Etec Vs Yamaha 4 Stroke

[a boat]

Today I got a call from an outboard engine mechanic of some standing. He is one person I trust and one person in the industry who many respect.

After we discussed the matters which he rang me for, I asked him about which motor to buy for my upcoming purchase in the 225Hp category. He told me that the Suzuki 4 stroke is one sweet motor. He advised against the ETEC for a number of reasons but none that I will repeat, as I couldn't answer any in depth questions as to why he doesn't like them. He did say that "in the end its still a 2 stroke".

I think 30+ years in the industry is a reasonable amount of experience. And I know for a fact that he has had a long association with 4 strokes and 2 strokes.

Hi Boban, one mans opinion vs another mans opinion, we have personally run and sold many big block E-TEC and they are going great. I wonder if this friend of yours sell E-TEC because I can tell you most of the dealers that I know that sell the E-TEC range are in the main happy with E-TEC. I can tell horror stories about every brand and technology of outboard that we have come across in over 45 years of continual operation.

I would be interested in your mate letting me know what is so wrong with a 2-Stroke, they definately have advantages over 4-Strokes as far as outboards go and comparing an E-TEC to the older carby design 2-Strokes is like comparing a EH Holden to a brand new Calais-even though they are both cars, it is not a valid comparasion.

As Stewy said and I have said, if you do not like E-TEC do not buy one and buy your Honda and I wish you all the best.

I will bow out of this neverending topic now also becasue I think most boaters will do their own homework and buy what they want and in the end all modern outboards are much better than engines even 10 years ago and give a boater great confidence on the water.

Cheers,

Huey.

[Boban]

I have no doubt that you know this man Huey.

He worked in a dealership that has over the years sold Suzuki, Mercury, OMC, Honda and Tohatsu.

He is now working purely as a outboard mechanic with a company that has no affiliation with any brand. They service them all. He has told me which motors in various brands he thinks are below par, including the four strokes.

He was, and still is held in high regard by all the mechanics that worked under him. His former employer was a client of mine. We remain friends from that association.

I can tell you that all the information I am posting is second hand. I have no mechanical training but I have a good deal of knowledge about the marine industry in Australia. I trust these type of people with their opinions, as I know for a fact, he has dealt with all the brands of outboards, both new and secondhand.

As you will be aware, despite any agreements they have with manufacturers, many of the dealers work with each other to supply stock that a particular client wants. They all get rebates and bonuses for turnover and dont mind supplying to their competitors to achieve this end. What I am saying is that I know for a fact that the one dealer has supplied all of the above brands, plus Yamaha. Accordingly, that mechanic has put his hands on all of them.

I value his opinion. It is not tainted by financial interests, and never has been.

To be completely honest Huey, I only responded to the thread because of the "runs on the board" and "inability to handle high revs" comments by yourself. I Just wanted to point out the facts I considered to be relevant, rather than the ones BRP like to market.

I dont like being tarred with the brush of being a "four stroke man" or "anti ETEC". That's simply not the case. It was a hard decision for me to initially buy a four stroke, but I'm very glad I did. This will/does weigh on my mind for future decision making.

This thread was started by a person who is in the same shoes as me. Trying to decide on a motor. I am relaying my experiences and those of others. I am not saying that the ETEC is rubbish. But BRP does attack the four strokes vicously, and in my opinion, unfairly.

In the past the four strokes had problems with power to weight, which was more a problem for smaller boats. The four strokes are now getting lighter and even more advanced. Some of the Yamahas and Suzukis are virtually the same weight as an equivalent two stroke. The response from the two stroke manufacturers is to now attack other (and IMHO) "possible" or "what if" issues with four strokes. Your longevity argument is one such example.

I encourage people to do as much research as possible, and see through some of the crap out there before you put your hard earned into one of the, if not the, most expensive parts of your money pit we like to call boats.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Boban