

[Flightmanager]

IMHO , its a no brainer , Etec !! Lighter , more powerful , clean and quiet. I should know , I own one.

They are more expensive than a similar engine from other manufactures , but you get a lot of engine for your money!!

Ross

[Josh88]

If you are going to go 2 stroke, i'd consider the Mercury Optimax. Its gives slightly more power and has a bit better fuel economy than the e-tec. Personally i would go 2 stroke over 4 as we did, it holds a lot more advantages over it.

Good Luck

[Dreamtime]

If you want serious horses:

re-power with a cat like I did.

[hoges1974]

I have a 90hp optimax on my boat and it is great. I have not owned a bout for 10 years but have been on mates that have the ordinary 2 strokes and this thing is so much better on fuel and it is so quiet.

I go from Georges river National park to the bay ( hot water outlet ect) and back with the misses and 2 kids and it is lucky to use 20 litres of fuel.

Can't comment on etec or 4 stroke but the mercury is a great motor.

[Mik]

My 2 cents worth...I have an E-Tec 175 V6 & although I haven't done a huge amount of hours with it yet I am very happy with it.

[miller]

If you want serious horses:

re-power with a cat like I did.

mariner

is that a D343 ?

[Dreamtime]

mariner

is that a D343 ?

3406 6 cylinder turbocharged aftercooled - around 400 horses

and the small one is a 13Kva Cat genset

Edited May 5, 2008 by Mariner 31

[flatty hunter626]

mate i would go the yammy. living down near the river i hear lots of reports bout motors and alot of etec owners down on the hawkesbury are not happy with them and have had problems that the dealers are enable to fix.

flatty hunter

[pelican]

mate i would go the yammy. living down near the river i hear lots of reports bout motors and alot of etec owners down on the hawkesbury are not happy with them and have had problems that the dealers are enable to fix.

flatty hunter

Hi Flatty Hunter

Do you know what sort of issues they are having or what the problems are that aren't fixed or what size motors we are talking?. They on ski, runabouts or fishing rigs. Most of the blokes I know with motors bought new in the last 4 years haven't had any major issues apart from the fact their dealers can't set up a boat and trailer or pre-deliver a motor to save their lives.

I haven't really heard of many problems in that size motors of any brand that there isn't a known fix for and most ETECS are still under warranty so you'd reckon the owners would be beating on the door of the dealers for a free fix.

Best news I haven't heard of a seized mot or for ages in the new stuf that has computers and electronics on it.

Pel

[lukeric]

I am not looking at starting a fight in regards to which is the best brand of outboard but I would like to receive some feedback on people's opinion.

I am looking at purchasing a new 115HP outboard to put on my Haines Hunter 520SF.

I am tossing up between the Yamaha and Evinrude E-Tec. I am leaning towards a 2 stroke due to sometimes using the boat to tow water skiers,etc.

I would be grateful if some of you Fishraider could give me your opinions in regards to each of these motors.

I have a 115hp etec on my 5.5 platey, and couldnt be happier with it. It hasnt missed a beat, top speed of 33kts. 150lts of fuel will get me about 300ks at 4000rpm.

I would go for etec or 130 opitmax as from memory the 115 opti is only 3 cylinder.

Just the service savings of two stroke is significant.

Luke

[Mick]

If you are looking at a motor in the 115 class, then there are few that get close to the etec in most areas. The yam will be a bit quiter at full throtte but that's about the only area where it will succeed. The etec will have better responce and out perform the yam through all its speed ranges. I wont comment on fuel figures as there are a thousand variables, but I would guess when travelling at the same rpm they would be similar, but the etec would be moving faster, the extra 20+kg of the yam wouldnt be helping its performance.

I would also go with the etec over the opti, although speed/ fuel consumption would be similar between the two, I would much rather the V4 of the etec then the opti's inline 3.

I have owned two etecs, a 75 and a 90 and had zero problems with both motors, but in saying that I recently went through motor choice again in the 175 class and the Merc 175 Pro XS was the pick of the bunch. It was chosen not because all mercs are the best, but because it appears the best of its class for my personal needs, after countless hours of research.

If I was to purchase a 115 the rude would win hands down.

[Flightmanager]

mate i would go the yammy. living down near the river i hear lots of reports bout motors and alot of etec owners down on the hawkesbury are not happy with them and have had problems that the dealers are enable to fix.

flatty hunter

With one exception , every Etec owner I have spoken to ( and that is quite a large number ) are very happy with their engines. It is also a very common occurence that whenever opinions are sought on new engines , particularly with Etecs ( but not exclusively) , someone always makes us aware that many owners are unhappy with them , but they do not actually own one themselves. There have been a few dealer issues , most of which have been quickly and succesfully resolved , but these issues are not the exclusive problem with BRP or its dealers . All of the major suppliers have had these problems.

Any of the new technology DI engines , whether 2 or 4 stroke , are miles ahead of the old technology motors. Decide how much you can spend , what you want to use the engine for , pick 2 or 4 stroke , and get out and enjoy your new toy.

Ross

[Sammy0884]

Hi Guys,

I actually own a 115hp Mercury (yamaha block) four stroke, i am extremely satisfied with it.

What i like about it:

- The fuel consumption is very predictable. More load and more revs uses more fuel in proportion, the differences are much less to that of my previous DFI engine used somewhat more when the boat was heavy.

- It is quiet and smokeless.. the is NO smell whatsoever..

- It is 10x better to troll with than a 2 stroke, many DFI owners complain about the "touchy" nature where you might bump the throttle and the boat will surge forward and jump on the plane.. then when you squeeze back the throttle the boat all but stops.

- i dont have to think about expensive DFI oil, or worry about it running out..

- It is propped correctly and gets up and moves when you hit the throttle.

What i don't like about it:

- It doesn't rocket out of the hole like my last DFI engine did.

I have owned ALL three engines available, 2 stroke, 2 stroke DFI and 4 stroke EFI..... I have to disagree that ETEC is proven as it is still new technology, carby 2 strokes are proven, and you only need to look at the FICHT range of OMC 2 strokes to see that 'proven technology' can sometimes go belly up a little way down the road. Etecs have a little way to go before they are proven, perhaps with 3 or 4 years under the belt they will be a sure thing.

Four strokes have not been on the back of boats for as long as two strokes, but they sure as hell have been in production for a frightfully long amount of time, and i would hazard a guess that there is significantly more four stroke engines in the world than two strokes. Based on that you could suggest that "four strokes" are proven technology... but alas, until they have been in service for a reasonable amount of time on the back of a boat, like etecs, they will not be 'proven' beyond doubt.

I would not hesitate to reccomend a 4 stroke to anyone, sure they aren't all singing all dancing power houses, but they are honest performers that do what they do very well, without the finnicky issues that you hear of with the DFI engines... mounting height problems, prop issues, over sensitive throttle etc...

I have also owned a 90hp Merc Optimax which i though was a fantastic engine, it was a delight to own and gave me 400 hours of honest service before i sold it, powerful and reliable is how i would sum it up. i would also reccomend an Optimax to anyone.

My 4 Stroke is 7 years old and is still as new, i will put $100 on it still being an outstanding engine in another 7 years time!

P.S: I am not here to put shit on E-TEC's, i am simply suggesting that the purchasing an engine is a significant investment for whas is essentially a recreational toy.

I think it would be unwise to not consider EVERY engine that is available to you, god knows there is no shortage of excellent engines in the 115hp power range, some better than others, but all will work very well.

I'm sure the E-TEC is a wonderful engine, and people will show you the video of it pulling the yamaha backwards, but i would be proud to be an owner of a Yamaha.

My suggestion is to TEST both of the engines you are considering, pick the one that you feel you like the most and that is the right price.

[Mick]

Etecs have a little way to go before they are proven, perhaps with 3 or 4 years under the belt they will be a sure thing.

Looks like they are a sure thing, as they were released in 2003, that gives them 5 years

[Sammy0884]

Looks like they are a sure thing, as they were released in 2003, that gives them 5 years

Honda have been selling outboards in australia since 1996.. thats 12 years for four strokes.

and... straight from the BRP website...

"Evinrude E-TECTM marked the beginning of a new era in the outboard business. In 2005, we are happy to announce another expansion with 5 new model additions to the E-Tec line-up: V4 115-130hp, V6 150-200hp. This will complete the E-Tec line-up from 40 to 250hp"

[VA911]

all i am interested in is why people think that an etec motor is untested. Basically its a 2 stroke with a great fuel injection setup on. no more sticky unefficient carbs. thats it as far as i know. i own a 60 etec and i could not be happier. I know a cheaper motor would have done the job but its a dream to operate. If i was to do it over again i would have to say the etec would be very high on the list again!

at the end of the day though its personal preferance. its your money you are spending.

[Sammy0884]

all i am interested in is why people think that an etec motor is untested. Basically its a 2 stroke with a great fuel injection setup on. no more sticky unefficient carbs. thats it as far as i know. i own a 60 etec and i could not be happier. I know a cheaper motor would have done the job but its a dream to operate. If i was to do it over again i would have to say the etec would be very high on the list again!

at the end of the day though its personal preferance. its your money you are spending.

Hi Mate,

I totally agree with you, the etecs do work, but i find it terribly hard to swallow when i hear people say that 4 strokes are unproven and destined to fail... The manufacturer never intends for a product to have an endemic failure, but sometimes new technology doesn't stand the test of time. I hope for the sake of etec owners that they well and truly are sorted and they yeild many years of happy service.

I am pleased that you are happy with your 60 etec, but i'm sure for the outlay you would expect to be.

[Robbielites]

I am not looking at starting a fight in regards to which is the best brand of outboard

Edited May 6, 2008 by Robbielites

[Mick]

Honda have been selling outboards in australia since 1996.. thats 12 years for four strokes.

and... straight from the BRP website...

"Evinrude E-TECTM marked the beginning of a new era in the outboard business. In 2005, we are happy to announce another expansion with 5 new model additions to the E-Tec line-up: V4 115-130hp, V6 150-200hp. This will complete the E-Tec line-up from 40 to 250hp"

Not sure how Honda got in to the equation and I certainly wouldnt be critical of 4 stroke technology. Although after owning mercs, mariners, rudes, yams, johnson, chrysler motors over the years the only one to blow up on me was a 6 month old Honda, but thats a story for another day.

In relation to the above press release, that relates to the expansion of the etec range not the original release date of the etec . The 115 etec was released in 05, the 130 never made it as they couldn't reach emission requirements. Of course different sized etecs engines use different running gear inside, but they are still etecs, the 115 was in fact a detuned 130, so it had to be made a very solid engine.

If Honda were to release a 180hp, would people suggest that we sit back and wait a few years because it is not proven technology, just because it is a new model in the line up? Probably not.

The original poster asked about motors in the 115 range and I personally wouldn't put a honda on the back, unless you like an extra 55-60kg sitting over the transom. Even in other departments like battery charging the honda alternator only puts out 40 amps, where as the 2 stroke put out a lot more. 75 from the opti and a bit more for the etec, from memory. I've never owned a 115 honda only 2 x 50's, but on paper and independant testing I have read, they run a poor second in all catergories except decibel rating, against the more popular two strokes. The yam 115 is a good motor but once again and this is only my personal opinion, both the 115 etec or opti would be a better choice for both fish and play.

I have no alligiance to any one brand, when I choose a motor I make that decision on a lot of research, brand, colour, rumour or suspicion play no part it, no one manufacturer makes the best motor in every class. Do your research and I'm sure you will be happy with your purchase.