Yamaha 225 4 stroke v's Bombardier Ficth 250.

[Reel Smoker]

If you had to repower with one of these ,what would you go with? Why? Does anyone now the difference in weight. Thanks RS.

[Jon G]

Reel Smoker They are both quality engines but I would lean towards the Ficht 250. According to my catalogs the Ficht weighs 512 lbs while the Yamaha 225 weighs 583 lbs. All I have heard about he Yamaha is that its a great engine but its a little doggy compared to a two stroke and its also heavier. The guys that I talk to with the Fichts love them. Great milage,clean- no smoke and light compared to a 4 stroke and very powerful. I think when my time comes I'll repower with a Ficht. The the ficht seems to have the best of both worlds performance/economy. I guess when it comes down to it its a personal preference, although I don't think any one will dispute that the performance of your boat would be better with a Ficht 250 than the Yamm 225 fourstroke. The milage would probably be very close between the two depending on how hard you run the boat. When in doubt flip a coin [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Briguy]

I just read a report on a new hydrasport 33 with twin Ficht 250's. Great speed and mpg but really loud. They measured at WOT 107 decibles! That is really really loud! Most o/b's measure 95db's at WOT. Unless that was a misprint, you could be looking at some long term ear damage, no kidding. (a jet taking off is 120 decibles behind it.)
My 2 cents. Go with the HPDI 250 or twin Suziki 140's for the same price but 300lbs heavier.

[ScottM]

RS,
Just something to think about regarding the new Ficht's - the 225 puts out 238hp at the prop while the 250 puts out 249. Although pricewise there isn't much difference, you might want to go with a 225 since the power gain with a 250 is marginal, plus it will probably consume more fuel.
My vote is for the Ficht (or HPDI for that matter) over the 4-stroke for exactly the same reasons Jon G mentions.

[Reel Smoker]

Thanks guys, thats what I need to here the goods and bads its a big investment as you all know. The noise problem, I definetely have to look into that.The horsepower thats a good one to, if I go with a Ficth I might as well go with a 225. Im going to research all ave before I write the check . I appreciate every info from you guys, all along ive been inclined towards the Ficht but yesterday while on a charter one of the guys commented on the quiteness of the Yamahe 4 stroke which is a great thing but I want to get out of the hole quick also. Maybe just maybe for 2004 and Bombardier might make them quieter that would be fantastic, Im kind of in a hurry because of the April 15 rebate Bomb has going but I would think in 2004 they'll run that promotion again.Thanks again, RS.

[Briguy]

I have heard from very reliable sources that the merc optimax 135 puts out 149hp and the merc 225 opti puts out 248hp. That's probably why the 2 stroke 225's are always 2-3mph faster than the 4's. The 4's are probably rated more true to the label. I hear what you are saying about the 225 vs the 250 ficht but I think the 250 may have a bigger displacement. I know in Yamaha's case it does have 3.3 litre vs 2.6 on the 200 hpdi. But, not to beat a dead horse, my 115hp Suzuki's have 230 combined horsepower and 3.8 litres of displacement. From the seat of the pants, my old yamaha 2 stroke 130's were faster out of the hole at 3.4 litres of combined displacement. So maybe 2 stroke displacement of the same size vs. 4 stroke equals more torque. As for getting out of the hole, my origonal engine was a 225 Johnson spinning a 15x17ss and it was really slow out of the hole. My 4 strokes, although giving up 30 horespower to the yamaha 130's were almost as fast out of the hole and only 1kt slower at top end and cruise. You don't drive 2 stroke car's and add oil every fill up, do you? You know the efi 4 stroke has been proven reliable by honda since the late 70's for sailboat motors, their only drawback is the weight issue, which isn't an issue with a flotation bracket. My local boat club has used Honda's and Suzuki motors for the last 8 years. No kidding, these boats are used really hard by many different people 5-6 days a week. The Suzuki 2 stroke 140's and 225's are getting about 700 hours before they are junk. The honda's put into service 6 years ago are all at 2000 to 3000 hours!!! No way you are getting that out of an OPTI or Fitcht. I really don't mean to start a flame here either. I guess you could say I'm sold on the EFI 4 strokes and like to spread the word.

[barnacle]

Go with the Bombardier DI engine. With these new DI engines there is no need for a big bulky 4 stroke. These DI's are cleaner, Lighter, burn less gas and are much cheaper in upkeep than 4 strokes. Ask your local dealer how much it cost to upkeep that 4 stroke. That noise level has to be a missprint but I will look into it. I have driven many Di and 4 strokes. What I have seen is the 4 stroke is quieter at idle and lounder at high rpm with the larger 4 strokes. Even the smaller 4 strokes are very loud at high rpms. This is due to much more moving parts inside the engine. The more things moving the louder it is. THe more moving parts, the more there is to break and cost to repair is way up there. Plus if you buy a Evinrude before April 15th you get 7 years of warry. IF you have any questions about Evinrude DI or Johnson 4 strokes please ask away.

[captbone]

Dont rule out the 250 HPDI yamaha, It is no contest between the 250 Di's and the 225 4 stroke. Go with the DI's, either Evinrude or Yamaha.

[Reel Smoker]

Briguy great info, I consider this constructive critisism were adults and everyone has there opinion. This is how we all learn and thats why this is a great site, so everyone post away your opinions. Joe, thanks for your opinion thats interesting that at high rpms the Yamaha is loud,I thought they were quite all the way thru.Keep'em coming.RS.

[barnacle]

The Yamaha DI is a nice engine. What I dont like about them is a 700 psi mechanical belt driven fuel pump, Flywheel belt. THe Evinrude has no belts to worry about.