i sell boats in corpus christi and i riggrd my new shallow sport mod-v with a 200 H.O. evinrude E-Tech and it is awesome.It has lightening fast throttle response,quiet,very fuel efficient,and puts out 1/5 the emissions of a 4-stroke Yam. Its the right engine for my needs but may not fit everyones needs.

the fuel savings thing only comes into play if u run your rig a lot, when you consider the big cost difference for a 4 stroke it takes a lot of fuel savings to make a 4 stroke ever actually save you much.

If you are an typical fisherman and go fishing couple times a month you will give up a ton of performance and 10 years from now your gas savings will maybe catch up with the additional money u spent on the 4-stroke,the direct injection engines are quickly changing opinions on this 2-stroke-4-stroke thing. an o6 E-Tec puts out 1/5 of the emissions that a 200 Yamaha 4-stroke does "Dam another myth bites the dust"


Standing By

I had an optimax on the last boat that ran great! Now I've got the Verado 275 and love it. Their is no other propulsion system like it. May not be the best choice for a light bass rig but for my 23ft bay boat, its right on the money!
Jeff

The Evirude E-tec is the best engine on the market right now. It's a 2 stroke that will blow the Verado out of the water. Its burns fuel better, gives more power and is very quiet. If were to buy a new engine it would be the E tec. Did I mention no maintenace for 3 years.

Since we're talking efficiency and what not my 20+ foot Allison with a 150 0ptimax will now run 72 gps and I have been told 6+ mpg at 60mph. The main factor in motors is not the motor but what you push.
The Verado is making a name for itself in bass boats as being slow to get on plane and fuel inefficient compared to the Optimax. I am not sure about maintenance but I have been told that repairs of the Verado would be higher.

I think 4 strokes will form a niche market in smaller under 100 horsepower motors but the larger ones haven't yet lived up their expectations.

Got a 19 ft skeeter with a 150 HPDI 2 stroke of course i love it and there is no other motor for me.

I qwn a 200 H.O. E-Tec but also sell the verado, and it looking like its going to be a great engine also. i run a 21 mod-v Shallow sport and the E-Tec is in my opinion the best motor for this application, But if i was buying a whaler 305 conquest i would go with a big 4-stroke Yamaha. We havw had lots of problems with optimax and can't give them away.

The one thing that hasn't been discussed yet is the fact that there is some heavy speculation that some town, counties, and more states that are considering BANNING anything but 4 cyle engines on water supply lakes, maybe in the near future.
That is enough to help me make up my undecided mind and I am shopping right now for a new 18 foot CC fiberglass V bottom of undecided brand. I think I want a 90 HP 4 stroke and that I don't need to go up to 115.

I've owned many two strokes and currently have two four strokes. I would not ever go back to the two stroke. (Of course I'm older and 45 MPH is fast enough for me)

I have a Honda 130 that runs my 17.5' deep-V at 45. I have a Mercury 90 that runs my other 17' Deep-V at 45. I love both of them but the Honda is a honey, very quiet, fuel efficient and HEAVY. Makes my boat sit a little tail heavy for my taste. (while fishing)

The Merc is also quiet and about 150# lighter & cheaper initally.

I love the Honda but would buy a Merc if starting over.

Both are EFI and start instantly.

FYI, Honda 115 is just a 130 with a different throtle body to slow it down. It's cheaper to buy a 115 and change out the throtle body than to buy a 130 to start with. That's what I did and saved over $1,000., picked up 500 rpm and 5 mph.

After checking the spec's I suspect the same is true of the Merc 75 & 90.

Has nobody else heard that they may ban all but 4 cycles on water supply lakes? I will be buying a rig to be used for the next 15 plus years like my last one and that is something to be considered.

My Dad got a new Mercury 4 stroke. It's quiet--I like that. But it's VERY cold natured. He has to let idle 5minutes before he try's to run or it will bog.

The 2 vs. 4 debate will rage on well into the future. For me, after owning a bunch of 2's I rigged out my last boat with a 225 Yamaha 4, and I really like it. That said, it is not for everyone. I'm on the water a lot and no longer feel the need to skim along at 70 mph. Fuel efficiency on the 4 is very good if you stick to cruising speed. At WOT, it seems to me that the 4 gets no better milage than a direct injected 2. Ten years ago a 4 stroke probably wouldn't have met my needs, but at this point,I probably will never go back to a 2. I'm just glad that technology in outboards has evolved to the point that there are a number of excellent options to power our boats. It was not always the case.
Ben

no way they can ban direct inject outboards some models like the e-teck puts out far less pollutants into than the air than 4 strokes. Example a 200 E-tec puts out 1/5 the emmissions that a 200 4-stroke does. Per the E.P.A

I'm like what Pat says. Select the boat to your style of fishing. Want to go fast--2stroke. Want to get there and do a lot of trolling--4stroke. With todays motors, EPA, is going to have to find another horse to beat. You have been given a lot of information to digest and no matter what you decide, you'll still have the died in the wool 2strokers and the same in 4strokers. For longivity a 4 would be the ticket, but remember this to rebuild a 4 man-o-man. The $$$$$$$$$$$$.