From a two stroke to a four stroke

[rasbo]

Have any of you replaced a 2 stroke on your boat with a 4 stroke,if so give me the pros and cons.. same boat though

[CP]

I have.   Went from a 2 stroke Evinrude 70hp to a 4 stroke Suzuki 70hp on a 17’ Arima.  My only regret is that I waited so long to make the switch. 

Pros:
Starts and idles better
Quieter
Better gas mileage, hence better range
No mixing oil
No stink
No smoke cloud

Cons:
A bit heaver
I have to change the oil every now and then

[JKEEN33]

CP nailed it. Love the 4 strokes I have. 2000 19’ Arima. Not one issue in 20 years. Quiet, no smell, dependable and great range. They are heavier.

[rasbo]

I have.   Went from a 2 stroke Evinrude 70hp to a 4 stroke Suzuki 70hp on a 17’ Arima.  My only regret is that I waited so long to make the switch. 

Pros:
Starts and idles better
Quieter
Better gas mileage, hence better range
No mixing oil
No stink
No smoke cloud

Cons:
A bit heaver
I have to change the oil every now and then

70 evinrude on my boat also,did speed or getting up on a plane change..

[Encore 280]

I went from a 2 stroke to a 2 stroke. 2014 ETEC 90hp on my '04 Arima Sea Pacer. I've had 2 of them and no issues at all. First one was the 75hp and it went with my other boat when I sold it. Bought the Pacer and put a new 90 on it. More torque, faster out of the hole, quiet, no smoke, no oil to mix, just add it and mixes itself, no oil to change, no belts to change, winterizes itself, sits all winter and come Spring time starts up in quarter revolution as long as the battery is up. Only down side is they don't recommend trolling with them. I have an 8 horse Yamaha for a kicker that I use for trolling. If I was going to go with a 4 stroke it would be a Yamaha. Down side to ETEC is they quit making them this year and handed it over to Mercury. If you're going to buy a brand new motor I'd buy in Oregon. I buy mine in Astoria, darn good ETEC mechanic there. I've never owned a big 4 stroke so not to much I can say about the performance of them. Just my  Good luck with whatever one you buy.

[CP]

I have.   Went from a 2 stroke Evinrude 70hp to a 4 stroke Suzuki 70hp on a 17’ Arima.  My only regret is that I waited so long to make the switch. 

Pros:
Starts and idles better
Quieter
Better gas mileage, hence better range
No mixing oil
No stink
No smoke cloud

Cons:
A bit heaver
I have to change the oil every now and then

70 evinrude on my boat also,did speed or getting up on a plane change..

The Suzuki is a tad faster at top speed.  I did have to add a hydrofoil to help get on plane and counter the extra weight.  My Arima is very stern heavy; 35 gals of gas, battery, kicker and downriggers are all in the stern.

[Special T]

I had a 25hp johnson 2 stroke on my flat bottom 14' duck boat the thing hauled butt. it was rated for 25 with remote steering but  used it as tiller steer. The only time I liked that motor was full open.  all idle speed use was horrible and the motor used a lot of fuel.

I replaced it with a 2020 Suzuki 4 stroke.  Its great because It consumes much less fuel Id dare say half. Low speed use is great, and even tho it has an electric start hand pull is easy. The down side is it is heavy, and the jump back up to 25 hp would have added another 80lbs I can only get the boat up on a plane if it is just me the dog and a bag of decoys and the dog and decoys are in the front. Any more weight and it wont fully plane. Several of my friends have the same motor and didnt experience as big a problem because they have lighter V styled hulls.

[KFhunter]

18hp mercury (old) I couldn't get to run right, to a 20hp Suzuki

The zuke has been great, but the weight is a bit much on the back.  Think I need to brace it up a bit!

On an older kalamath 16' boat

[fishngamereaper]

Pretty much what CP said.

Yamaha or Zuk. Plenty of power to weight ratio. For larger motors play with Prop pitch depending on your needs.

I wouldn't buy a motor from a manufacture that went out of business. Parts will become impossible to find.

[Encore 280]

I think parts for the ETECs will be around for a long long time. Shouldn't need parts anyway.

[Stein]

One company stood alone putting their money and research into 2 strokes.  They went bankrupt in 2000 and now in 2020 during the highest boat sales anyone can remember, BRP retired the brand and engine.  Nobody bought the name or technology or will continue producing the engines.  That probably says a lot.

[Alchase]

Went so well I would never buy another 2-stroke.
My 15 hp Yamaha 4-stroke, could troll at 0.5 mph. Hit 26 mph with four adults in my 13 ft Smokercraft. And 5 gallons of gas would last half the fishing season.
The single best feature, I did not have to inhale 2-stroke smoke all day.

[metlhead]

I miss that 2stroke smell. Grew up in the back of my dad's wooden sled to the sound and smoke from a 65 Johnson Sea Horse jet

[jamesfromseattle]

The weight difference is not quite as big as it used to be. If you’re in the 70 hp range, Yamaha has a really light 4 stroke—at least by 4 stroke standards. Similar to the weight of a 2 stroke.

[rasbo]

You guys are great,thanks so much.i was leaning honda,but found a 4 stroke Yamaha that was a 100lbs lighter,I need that lighter weight,otherwise I have to throw fish back..lol

[Skyvalhunter]

 

[C-Money]

Any Merc engines from the early 2000's out there? The oil injection system was bulletproof, loved mine. Was an easy keeper. Hope you find an engine that meets your needs!

[rasbo]

Holy crap,a 70hp Yamaha 9400 bucks,controls 600 and prop couple hundred, labor,Wow! That's in spokane.still searching

[fishngamereaper]

Call jacobsen's marine see what they quote.
Definitely on the high side. Heck you can get yami controls for 300-350 on line.

[Stein]

Crazy price, it would be worth it to jump on this side of the mountains where you have more volume dealers.

[C-Money]

Cascade Marina in Moses Lake or Bob Feil in Wenatchee quotes on Mercury? Would a Merc save you any $$? Are Mercs really that much worse than a Yamaha?

[Stein]

I have a 2016 Merc 90 CT, best engine I have ever owned.  I have it bluetooth to my phone and the app gives me all the instant readouts I don't need but like to look at as well as storing the maintenance and prompting at the right intervals.  Great power, easy start, runs like perfect.

I don't think they make a 70 though, looks like they jump from 60 to 75.

Honestly, I think the big names probably all make great engines today.

[rasbo]

I'm checking places out,lots of folks are gone right now.

[Blacklab]

Top dollar for yams if you can get them. Thought they were on backorder because of demand.  😉🥃🇺🇸

[jamesfromseattle]

I have a 2016 Merc 90 CT, best engine I have ever owned.  I have it bluetooth to my phone and the app gives me all the instant readouts I don't need but like to look at as well as storing the maintenance and prompting at the right intervals.  Great power, easy start, runs like perfect.

I don't think they make a 70 though, looks like they jump from 60 to 75.

Honestly, I think the big names probably all make great engines today.

Yeah, and I think 75 is just a detuned 90 so the weight to HP ratio isn’t great. At least a few years ago when I last looked for an engine in that range the Yamaha was the only one that filled the “relatively light” 70 HP niche. Everything else was a heavy detuned 90. And at that point you might as well just go with a 90.

I agree all the big brands make good outboards now. I shop based on weight rather than brand loyalty these days.

[rasbo]

Top dollar for yams if you can get them. Thought they were on backorder because of demand.  😉🥃🇺🇸

they are,one dealer said none in country right. Now

[rasbo]

I have a 2016 Merc 90 CT, best engine I have ever owned.  I have it bluetooth to my phone and the app gives me all the instant readouts I don't need but like to look at as well as storing the maintenance and prompting at the right intervals.  Great power, easy start, runs like perfect.

I don't think they make a 70 though, looks like they jump from 60 to 75.

Honestly, I think the big names probably all make great engines today.

Yeah, and I think 75 is just a detuned 90 so the weight to HP ratio isn’t great. At least a few years ago when I last looked for an engine in that range the Yamaha was the only one that filled the “relatively light” 70 HP niche. Everything else was a heavy detuned 90. And at that point you might as well just go with a 90.

I agree all the big brands make good outboards now. I shop based on weight rather than brand loyalty these days.

70 Yamaha is 100lbs lighter than honda,if I buy a new motor Yamaha will be the one I purchase. Weight is paramount to me

[Blacklab]

Having any luck rasbo? 😉🥃🇺🇸

[rasbo]

Having any luck rasbo? 😉🥃🇺🇸

not yet,but I'm liking Clark marine in colville so far

[Cylvertip]

Rasbo howdy, hope your doing well. 

   Do some searching if you haven't already for power comparisons between the motors, even down to the year for any given model.  Not only are there weight differences , but a 70 hp from one company may not actually have as much power as one from another.  There is, or at least their used to be some wide ranging margins on hp ratings.  One could actually be under by 10% or so while another could be over by the same amount.  I have been out of the Marine Industry for quite a while, but I wouldn't doubt that is still the case.  Hell it even happens inside the same brand.  A two stroke vs a 4 that both are stated as the same hp could vary too from inside the same company. 

With all that is available online these days, there has got to be someone that has done the head to head comparisons.  Maybe even Consumer Reports  or more likely  Boat Test (assuming they are still in publication).

Eric

[Stein]

I have a 2016 Merc 90 CT, best engine I have ever owned.  I have it bluetooth to my phone and the app gives me all the instant readouts I don't need but like to look at as well as storing the maintenance and prompting at the right intervals.  Great power, easy start, runs like perfect.

I don't think they make a 70 though, looks like they jump from 60 to 75.

Honestly, I think the big names probably all make great engines today.

Yeah, and I think 75 is just a detuned 90 so the weight to HP ratio isn’t great. At least a few years ago when I last looked for an engine in that range the Yamaha was the only one that filled the “relatively light” 70 HP niche. Everything else was a heavy detuned 90. And at that point you might as well just go with a 90.

I agree all the big brands make good outboards now. I shop based on weight rather than brand loyalty these days.

Not sure about the grey ones, but the black 90 is the same block and cowling size as the 115.  Different crank, computer and a few other things, but same general size and weight.

[Blacklab]

Having any luck rasbo? 😉🥃🇺🇸

not yet,but I'm liking Clark marine in colville so far

Good luck😉🥃🇺🇸