etec vs 4 stroke

[fishingjoey]

I am looking to repower my 86 23' superfisherman with either a honda 4 stroke or an e tec. I am leaning towards the etec because of the weight issuse and I just don't think my boat will perform as well with an extra 100 lbs of weight on the back of it. What do some of you guys think is a good option for repowering??

[Bushwacker]

I picked the E-Tec over the 4-strokes because of the power/weight issue. The 140 Zuke is about same weight but is not even close in mid-range torque that's nice to have with heavy loads and big seas. The E-Tec's are very strong running motors; BRP is sandbagging on the HP ratings by as much as 10%! Except for the very sophisticated fuel injectors and computer, they're basically very simple engines and should be cheaper to maintain over the long run. My dealer also sells Honda's and Yamaha's and said he's had fewer problems with the E-Tec's than either of the others, and I've had zero problems with mine in over 200 hrs, so I think BRP has solved the reliability problems of the early Ficht motors.
Understand that I'm not biased, of course!

The only caution I would have is to make sure you pick a good dealer with well trained mechanics. My dealer was ok with me doing all the rigging, which he was impressed with, but said it was critical that they purge all the air out of the oil system prior initial start, so he insisted on doing that. I think some of the low time powerhead failures they had when those motors first came out were due to some dealers not purging the oil system properly.

[Ryank]

I had 225 hondas on the back of a 29 whaler, they had 5400+ hours and you could still barely hear them. 2 strokes definitly have more get up and go, not sure how that compares to a zuki 250 or 300 swinging a huge prop. If you are ok with a comfortable cruise speed, and don't mind a few exta seconds to get on a plane the extra 100lbs shouldn't matter.

[stanley]

My thoughts are more in line with resale value. Although the Etec is a great motor I would think the four stroke models will give you a better resale in the event you may sell your boat. I did the 300 Suzuki only because the Honda 225 although lots of torque did not have the Horsepower when loaded up.

[Bushwacker]

When one repowers a boat he's already had for more than 30 years, resale value clearly isn't much of a consideration!

[gss036]

I went with a Honda 225 last year and love it, no problems. I have a 1989 23WA. I am not a speed demon and cruise around 26-28 mph @ 3700/3800 rpm and get really good fuel economy. I installed a Northstar fuel flow gauge and watch it to see what the consumption is and adjust the rpm as needed to maintain good economy. I try to keep the fuel consumption close to the 5/5.3 gph. As you increase the RPM the consumption goes up dramatically. I am running a Power Tech/Honda 14 1/4 X 17 4 blade prop and raised the engine up 2 holes to stop the proposing.I think I could go down a hole and not have a proposing problem. With these numbers, the mid range economy is great.

Prior to my Seacraft I had a flats boat with a 150 Honda on it. Zero low end torque - would hardly get out of the water without the trim tabs all the way down. And the weight factor made it sit stern heavy in the water, which made shallow water fishing more difficult. It was quiet and ran like a top - but nothing like a 2 cycle in the power department. I am repowering my 20 CC with a 150 ETEC at present. Several of my fishi9ng buds have ETECs and swear by them for both economical running and great power.

[bmajvi]

The Etecs looks like great motors. Search the net for Etec owners discussions (try www.etecownersgroup.com/ or www.thehulltruth.com) and you'll find guys that are 110% satisfied, and some that are quite a bit less so. Sounds like you want good dealer support, especially for initial setup (decent local dealer support is not a bad thing no matter what engine make you wind up with), they are a lot more complicated than olden days 2-strokes.

I used to have a Suzuki DF140 on an 18SF, and it was an amazing engine. Never had a hiccup in 200+ hours (thankfully, because there's no dealer here on St. Croix!), absolutely sipped fuel (up to 5 mpg cruise), and quiet as a church mouse. The Verados sound interesting, but complex (turbo longevity remains to be seen), and I think I understand that some of the larger Yamahas have had overheating issues. Again, my advice is invest time in doing homework online and at your local launching ramp, and buy not just for price, but longer term local setup & support. Just my two cents!

PS - Many/most of us are a little too proud to admit we spent $10-30k hard earned dollars on cranky engines, so be prepared for very partisan pronouncements...kind of like Ford vs Chevy stuff when we were teenagers...

[BLUEBOAT]

I have just enclosed the transom on my '74 23Seacraft, added a portabracket with a 250 E-tec, I am happy so far, getting 41knots top speed and approximately 28-30% less fuel burn.

[eggsuckindog]

My thoughts are more in line with resale value. Although the Etec is a great motor I would think the four stroke models will give you a better resale in the event you may sell your boat. I did the 300 Suzuki only because the Honda 225 although lots of torque did not have the Horsepower when loaded up.

You also have to understand none the 4 strokes have needed some pretty expensive service work as the hours get up there, those eye popping numbers may swing the balance back a bit.