thoughts from owners

[Renny1]

I have prices on both 75 honda and 75 etec . The honda comes in just under $1000 more expensive, and i have the money to purchase either motor. Just after some thoughts from anyone who ownes honda or etec. Feedback on good, bad pionts or any problems emcounted with them.

thanks Renny.

[deadbeatloser]

Re: thoughts from owners

go the etec m8,will be cheaper in the long run , four strokes still use oil plus oil filter so the debate goes on, i sold yam efi fs 5mnths old an purchased etec over another fs yam as the serving price was quite high , twice the price of my R1 1000cc motor bike ???????????? so servicing no belts and a couple of hundred less moving parts and a ss viper prop no charge.....

E TEC

[Spaniard_King]

Re: thoughts from owners

Renny,

Do yourself a favour and try to get a ride in a boat with each motor. Both engines have fors and againsts unfortunately it's you who has to wrok out which fors suite you

[BM]

Re: thoughts from owners

Renny,

It depends on you.

Some customers I have met cannot stand the smell of a 2 stroke.... Some I have heard of also complain about the smell of direct injection 2 strokes....

I had a customer complain of feeling physically sick from the smell of a Honda 130hp engine. Now he was a yachty and I guess they are used to only smelling the wind......

For me, 2 stroke DI every day of the week for ever and ever...... Less moving parts equals less problems and less servicing items but more importantly the 2 stroke design fires twice as often as a 4 stroke so the "punch" factor is much greater with a 2 stroke.

A good friend of mine in Melb is a Yammy dealer and in chatting the other day about engines and recent fitup and trial experiences he found there is quite a difference between say a 150 2 stroke and a 150 4 stroke. Now that would apply essentially to ANY brand.....

Cheers

[Kurichan]

My 2 cents worth...

I dunno if the '2 Str are simpler, they must be better' argument works.

A guy I know fits a lot of motors, he has fitted dozens of etecs two up on cats, he reckons it's rare for a pair to NOT break down. He says the electronics are just real hit & miss. If you get a good one you won't have any dramas, but in his experience one of the motors (remember he sells cats) pretty much always fails in the first month.

I bought a second hand V6 4 stroke that I have put in over 1200 hours into in the last year. It's had just one service in that time. I rip out the dipstick every now and then but that's it. It doesn't blow smoke, no fumes and always starts first turn of the key... and has never broken down.

It powers my car.

There are a lot of 4 stroke engines doing insane hours with all those moving parts & belts etc purring along quite nicely. I understand the marine environment is harsh, and the safety issues are paramount. But so do all the different engine manufacturers. 4 strokes have come a long way from the under torqued behemoths of old.

Good luck in your dilemma.

[Belly66]

Re: thoughts from owners

Nearly all commercial fisho's down here in Southern Vic and Tassie are running fourstrokes and doing insane hours between change-overs. Its their bread and butter so I reckon it has to be a fair recommendation.

[billfisher]

Re: thoughts from owners

If your 4 stroke needs a rebuld you might as well scrap it and buy a new one, such is the cost. With an Etec or similar its just like any other 2 stoke rebuild. I think the warranty is only a few months on Etecs for commercial use which might be a reason they tend to favour 4 strokes. Also pros tend to replace their motors every 2 or 3 years. The substantial capital loss can be claimed as depreciation.

The service costs are considerable with a 4 stroke - about $500 a year. They are much lower with an Etec and you don't even need a service for the first 3 years.

[Belly66]

Re: thoughts from owners

The service costs are considerable with a 4 stroke - about $500 a year. They are much lower with an Etec and you don't even need a service for the first 3 years.[/quote]
You may have some valid points but in the 3 or so years that a pro runs a motor he will do more hours than a recreational fisho would do in 10. I also dont think that there would be too many people that would run service intervals at 3 years regardless of manufacturers recommendations. It smacks to me of a long swim waiting to happen if you did.

[timddo]

Re: thoughts from owners

hmmm, it's 3 years or 300 hours, So a pro goes out 10 hours a day,, hmm thats 30 days per service??????$600.

[notsa]

Re: thoughts from owners

If money is no problem go the Honda.I have a 90 e-tec.

[mrmagoo]

Re: thoughts from owners

Thought you may like to know that the 3year non service for etecs is for fresh water american use. (imagine the service costs involved when your mechanic takes extra few hours removing the gearbox after 3 years of saltwater use!)
Would you run any motor for 3 years without changing(or at least checking) your impeller?
Honda's are rated at 6500 hours without rebuilding.That is a lot of boating most people wouldn't do in a lifetime..
Some of you guys pay a lot for servicing! $350ish for most 4 strokes once a year for sevicing ain't that bad.
By the way,i am a service manager at a boat dealership.

[deadbeatloser]

Re: thoughts from owners

Thought you may like to know that the 3year non service for etecs is for fresh water american use. (imagine the service costs involved when your mechanic takes extra few hours removing the gearbox after 3 years of saltwater use!)
Would you run any motor for 3 years without changing(or at least checking) your impeller?
Honda's are rated at 6500 hours without rebuilding.That is a lot of boating most people wouldn't do in a lifetime..
Some of you guys pay a lot for servicing! $350ish for most 4 strokes once a year for sevicing ain't that bad.
By the way,i am a service manager at a boat dealership.

utter bullshite mr magoo about warranty, wipe ur chin its dribblin
go and find the true facts wayne kur, by the way i am a dentist.

[mrmagoo]

Re: thoughts from owners

utter bullshite mr magoo about warranty, wipe ur chin its dribblin
go and find the true facts wayne kur, by the way i am a dentist.

I Can't seem to see anywhere in my post about warranty.
Lucky your a dentist & not a optometrist.
I guess you own an etec?

[Tube_Worm]

Re: thoughts from owners

Go the Honda Benny - you can't beat that 5 year warranty you get with them.

As for the ETec claim to fame with not having to service the motor for the 1st 3 years, who in the hell would run their outboard in a saltwater environment and not have it serviced for 3 years - you would have to be crazy. and then there is the expensive oil you have to keep constantly adding just like the old conventional 2 strokes - who could be bothered.

Bugger the ETec, give me the Honda any day ! All this crap about the ETEcs being as quiet, smooth running, no smelly 2 stroke fumes etc is a lot of BS. They are better than the old 2 strokes but they are still not as clean running as a 4 stroke and they still stink like an old 2 stroke just that the smoke is invisible.

[polky]

Re: thoughts from owners

I think some people need to pull there heads in and read what is written, I would go the Honda, have a 4s suzki myself. I certainly would not go to sea in a boat that did not have its motor serviced at least once a year. I think the etec has a ways to go yet to prve its self, in saying that my mate has had one for 2yrs with no drammass Polky.