When comparing out board motors to out board motors... same hp....same boat....which motor is the most fuel efficient? Any advice from the experts at TFF

Optimax has to be among the top for 2 cycle.

It varies slightly between the Mercury, Yamaha and Etec. Size of the engine matters too as well as what rpms the motor will operate at. They are all pretty close.

All the direct injected engines are noticeably more fuel efficient than their efi and carbed predecessors. I don't think you would go wrong from any of these three. Find the motor that will be more convenient to service and a dealer that you trust.

I'm guessing if fuel efficiency is a concern then operation cost would be as well. If that's the case then I would suggest giving a 4-stroke some thaught.

On average 4-stroke oil is less expensive then dfi 2-stroke oil. 4-strokes only require oil when it is time for an oil change, which is typically once a year, unlike 2-strokes that will require addiational oil throughout the season.

Don't let the thaught of cost or labor of and oil change on a 4-stroke outboard frighten you. I have a 140hp suzuki and it is less expensive to change the oil in it as it is in my v6 pickup, and I can purchase everything I need to do it at any local autoparts store.

There are a number of good 4-stroke engine oils on the market Mobil, valvoline, and Castrol GTX to name a few, as well as good aftermarket oil filters such as, wix and fram.

I would go with the new Yamaha 4-stroke. It is made lighter for HP bass boats. More fuel Efficient than the Optimax.