20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Hi guys, nearing the end of my 20 Master Angler project and I'm looking at power. I am torn between the 115ETEC and 150ETEC, and I'm looking for advice about which one of the two to get.

Let me just say, I'm not a top speed fanatic, most important to me is efficient, comfortable mid range cruising, so thats why I'm contemplating the 115.

Pricing wise there is a couple grand difference, but I may still go with the 150.

Suggestions ? Also helpful would be people with that motor chiming in to give some performance stats. I'm guessing upper 30's top speed with a 23-24 knot cruise at about 4.5GPH for a 115.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

With my suzuki 140 on a 20SF, I sometimes feel underpowered. Especially if it kicks up a bit offshore and I have 4 people in the boat.

Not a problem when there are only two people but I would like the added security to know there is more power than "needed".

If I was to rebuild and repower this boat I would put a 175 on it. I am not a speed demon but would like to cruise around 40 instead of maxing out at 40.

SOS

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I agree and have the same boat/engine. The one caveat I would add is that four people is too many regardless of what engine is on that hull - there simply isn't space. If I frequently fished with four onboard, I'd be looking at buying a larger boat.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Ditto...

If you are chosing between 115 and 150, go with the 150

Just my 2 cents.

Lloyd

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Go with the 150. You may find that you will burn less fuel with the 150 then the 115 given that the 150 will have to work less to push the boat. Why you no like 4 stroke? :D

strick

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I'm not going to be a contrarian here, but just some info on a 115 Etec.

I have one mounted on a 19' Bowrider. When punching out of the hole, it'll keep up with a 150...but then I will soon fall behind on top speed.

WOT will do 39-40 mph, 2-3 people, half + tank of gas.
That is also without any bimini or T-top.

It primarily depends on what you want your top-end speed to be. Either one is a good choice.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Hi guys, I like the ETEC for a number of reasons, but I'm not saying its any better or worse then a 4 banger.

That said, I'm pretty friends with an Evinrude dealer and he's a very standup guy and recommends the 115. He said that on his 20 Mako (same weight, if not heavier) the boat tops at 38 MPH and cruises at the mid upper 20's at 3.9 GPH (per Icommand)

Thats perfect for my application. When I asked about the 150 he said no sense to spend the extra money.

I'm still in the air about this, so we'll see.

BTW I'm not planning to put many people on the boat, 99% of the time it will be me solo, sometimes with someone else.

Thanks for the responses.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I'd go with the 150, I have a friend who has one and loves it. I am redoing another friends Shipoke and he was wanting a 115 ETEC and the dealer who is also a friend said to stay away from the 115. Everyone they have sold has been back for a varity of problems. We went with a 115 2 stroke Yamaha.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I had a MA with a 150 Merc (old motor) but it ran great and therefore would go with the 150. You have probably added weight to the boat with your rebuild and will like the larger engine at the end of the day. I have a good friend that would not let my friend put a 4S Suzuki on his boat and convinced him to go with a 300 ETEC. The friend lives by Evinrudes. If you can afford it go with the bigger engine. Only question, how much heavier?

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

No question you MUST put at least 150 on it, NO if ands or butt's - if you go with the 115 you will kicking your own butt. The boat needs the HP, they are heavier than an SF and the hull works better with HP its a performance hull and it rides higher at cruise with the HP. Don't make me come up there :eek:

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I have a 1979 Mercury Blackmax chrome bore vertical reed 200hp on my seafari. The motor cruises at 35mph, burn is 3.5+ mpg . . . I've seen as high as 3.9 mpg @ 4200rpm flat calm conditions with 4 people + full tank. These motors can be had for less than $1000. The boat likes to be driven at 35+ mph. Don't go the 115 . . . 150 will have been fuel economy and live longer.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I just put an Etec 115 on my 20ft SF. I haven't had time to really use it yet but it runs fine, plenty of get up and go. (I used to have a Yamaha 175 on it..) I like the lighter weight as the SF tends to have water come in the drain holes with weight on the stern (original deck height). The water we run in is usually rough enough that you can't get to full speed except in the bay.

If I had my choice I'd raise the deck, put a 150 on it and not worry about the money, but since the deck is low and its a few grand extra, I am happy with the 115 so far.

Don't know about MGP yet.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Still deciding guys, tough choice to make, only about 2 grand difference between the two engines.

As I said earlier, top speed is not an issue for me, efficient mid range crusing is the most important aspect for me.

One reason for this is that I'm not a speed demon, another reason is that given conditions most of the time around here I can't run at higher speeds prudently.

As for the weight, the 150 is 420 pounds while the 115 is 369 pounds.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

35 horses for 51 pounds...piece of mind...not having to run her hard. I would go 150...

Go luck, great problem to have (picking out a motor) :D

SOS

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Go with the 150. I think the 175 weighs 420 also ;)

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

so does the 200...

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I thought the 200 and 250 were larger blocks

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Both of you guys are right! :D

There are two versions of the 200, the 200 standard and the 200 H.O, the standard is based on the same block the 150 is based off, I believe 2.6 litres. The 200 H.O is based on the larger block, which I believe is 3.3 litres.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Grady -

I guess the first question I have is, what is your transom height ? If you've got a 20", then weight would be the deciding factor to me, and I go with the 115. If a 25" then do the 150 if you want to spend the money.

Not sure where you boat, but up here in New England, my 115 / Seafari, is speed limited by water conditions, not horsepower. With a 20" transom on mine, I would not want to go any heavier than the V-4 Johnson I have - though I could see a 130 Yam as a nice upgrade, for those few early morning FAC runs out to the bank that I've had.

just my confusing .02 worth.

Bill

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Hi guys, looks like I order the 150 :)
Still monday morning quarterbacking about this issue though lol

Yes I did raise my transom to 25 inches as opposed to the previous 20 inches. The only thing worry about is the fact that I didn't raise my splashwell height, and therefore left the drainage hopes in the same spot as they once were. I don't think though that she will sit so low to cause water coming in through those drains.

-Alex

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Hey,
GSF,
Thanks for your previous help!
Now its time for me to help push you over the fence.
Why you want the 150. These points have been made ,but WTH.
1 less stress on crank, bearings , rods ,wrist pins, tranny,
etc.
2 better mpg at cruise.
3 better resale. If I was looking to buy, I would walk away from a 115 sight unseen.
4 Mother nature. When you REALLY gotta go , you can. Even 5 mph can be a day saver.
5 Chicks dig big lower units.
6 size does matter in more ways than I think.
GFS :o

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

i HAVE A 78 MA W A 2007 SUZUKI 175 4 STROKE . THE 150 WOULD BE PLENTY OF MOTOR FOR IT . I THINK YOU WOULD RUN A 115 TO DEATH TRYING TO MAINTAIN ANY TYPE OF STEADY CRUISE.THE FUEL EFFIENCY WOULD NOT BE GOOD EITHER BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO BE RUNNING THE MOTOR AT THE TOP OF THE POWER BAND IN ORDER TO GET ANY SPEED.MY 175 IS 3500RPM 32MPH.

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I ran an old V-4 115 on my Seafari, which is a fair amount heavier than a MA, for nearly 1000 hrs with zero durability problems. Was still in good shape with good compression when I sold it. Used to cruise @ 4500-4700 rpm all day long. My dealer, D & D Marine in WPB who sold outboards since the 1930's, said "the crank in that motor is only about 6" tall and is good for about 7000 rpm, so prop it to rev and you'll never hurt it. Just don't lug it down." The old 115's were pretty rugged motors. When I bought mine in 1975 I was trying to decide between the 115 and 135 (this was before the V-6 came out), and had one old-time mechanic tell me that a 115 would outlast about FIVE 135's! I believe one key indicator of durability is HP/cu in; with the old carb'd 2-strokes, the less "souped up" engines tended to idle better and be less temperamental.

There is one other argument to be made for a small motor wound up pretty tight - I found that in big following seas with a heavy load, a motor that is already well up on the torque curve will require less throttle jockeying and tend stay up on plane better when you're going "uphill and downhill" than a bigger motor that's normally throttled back more.

Grady SF - I too was concerned with weight when I repowered, even though the Seafari is less stern heavy than a cc/MA. I also considered the 115 and would have probably bought it instead of the 150, but they weren't in production at the time. If you look at the HP curves in the BRP brochures, the "milder" (lower HP/ cu. in) E-Tecs are significantly under-rated - the 225 is really a 240, and the 150 is really a 165! I'd guess the 115 is really about a 125, which would have been a big step up from my old 115 which was really only 90 hp at the prop! 165 HP is a lot more than the 20' hull needs unless you run in flat water all the time and like to cruise at 40 kts!

That said, I'm sure you'll be very happy with the V-6. That exta power is definitely addictive! I have to admit that, although I'm not a speed demon either, it's nice to be able to cruise at 30 kts and carry on a normal conversation! (I have some test data that shows the E-tecs are quieter than the 4-strokes at high cruising speeds because they don't have to rev up as much!) It runs a little smoother than the V-4 at low speed, and might be a little quieter at cruise due to less throttle opening. The 115 is basically the 175 block with 2 cylinders sawed off. Since the cylinder designs are so similar, I suspect the BSFC (Brake (hp) Specific Fuel Consumption (HP/fuel flow) is about the same for both motors. That means at the same boat speed/HP setting, both motors will have about the same fuel flow rate. The smaller motor will have a slight edge because of less throttling loss with larger throttle opening at same HP, but I suspect that's a 2nd order effect that would be hard to find unless you did a dyno test! However, if you choose to use all that extra power in the V-6, you'll pay for it at the gas dock! At optimum cruise on mine, about 23-25 mph/2700-3000 rpm, the I-command gage says throttle opening is about 30% of max, so the V-6 is really loafing most of the time!

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Hey guys, as I said before, its 150 ! I figured I'd like to keep the motor running as low as possible and still maintain a comfortable 22 knots cruise. Doing so will let the engine work easily and efficiently. Below I attached a link for evinrudes test results of what I think to be a comparable package to what my 20 MA is.

Evinrude Test Results

BTW Although I raised the transom, I never raised the splashwell and the drains in the spashwell are only a tad higher then they originally were. Do you guys think this will be a problem ?

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

I still have a 20" transom with flappers on those and never get any water through there, the scuppers are a different story :D

Re: 20 Master Angler 115 ETEC v. 150 ETEC
 

Grady,
Did you get your 150? So far I am really happy with the performance of the 115. I had 4 people in the boat and really couldn't tell much difference from when it was just me alone. I also really like the reduced weight on the stern. I don't have water comming in the scuppers when I stand back near the engine like I did with my 175. My GPS is broken so no real numbers to provide yet..