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E-TEC talk

Boston Predictor

Well-known member
Okay I've been hearing alot of hoopla about these Mercury Verados. From what I understand they are big heavy gas guzzeling 4- strokes. To me it seems that Evinrude's 2 stroke E-Tec are untouchable and in a class of their own, but yet I rarely see anybody mention them.
Why would you buy any other motor when you could have E-tec?
The E-tec is cleaner and quieter, more effitient, Built with more quality, Durability and reliability and not to mention they are 2 STROKES which means more power!

Here are some Facts I pulled off the BPR Evinrude Website:

EASY TO OWN AND OPERATE Evinrude E-TEC outboards require no scheduled dealer maintenance - that's right, zero - for the first three years or 300 hours of normal recreational use. Not even gearcase lube. You'll never have to change the oil or the oil filter, which can cost several hundred dollars each year for other technologies.
CLEANER & QUIETER. With a fully stratified combustion system, Evinrude E-TEC outboards are designed to comply with 2006 EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as well as tough 2006 EU (European Union) standards well into the future. E-TEC even meets the ultra-low 2008 CARB (California Air Resource Board) 3-Star emissions rating. For you, it simply means a cleaner boating environment: no smoke and dramatically lower carbon monoxide emissions.

With the E-TEC system, fuel is injected twice as fast as traditional direct injection engines and unburned fuel never reaches the exhaust port. This means the fuel charge never escapes the combustion chamber as it is burned and turned into pure power. E-TEC also senses when to change fuel delivery into the chamber, depending on engine needs, resulting in precision fuel flow and extreme fuel efficiency. The sealed fuel system also minimizes evaporative emissions. And finally, no more pre-mixing fuel and oil thanks to the E-TEC auto-lube oiling system.

And then there's the E-TEC signature sound. The exclusive E-TEC idle air bypass circuit, acoustically tuned air intake and exhaust silencers and state of the art acoustic foam lining combine for an incredibly quiet engine that hums like nothing else on the water.

Evinrude E-TEC uses up to 75% less than typical 2-stroke carbureted engines and up to 50% less oil than competitive direct injection engines (when run with Evinrude/Johnson XD 100T oil with optional dealer programming of the Engine Management Module, versus normal TCW3 oil). And you'll use 30% less oil compared to a 4-stroke with a typical maintenance schedule under normal operating conditions.

That's just the start. The Evinrude E-TEC engines use an exclusive low friction design. There are no belts, no chains, no powerhead gears, no cams, and no mechanized oil pumps.

Evinrude E-TEC engines have all three, with robust, oversized motor components throughout for longer engine life. And they're not just big. They're super tough. In fact, our pistons are 2.5 times stronger than traditional pistons at operating temperatures, thanks to a new patented NASA alloy.

One more thing: If you live in a colder climate, you know all about winterizing. Our program for the winter or long term storage? Follow a few easy steps that will take just minutes. Then put it away. Maintenance? Forget about it.

In addition, all Evinrude E-TEC outboards feature the S.A.F.E. TM (Speed Adjusting Failsafe Electronics) information and alarm system, which reduces engine rpm in case of emergency to prevent engine damage and protect your investment.

Power & Performance. With a fully stratified combustion system, Evinrude E-TEC offers unsurpassed fuel economy, especially at low speeds. At higher speeds, the Engine Management Module (EMM), making up to 8 million calculations per second, delivers precisely the right amount of fuel directly into the combustion chamber for every load and condition.

The lightweight design of the Evinrude E-TEC increases performance and boat handling, while its large displacement provides more horsepower and torque. This combination of light weight and high torque makes E-TEC accelerate faster and achieve higher top speeds than any other outboard engine in its class.
When you consider the fact that the 2-stroke Evinrude E-TEC produces a power stroke every revolution and it doesn't have the added complexity of belts, camshafts, valves, timing chains and oil pumps that add weight and rob power and torque it's easy to understand why 2>4.

I just want to know what the experts have to say about this new breed of O.B.'s.
 
I remember when the FICHT engine was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread too. Time proved it was another engine with good points and bad.

I think many people are selling the Optimax short. It's a pretty decent engine too. And it's a little more proven at this point then the ETEC. And the technology is similar to the ETEC.

I think where the 4 Strokes are in trouble, is in the emissions department. Without a catalytic converter, the emissions end up being higher than the ETEC. So until a usable outboard catalytic converter is developed, the 4 Strokes will be at a disadvantage to the HPDI engines in the emissions department.

Time will tell on the ETEC, time will tell.
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For performance boats, on every test I've seen so far, the Mercury Opti will out-run the same horsepower ETEC. Merc has a better lower unit for REAL fast boats, and a slightly better top end out of the motor.
 
Originally posted by Boston Predictor:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris:

Time will tell on the ETEC, time will tell.
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You say that like you know something about ETEC that we dont know.
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>I know of a prototype that didn't fair too well.
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I think it was a 75 and it was tested by someone I know in a commercial application the year before they released this particular model. But in fairness, that's why you test. So that's why I say, time will tell.
 
All the rental pontoons at our Bayou are running E-tecs.They are great on oil consumption,quiet and perform great.I am a Mercury man to the end but those E-tecs are hard to beat.Lets wait and see how the bigger models perform.
 
It all comes down to a popularity contest, look at all the die hard Merc people here. I personaly hate Evenrud's, I had a couple bad expieriences with older ones and wouldnt risk my $18K on a new one. I wouldnt buy a Merc either, I'm a Yamaha man. It takes a lot of pull to change a person from what they like to something new that there not familure with. I think it will take the E-tech a long time to catch on in the high horsepower & performance market due to peoples dedication to the line they like.
E-tech will most likly be very popular on the smaller fishing boat and pontoon boat market because of there reliability, pricing and fuel millage. Also many of those buyers dont have a long history or love for a piticular manufacturer.
my 2 cents
F150GT
 
Thanks for the input guys your comments are apreatiated.
F150 you are right on about personal Biases. I've Been asking everybody and they all say the same thing...stay away from OMC. Personally I am a Merc guy all the way and always have been but I have owned many Evinrude's and old sea horses over the years and quite frankly other than the occasional bad start up, they seemed like they would have run forever!
 
OK, I was always a Merc man but the T-TEC is killer...!!!
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Not a single 4-stroke can compare and it puts EVERY 2-stroke way behind in technology... this is the BEST of all motors in every aspect with the exception of maybe $$$$$.

MY EXPERIENCE:
We upgraded my buddies bass boat last spring from a 2000 Evinrude 225 Ficht Ram (only 1200 hours!) to a 2005 225 E-TEC. The ficht was a great motor, but there is no comparison on how refined and tuned these new E-TEC's are! You have to experience one for yourself; smoothness, throttle response, zero smoke, gobs of torque and pulls like a banshee to 6000+rpm. He has 250+ hours on it now and not a single issue... ZERO!!! The optimax's are not nearly the motor (or reliability), and the ONLY thing even close that I have ran is the 225 Honda (but it's a dog as compared to weight and performance of the new E-TEC).

You have to step back and look WHO the parent company is for E-TEC... Bombarier... makers of all sorts of high-tech trains, planes, aere-space, etc.! These things have some of the TOP Research & Development in them... Gone and I mean G-O-N-E are the old OMC everything! These are fresh slate motors using the best of the best from the drawing board all the way through final production and quality control. Look at the warrentee and service intervials and you will see they stand behind them 100% plus! I think some people are scared because of how bad the OMC screwed things up, and these are 100% NOT omc motors or production any longer. In fact, you WILL see more of this type of E-TEC design as the competition STEALS the engineering!

On another note, Evinrude my be releasing the 300HO E-TEC soon...
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complete with the "second effort" style performance lower units! Look out Yamaha 300 HPDI and Merc 300X, this one aims to shame!

Now if they could only get the price down.....
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I need TWO of them for my 26' Cat....
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Okay thats what I wanted to hear! thanks.
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The reason I brought this subject up is because I think the Etec's are being sold short by the performance boaters, the die hard Merc fellas
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As you just mentioned, bombarier has basically redesigned the whole working mechanics of the engine which is revolutionary in marine standards so These 2 Stroke engines with this new technology are not anything to dismiss. Evinrude has reached a new plateu, They are no longer on the same plane as before. As the river of time flows onward we will be seeing this more of this technology in ALL outboards.
These are not the old smoking OMC's or four strokes with hundreds of parts

BTW Jim, can you elaborate on the 300HO?? that motor should divide the champions from the rest.

Where the heck is Brian? He has a nice 200HO on his Enchanter. I'm sure he could share some stories
 
Keep in mind when you compare a Yamaha with a Merc the redlines are different. If Merc set their redlines where Yamaha does, they'd probably be bullet-proof too.

Also, Bombardier no longer owns the recreational products division. So this is not the same company that builds planes and trains. BRP was spun off and sold to a consortium of the original Bombardier family and some investors a few years after Bombardier bought OMC.
 
Even if thats the case they are still leading the industry in recreational products in all categories. Take the new ATV, outlander 800 for example. It uses new technology in it drive system that is un matched by any other. I beleive it also has a revolutionary suspension system.
Here is some background info from the site:


Innovation Delivering Passion

Ever since J.-A. Bombardier founded the company in 1942, our name has been synonymous with quality and creativity. His pioneering spirit is a legacy that has kept us growing and exploring new frontiers. Today, in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, almost 7,500 people are keeping the Bombardier spirit alive in all of our recreational vehicles and products.

At Bombardier Recreational Products, innovation and passion are at the heart of our commitment, our products, and our brands. Whether it be our Sea-Doo watercraft and sport boats; our Ski-Doo® and Lynx® snowmobiles; our Rotax® karts and engines; our Bombardier ATVs and utility vehicles or our Evinrude® and Johnson® outboard engines, these values come alive through technology and design, inspired by a single and common compelling mission: to deliver to consumers the most extraordinary recreational experience.

www.brp.com/en-CA/Company/Our.History/
 
I'm not dissing them. Just pointing out it isn't the same company. Hey they're Canadians! And they're also a company that have gone bankrupt, then taken over, then sold in a short period of time.

I also had a look at the Yammi site and it looks like they've bumped up their redlines from the typical 5500 max they used to set. Most are up near 6K. So let's see how they hold up under the higher loads.
 
I always liked the yammi's. when I was looking for motors I almost bought a Vmax 175, but lost the bid in the last few min of the auction
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I guess It turned out for the best cuz otherwise I wouldnt have my Black Max. That motor has more power than any other motor I've used! I love it.
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One underlying reason for me bringing this topic up is that I plan on buying a starflite soon and I don't know what motor I should get. I am looking for just a hull in any condition.
I would prefer a motor that wont suck up gas as bad as my current motoe does but still give me 80mph. I am thinking about Etec, but I may go with a Optimax...I still have some reaserch to do.
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