Can't decide, will power a 18 to 19 ft. aluminum bass boat, 115 hp range.
Looked at a 115hp Merc. 2-stroke diect injection.Any advantages?
Any advice would be helpful
Thanks, Paul

If the $$$$ is not a factor, go 4 stroke. This is the wave of the future. Might as well get on the wagon now.

Booo !

(What Mike said is true. I just hate 4 stroke engines.)

Two stroke is lighter quicker and faster. Four stroke is heavier, quieter and slower.

Fuel usage is equal for a DFI two stroke and four stroke, but the two stroke still burns oil.

I'm a fan of four strokes on pontoon boats and big offshore rigs, everything else the two stroke is a better choice.

Fuel consumption may be even if you have the same horsepower in both engines and run both WOT,, but in real world use the 4 stroke will be cheaper to run. I doubt if too many people run an outboard WOT for long periods of time.
The expense of the oil will swing the cost in favor of the 4 stroke.

I had a two stroke 90hp yammer on a 18ft.express cc hd. Now I have a 20 ft skeeter bay boat with a 150hp four stroke yammer. I will burn half the fuel in a long weekend as I did with the 90hp.
If you can keep your foot out of it, the four stroke will pay off IMHO.

Four stroke! You'll be way happier in the long run.

Chuck is speaking from a lot of experience. I've fished with him several times and love the 4 strokes he has. To start, they are so quiet, it's unreal. They don't smoke or spit out gas in their exhaust. They get considerably better milage. Not sure about initial cost as I haven't priced one recently.
I did recently trade up from a 115Hp Merc 2 stroke to a 90Hp Merc 2 stroke...several years newer model with EFI. It's a 2002 and I'd trade it in a heartbeat for a 4 stroke of similar size. I now have a 16' Lund al deep vee boat and would consider a dealer making me a reasonable offer to trade out. I hate 2 strokes so much.
Okie Bob

I just wanted to add. I'm not sure if a 4 stroke could beat a 2 stroke in a drag race but, I have been totally amazed at the power of the 4 strokes. I don't think you have to sacrifice much in the way of speed and I know you won't in power getting on plane.
Okie Bob

I love my 4 stroke Honda 50. It is on a 16ft LUND and will push it up to 32MPH which is fast enough for me. It will however give me great hole shot with 3 big men on board and gives me up to 9 miles per gallon. IF you have never calculated gas milage for a 2 stoke....9MPG is about double. (My previous boat was 16ft aluminum with a 60HP 2 stroke Yamaha and I only got an average of about 4 MPG). With 19 gal in the tank my LUND has long legs.

All milage was GPS measured by my Lawrance LMS-332 with it set to start acrueing miles when my speed exceeded 7 MPH so that distances traversed at idle speeds would not contribute to the total milage and actually detract from it.

Also the Honda is quiet, does not smoke or smell and I only have to change it's 2 quarts of oil twice a year.

One additional thought. OB is you do get a 4 stroke OB, do not use oils designed for cars in it. Car oil is not designed for sustained RPM of over 5000 RPM and have no additives for the water that gets into it in a marine application. Buy only 4 stroke oils designed for marine use. I think the designation is CH-4. Can someone confirm that? I am presently using Quicksilver.

Do they make a 4stroke saltwater version? Seems that there is no designation or I am just missing it.

I just cant wrap my head around the phrase "crankcase oil".
It's yukkie !

I love the smell of 2 stroke in the morning! Haven't used a 4 stroke yet though.

If you're gonna keep the boat for a good while - who knows how high gas will go... the 4 stroke will be far better on gas.

I've got a 75hp 4 stroke on my 175TXW Bass Tracker and it has been the best decision I have made so far. It will cost a little more for the initial purchase but savings you'll have not having to buy oil to mix and maintenance will be substantial. My cousin has a Stratos fish and ski with a 115 2 stroke and my boat beats his in every category, from hole shot to top speed and I can fish for days on one tank! If I ever get another boat it too will have a 4 stroke.