Help on New boat with 150 Etec, 800 Hours +

[leeroybee]

Thanks Guys.

I spoke to an ETEC Mechanic who the boat inspector recommended and he did say he was biased against them. This is what he told me.

Etec have a bad name because of the way they have been serivce When they first came onto the market they where advertised as you only have to service the engine every 300hrs or 3 years This sucked a lot of people in to buy these motors. What they didn’t see or read was in the fine print where it said applies to fresh water use only. If you use something in salt water for 3 years with no servicing there will always be issues. In saying that if the engine has been service ever 100hrs or once a year like all the other brands recommended there hasn’t been to many issues with the Etec. As for 800hrs yes it’s getting up there. I would recommended when buying any boat get the motor and boat checked out Service history and compression test are a must Service history for a service ever year or 100hrs is a major thing to look for Hope this helps

[billfisher]

I just spoke to a guy that inspects boats for a living and he said I should avoid the ETEC like a plague and 800 hours is a lot for a 2 stroke. Hmm he also said the motor is basically worth nothing and Im buying on boat alone.

I would have loved to get a used ETEC for 'nothing' when I was looking for a new motor. Also there must be a lot of deluded owners on Gumtree etc, who are asking good money for their 10 year old ETECS.

[gazza2006au]

You'll probably find a ton of blown powerhead threads for the Etecs if u google "Etec blown powerhead" you'll find some blow up with only 25 hours some last into the 1000's of hours what i have noticed is the commercial guys like to go four stroke instead of the Etec's i guess its personal preference

i love the look of the Etec's they are way a head of the field in ascetics and still are way a head in there technology they are far more advanced than 4 strokes on our market today i dont care what anyways says either I'm sure Steve will be in here shortly adding sometime...

[billfisher]

Thanks Guys.

I spoke to an ETEC Mechanic who the boat inspector recommended and he did say he was biased against them. This is what he told me.

Etec have a bad name because of the way they have been serivce When they first came onto the market they where advertised as you only have to service the engine every 300hrs or 3 years This sucked a lot of people in to buy these motors. What they didn’t see or read was in the fine print where it said applies to fresh water use only. If you use something in salt water for 3 years with no servicing there will always be issues. In saying that if the engine has been service ever 100hrs or once a year like all the other brands recommended there hasn’t been to many issues with the Etec. As for 800hrs yes it’s getting up there. I would recommended when buying any boat get the motor and boat checked out Service history and compression test are a must Service history for a service ever year or 100hrs is a major thing to look for Hope this helps

Why would saltwater use make much of a difference? Sure you might have to re-grease the prop more often, same goes for the steering, but you can do that yourself. Otherwise with no belts to adjust, sump oil to change, and with long life impellers and spark plugs, why not 3 years services?

[Chimo]

Where are you?

Have you considered a second opinion totally independent of the boat inspector?

If your not happy there are many boat for sale, look at others.

My advice to people buying boat is to start by finding and developing a relationship with the marine tech who is going to service your motor.
If he checks whatever you find he is hardly going to support you buying something that is going to give him headaches and cause him to lose business as you walk away.

Until you really now what your doing use and pay people to guide you. A few $s spent before you commit is well worth it. By way of an example AF member BM said he charges $400 to check a pre purchase boat.

Use someone to help you for goodness sake

Chimo
GOM

[ranmar850]

The G1 Etecs do devalue a boat compared to a comparable aged 4 stroke, of reputable brand. Not saying that is right or wrong, just is. As does an Optimax. Look at enough boats, and you will see a pattern. Looks like a real lot of boat for the money, see older carbed 2 strokes on the back. See same boat for a bit more , has HPDI's , G1 E-tecs or Optis. See boat for what you would expect to pay, see newer four strokes. Or perhaps a a shiny new G2, but they still tend to pull asking price down a bit. Just the market. As others have said, G1's do not have a great rep, patchy reliability. Undeserved, or not?

I'll just bring out the popcorn. If this was THT, it would go 25 pages...before the mods shut it down for bad behaviour

[bden]

I am a self confessed Mercury fan and believe the Optimax to have a better record than a Etec but I would not buy either with those hours. I ask 1 question to you this inspector does this for a living how is he benefiting from giving you this advice? I would heed his warning and look at something else or factor in an upgrade on the engine.


Sent from my iPhone using Ausfish forums

[stevej]

I joined a Facebook page for quintrex boats and the etec fellas are just nuts
Claiming they are the best outboard etc etc

So I went through a year of posts out of boredom
Etec made up 7 percent of the boats owners were posting about Yamaha 60 percent and the rest a mix of merc Suzuki and older stuff

Even when pointing this out I was shot down lol
All the hardcore supporters were semi sponsored by brp just they weren’t smart enough to hide the fact

so just blocked em and got on with life

[leeroybee]

Update Post Inspection:

Hi Guys thanks for all your help. turns out after a solid diagnostic the Tech was very surprised with the ETEC and condition it was in for its age and had nothing to complain about. Said its runs very well and wouldnt believe it had done 800 hours except for the computer plugin.

The downside: The boat im looking at 2006 Cruise Craft 575 Offsider has Transom Rot in progress. The inspector claims its present in nearly every cruise craft hes inspected around that age. I was onsite and observed the crack under the well and travel of the leg when pulled at a 45' angle.

Ive been told it costs about $ 6 - 7k all up to repair. Now to decide.



Cheers,

Lee

[Noelm]

Keep looking!

[Chimo]

What Noel said

Seek advice, then fall in love. The other sequence never works as well.
Same situation that your Dad told you.....................

[gazza2006au]

You'll have those bunch of guys that love Etec no matter what.. these Etec lovers are probably all running engines with factory warranty still covering them and their not worried about resale value, i too love the Etec's i love such technology i just can't afford a blown engine when u sink 2 to 3k on a rebuild and it could blow up in 5 or 500 hours

while i was researching Etec's i read a shit load of reports about people making warranty claims it was a little unsettling since i was about to rebuild mine and spend all my money on it, if u can afford a new engine than by all means look into a Etec as long as u are not worried about depreciation value when the warranty ends

if u are buying second hand or out of warranty its a gamble u may get a really long problem free run but there is a chance shit hits the fan and u will become a Etec nazi along with many other people who have done the same

[Goffiller]

All Cruise craft of that era will have that problem it’s only a matter of time. Look online it’s a common problem. Also budget for new floor and stringers while your at it, I think your quote is light on if getting someone else to do the work cost me 11k for exact same make/model. Great boat but you need to negotiate this in if proceeding.

[NAGG]

I just spoke to a guy that inspects boats for a living and he said I should avoid the ETEC like a plague and 800 hours is a lot for a 2 stroke. Hmm he also said the motor is basically worth nothing and Im buying on boat alone.

The truth is that "the guy" is not far off the mark with his comment …… & the reality is that this motor was built during the horror period of the ETEC s .

While it is true that there will be a lot of happy ETEC owners from that period & will defend them enthusiastically .. However there are horror stories by the truckload & I personally know of several of these .

In 2006 I was looking at buying my Hornet & happened to walk into a service dept at a large Quintrex / Evinrude dealer in Sydney where I saw a row of 2005 / 2006 ETECs of various outputs with powerheads removed. The service manager confirmed that there were several issues & BRP were responding accordingly. That sight was enough for me …. but capped off by a good mates experience at the same time with his new 150HO - Several failures during the first year.
My guy has also said the same thing ….. & yes he is a Yamaha dealer . He wont trade a boat with a ETEC on it but had no issues with the likes of Honda / Yamaha & even Mercury .

No doubt when these motors are running well - they hoot but personally I would be avoiding these Gen 1 Etecs like the plague

My opinion only

Chris

[Ducksnutz]

My 2010 130hp gen 1 Etec has 587 faultless hours. Just my experience it has been a terrific donk.
I’m not sure if they ironed out the issues etc. by then. Will be upgrading to a gen 2 on its 10th birthday.