I was talking with a mechanic at Ray Roberts marina and asked him to measure my transom so I can buy a new 250 Evinrude E-Tec and he made some strange comments like "I guess that's your call" And when I said "Aren't they great motors?" He said "yeah, when they're new".

I need to know what is wrong with the E-Tecs that made him say that....I'm about to write a huge check for one and would surely hate for it to be a mistake.

Can anyone shed any light on this matter for me? Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, is there a better motor to buy? Fill me in if you can.

Have a Blessed and Wonderful Easter Everyone!!

Nautilus, do a Google search on Evinrude E-Tec . You may find some forums on the internet that are discussing your concerns.

Nautilus,recently had same dilemma could not find a soul that would that was willing to say anything good or bad regarding e-tec.
Truth is I have`nt even seen one other than in cabela`s or brocheure.
I went with my better judgement bought a merc optimax.

They are great motors! My friends dad is a dealer in Houston and has little to no problems come back to them. Depending on what you are switching from they get awesome fuel mileage, run strong and sound mean as hell. You wont be dissapointed. Good Luck Shayne

Nautilis,

If it's got "Evinrude" written on it somewhere you can rest assured you have a piece of quality merchandise.

I'm running my '93 90 HP still and it's strong as ever.

Whatever decision you make, I wish you the same luck as I am having with mine.

Back in the late 90's the Evinrude had problems with the 150 and one other size mtr. That was during their rough time had filed for bankrupt.
No other models had any problems... The E-tec will prove to be one of the more efficent motors on market..

Thanks Guys!!

You all made me feel a whole lot better. I'm VERY excited to get my hands on it. Especially after watching the comparison tests on OLN whether they were bias or not.....the motor appears to conquer in every aspect. I'm going from an underpowered 125 Force on a 22ish foot fishmaster to the 250 E-tec!!! I bet I'm in for a wild ride since the motor I have now will not even get the boat on plane with more than one person or a limit of sandies in the boat!

I can't wait!!!!!

NOW...you guys need to tell me what to do for a trolling motor with the railing all in the front of my boat. I was looking at the kind that attach directly to the outboard and ride out of the water when the boat is on plane. Do they stear with the big motor? Are they a bad idea? What else can I do......I DON'T want to use the E-tec for moving through all the trees at RayBob.....got to find a solution for a trolling motor on a not so accomodating boat. Help!

If I am not mistaken, Tommy Yates sells them and he said that he really liked them. I think he has one on his boat.

I�ve got a 2005 EVINRUDE 200 HO E-Tec that I bought in November of 04 & aint had a single problem with it.

Sweet! That's good news guys! I'll let you know what I think abou it as soon as I get it on the water!

Well, the owner of the marina, who is a friend, called and told me I better get a Mercury but he didn't have any legitimate reason for it other than parts availability???? Is this really an issue? I'm still going to get the E-tec but I sure wish there wasn't all this opposition.

Is the Verado as good as its supposed to be?? I guess I'll consider it but I don't know anything about them other than they're heavier, slower, and require more maintenance. What are the pros to a Mercury? All you Mercury fans, try and sell me if you can.....I don't know why I should buy one.

Thanks guys!!

I have heard very good things about the E-Tec..I am a Merc. guy..but the verado is way to heavy in my opnion

That's my contention as well....way too heavy! If I get an E-tec, are there plenty of places in North Texas to get warranty work done? Evinrude's website only lists like 3 dealers in North Texas and none are in the metroplex....I'm sure its just not updated but kinda scary.

Bass and walleye boat magazine did several test with the e-tec, hpdi, and pro xs, a few months back. There were several problems with the test. They wouldn't run the yamaha over 5500 or 5600 rpm and the e-tec wasn't fully in production yet, so there were still a few minor problems with it. But overall the e-tec didn't prove to be all it was cracked up to be.

The results are posted on mercs website.
http://www.mercurymarine.com/rude_awakening

here's a link to the actual article
http://www.bassandwalleyeboats.com/output.cfm?ID=1059733