Thanks Allison,

I'll give North Texas Fiberglass a call....for the right price, I'm an advocate of any motor!

Can the e-tec warranty be beat? From what I've read it can't. Thats a big plus.

No Evv, it can't but having access to someone that will warranty it is a different story. There is some kind of additional 5 year on top of the 3 year that I'm trying to learn more about but that part of the warranty may require sending it back to the factory. At any rate, a great warranty!

think about all the fun that you would have when something happens to the outboard and you have to ship it to the factory. All I know is, taking the motor off and then fool around with shipping it is going to be fun.

6500rpm is pretty high for an outboard. If memory serves my friends 200 Merc maxs out at about 5000rpm. Methinks that the ooomph that the XSs produce is due to this additional 1500rpm, i.e. an increase of rpm by some 30%. I'm none to optimistic about engine life with an engine that spins those rpms.

In the past OMC made a V-4 that was rated at 90hp, 115hp, and 140hp. The 90hp, and 115hp ran forever, but there were problems with the 140hps. The V-4s had to have everything tuned to the max to get 140hp. The 'detuned' motors held up very well precisely because that were not being pushed.

My hunch is that 225hps outboards, the regular ones not the 'tuned' ones, will hold up better over the long haul.

In general if a motor that is one hp rating above the next lower hp rated motor is the same weight than the two motors are using the same basic components, and the lower hp rated one will be the most durable.

Old Story:
Back in the late 70s OMC made a 9.9 hp, and 15 hp outboard that were the same exact engine, except that the 9.9 had a throttle had a stop on the 9.9 that limited fuel flow. Take of the throttle stop and viola 15 hp outboard. The throttle stop was the only additional part, nothing else was different. It was nice to be able to fish a lake that restricted hp to under 10 hp with a 15 hp engine. He, he. The other thing that was a hoot was that the 9.9 was cost a good bit of change less than the 15hp outboard.

Well the xs motors and some of the x mercury racing division motors are really consumer motors made for the regular folk. There are two different 200xs's and the consumer product does the 6500 rpm's. Their racing version runs 7000. Some of their other racing motors spin up to 8600 rpms and those are their true racing motors.

The 200xs consumer motor has been a very reliable motor and probably the most fuel efficient motor on the market for a 200.

The Mercury 225 pro xs has a rpm range of 5500-6000rpm's.

Yamaha has recently upped their motors to run 6000 rpm's.

My 150 optimax has a rev limiter set at 5750.

The xs are 2 strokes. If you want an engine with low end torque for a bigger CC I would look into the yamaha hpdi. I have a 250 that is actually closer to 270 and it gets a 21' bass boat on plane with a 27' prop incredibly fast. The top end is impressive too.

I don't think the weight of the motor is much of an issue if its going on a CC. Its really only a problem for guys that expect their bass boat to go 80 mph+.

Lets see...

More rpm = more heat per unit time.

Power = Work/time

Work = Force * distance

ergo,

Power = (Force * distance) /time

Assume that the stroke, bore, and the Force are all equal.

Then,

distance = 2 * stroke * cycles per unit time

so,

Power = (Force * [2 * stroke * cycles per unit time]) / time What's important here is that for a given amount of run time that the pistons in a high rpm engine will travel further than those of a lower rpm engine. The less travel the less wear from friction.

Further, the issue of heat dissipation comes into play. The higher the rpm the more heat is generated in a given amount of time. The more heat per unit time the more difficult it is to dissipate such heat.

From a reliability, and longevity perspective lower rpms are intrinsically better.

Fundamental physical principals are at work here.

This is the setup I currently run!

2005 Champion 196 Elite DC
Length: 19� 6
Beam: 7� 9�
Hull Weight: 1600 lbs. (2442 pounds rigged, including fuel and oil)
Fuel Capacity: 52 gals.
Maximum Horsepower: 200

2005 EVINRUDE 200 HO E-Teck
Engine Type: Direct-Injected V-6 two-stroke
Displacement: 3.3L (200 cid)
Horsepower: 200 @ 5750 rpm
Bore/Stroke: 3.854" x 2.858"
Lubrication: Targeted Oil Injection
Gear Ratio: 1.86:1
Shaft Length: 20"
Weight (per mfg.): 517 lbs.
Recommended WOT RPM: 5500-6000
Propeller: Evinrude 14 1/2" x 26" Raker stainless 3-blade

Setup: Manual Slidemaster jackplate with 10 inches of setback. The propshaft was 1 7/16� below the pad, and the distance from the end of the propshaft to the pad-end measured 53 3/8�.

Performance: 0 to 30 mph in 6.2 seconds, 40 to 60 mph in 9.6 seconds, & radared a top speed of 71.3 mph

Did I miss something here? Didn't you state your boat is rated for a 200 hp? Aren't you looking at tickets if checked on the water for overpowering?
Just asking, don't kill me!

Nautilus,
Make sure you check the model on your Fishmaster. I have a 2005 Fishmaster 2250 (21') and it is rated for 225 hp. The 2450 (23') is rated for 250 hp. If you exceed the manufacturer's rating you may have trouble getting it insured and if you ever fish tournaments you cannot exceed the hp rating.

Thanks guys! FishinPhysisist....you truly are a scientific sportsman...and it all makes sense!

Well, you guys tell me.....what consequences am I looking at for overpowering the boat? The owner of the marina said the boat SHOULD be rated for a 250 but is not. He wants me to sign a waiver to mount the motor but that's just in-case I kill someone. I don't intend on racing around the lake but am already on the market for a much bigger boat. If I go with a 250, I MAY be able to use it instead of twins for a while. I haven't heard of any legal implications though....someone fill me in if I am wrong. I always go all the way if I do anything at all.....just an old habbit I guess.

Now, I'm being told that I want a Yamaha if I want the best in reliability. This from a good friend that wouldn't steer me wrong so I must investigate. Does anyone have anything to say, one way or the other, about the Yammi's??? I'm really excited about the E-tec but will admit that I don't know 'come near' from 'sick 'em' about motors and need to listen to those that do.

To: The Fishing Physicist

The only thing I saw wrong with your figuring was that with two like motors stroke and bore and force was all equal......then all your figures....what you didn't allude to is that those perameters would result in the faster reving engine providing more force.
With like stroke and bore the faster reving motor would need less force per stroke to provide equivalent power.

Now I don't disagree with you at all in that a higher reving motor would wear faster. We are on the same page here.

The 200xs is engineered a little different than the 200 opti. Its more than 100 pounds lighter and with those qualities will provide much better performance on a light fast boat. Its not a motor you can strap on a 20 foot skeeter or ranger and expect more performance but in my Allison you can.

With this setup on the right boat you now have to figure how you perform with this platform vs that one. A fast Skeeter or Triton or Basscat with a regular 200 will run in the 75 to 78 mph range. In the Allison and an xs you can do that at their rpms with the option of leaving them behind.

Nautilus, I am sorry we have hijacked this but here is my opinion. The Yamaha in the EFI was a very reliable motor. The Mercury in the EFI was very reliable.
Today you can't buy one unless you find someone with a leftover as DFI is all the EPA will allow. The Yamaha, Mercury and Maybe the ETEC would all be a good choice. I would say look into the saltwater forums a bit as they use motor more in a way you are going to.
The Mercury is probably going to be the least expensive. The Etec is the highest.

I hope you get one that never breaks but just remember......you put out a large wake. Look out for us bass boaters.

PS My brother has a 23ft performer offshore boat and he is using two 130hp honda four strokes. He is thinking of changing to two Suzuki's.

Here is the 200 HP DFI comparison as well:
http://www.bassandwalleyeboats.com/output.cfm?id=1059625