Etec 130 or 150 for 20 ft Master angler

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Flatbroke

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I bought a 1970 20' Seafari I/O about a year ago. I have been struggling with the idea of converting it to a center console. I have also wrestled with leaving it as an I/O and giving up all of the floor space associated with the I/O box or converting it to a bracketed outboard. Between the 4-strokes, Optimax and E-tec I couldn't get beyond the weight issue.

I have a good friend who is on the Evinrude Pro staff. He offered me his 6 month old 115 HO (127 hp) at basically his cost - aka about 1/2 price. I really wanted more power so I went and discussed my predicament with my local Evinrude Master mechanic who is highly respected in Brevard County.

He told me that the 115 and 130 have an exhaust valve in the lower unit that helps them make that hp in the smaller package. He indicated that it was, or had the potential to be, problematic. His comment was "If there is any way you can take the weight of the 150 go with it. You won't regret it."

I hadn't seen that discussed in this thread so i just wanted to share what I had been told.

1. If you really want a CC, then sell the Seafari and buy a CC, don't butcher the Seafari. It's a relatively rare and unique model and you'll spend a LOT more time and money trying to make a CC out of it than you would to just buy a CC in the first place!

2. I think the E-Tec's are a great choice for the 20' hull because power/weight is better than any 4-stroke, with similar noise level, fuel burn and reliability, but less maintenance.

3. As for the V-4 vs. V-6 decision, you'll have to decide how you'll use the boat, how fast you want to run, and how much load you plan to carry. I ran my boat for over 30 years with an old "115" (90 hp at the prop V-4), including a half dozen heavily loaded runs to the Abaco's, and it rode great with that light 300 lb motor, with zero durability problems even though I cruised all day long at 4500 rpm at about 20 kts. As I think I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, if you spend much time offshore, you won't be able to use all the power/speed the V-6 generates. Although I love the V-6 and it's perfect for the heavy loads I seem to run with on long cruises, if you just use it for offshore fishing with a couple of guys, don't carry a bunch of divers w/tanks, and can live with a top speed of about 40 mph, I'd seriously consider the V-4 due to much less initial cost, lower fuel burn and greater range. The SeaCraft hull is much more efficient than any other boat, so they don't NEED all the power you see folks putting on comparable size new boats!

4. As far as problems with the 2-position exhaust valve, I don't think it's an issue if you run the XD-100 full synthetic oil that allows you to set the ECM for less oil usage. I'd ask your Pro buddy what oil he ran in that motor if you decide to buy it. Check out this link http://www.etecownersgroup.com/post/...-Valve-5640256 for more info on that issue. Most guys that had problems with a sticking valve were just using TCW-3 oil, not even the XD-50 synthetic blend stuff. The XD-100 burns so much cleaner and you use less of it, so I don't see the point of spending all the $ for a modern high-tech motor and then trying to save a few bucks on cheap oil. I typically use 1 gallon to 100-150 gallons of gas, so even at $35/gallon, when you figure the overall expense of maintaining and running a boat, the cost of running the best oil is a nit, especially with gas at $5/gal!