Etec or Yamaha

[ozlad]

Hello, i need help or advise on motor brand and the difference between the Etec and Four stroke.

About to purcahse a 4.5m polycraft drifter and i'm undecided on brand of motor. I'm tossing up between the 6o hp Etec and Yamaha. Apparently the Etec has a better bottom and mid range for getting out of the hole. Has anyone had experience with the etec and are they on par with the yamaha fourstoke?

Cheers,

[dog pound]

gday ozlad, i have a 90hp etec now has 150hrs, its perfect, still get the oily smell sometimes while trolling, power and fuel consuption is brillant, my mate has same size baot as mine but a tinnie with a 80hp yamy 4stroke consumption is the same if not a little worse than mine, it is quiter at idle but i feel there is no difference while underway,they are big and heavy and your poly is already a heavy for its size rig,there is pro's and cons for both and plenty of arguments about both but i can definiatly give the nod for a etec, happy shopping,

im heading offshore in the morning from cleveland, if your in the area i would be happy to take you for a spin and show the etec side..

[ozlad]

Dog Pound,

Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately i will be working...

Mate appreciate the insite, i just don't trust salesman and wanted to here from people who actually the ETEC.

Thanks again.

OZlad

[crazywalrus]

Hello, i need help or advise on motor brand and the difference between the Etec and Four stroke.

About to purcahse a 4.5m polycraft drifter and i'm undecided on brand of motor. I'm tossing up between the 6o hp Etec and Yamaha. Apparently the Etec has a better bottom and mid range for getting out of the hole. Has anyone had experience with the etec and are they on par with the yamaha fourstoke?

Cheers,

Hi - A lot of your motor choice relates to your type of fishing and where you fish. A Few Questions.

1. Are you planning to cross a bar? (this is the main reason for the "out of the hole" question

2. Are you planning to troll?

3. Where are you planning to fish - river, impoundment, estuary, bay or outside?

Personally I would not touch an Etec but this usually generates some passionate discussions. For me the choice would be between Suziki and Yamaha 4 strokes. I think for a boat your size the best choice would be a 4 stroke. Fuel efficient and reliable.

I think the 300 hour service claims are not achievable on the etec. There is not a gear oil around that can last that long. What happens if you do not use the boat and it takes 5 years to get 300hours. How is the oil going to be then? If you mainly fish in estuaries with sand bars than the impeller is never going to last 300 hours. When buying my motor I spoke to a lot of mechanics and the feedback on the Etec was very mixed while the Yamaha's and Suziki had pretty consistent feedback.

Cheers Ted

[ozlad]

Hi Ted,

Thanks for the feed back.

I will primarily fish the bay from the river to Tangas. I will occasionally cross the bar between north straddie and Morton, but my main focus will be the northern bay area.

I was set on getting the Yamaha, but was willing to go the etec if it gave me more confidence crossing the bar.

[aussie123]

I tend to agree with crazyboy here about looking at a Yammy or Suzy.

The Etecs are an incredible engine but they have suffered massive failure rates in the past which has turned a lot of people off them.

They do seem to have solved these issues now but this newer generation of Etecs have still not been around long enough yet to really tell how they are going to pan out in the long run.

Etecs and 4 strokes are running on par with fuel consumption these days and most peoples choice comes down to servicing costs and oil costs.

Etec oil is dearer than gold and takes the shine of owning one but a 4 stroke servicing cost is exorbitant these days so in the end there is not much cost difference in them over a period of time.

Another great engine to throw into the equation is the Tohatsu Direct Injection range.

They are a bullet proof engine and probably as economical as any other engine.

Most engines these days are made up from a lot of Tohatsu parts and they even rebadge some of the engines for other companies like Mercury.

Have fun choosing,lol

Lance

[Bri The Pom]

How many times has this question been asked, in my experience which is limited, but i have asked this question to everybody when i was looking

I have an 90 etec and i think its great on power economy and reliabilty. The no service claim is 300 hrs or 3 years, mine is 3 years in june and will cost me about 600 bucks.

They are smelly when trolling and slightly noisier at idle but superb otherwise, dont forget you do have to add oil to the resevoir, but not alot.

I have found the people who. bag the etec have never owned one,put money on it.

Would i buy another etec,yes for sure but i would seriously look at suzuki first.

Hope this helps, just shout if you want to try it.

Bri.

[straddiebrad]

How many times has this question been asked, in my experience which is limited, but i have asked this question to everybody when i was looking

I have an 90 etec and i think its great on power economy and reliabilty. The no service claim is 300 hrs or 3 years, mine is 3 years in june and will cost me about 600 bucks.

They are smelly when trolling and slightly noisier at idle but superb otherwise, dont forget you do have to add oil to the resevoir, but not alot.

I have found the people who. bag the etec have never owned one,put money on it.

Would i buy another etec,yes for sure but i would seriously look at suzuki first.

Hope this helps, just shout if you want to try it.

Bri.

i agree here when etecs first come out they had a lot of problems but now there going strong and are a great engine,i dont have one but starting to here a lot of goodfeed back now this will be my next engine. .

[ozlad]

Thanks for the feed back. The suzuki is 2K more than any other brand of motor, so i have ruled it out all together. I'd be more than happy with the Yamaha or Etec + get a HDS sounder for the price of a suzuki.

I appreciate all the feedback, the yamaha is 1k cheaper than the Etec and i'm finding it hard to justify the extra $$ for the etec.

thanks again for the feed back. I have a big decision to make...

[shortie]

I love my 90 ETEC

quiet and fuel efficient.

If people main problem with the Etec is the 300hr service regime, the answer is simple

Service it more more in line with other manufacturers.

Your going to hear good and bad about all outboards on the market.

But from my experince the Etec has not missed a beat.

But back to the 300hr schedule. and the gear box oil statement.

Does oil deteriate with time or with use?

the is a very interesting question and there are experts that will argue both sides.

[1tiger]

I have a polycraft 5.3 warrior with a 115Ho etec. I choose this setup simply because the poly's are heavy and you need max power and the bottom end torque to help get it out of the hole. Unfortunately the engine manufactures rarely give out torque curves to give a true comparison of how an engine is going to behave. Either way the main thing is to have someone that knows how to fit, adjust and prop the engine to get the most out of it on your rig.

cheers

Jonno

[haines490slc]

Thanks for the feed back. The suzuki is 2K more than any other brand of motor, so i have ruled it out all together. I'd be more than happy with the Yamaha or Etec + get a HDS sounder for the price of a suzuki.

I appreciate all the feedback, the yamaha is 1k cheaper than the Etec and i'm finding it hard to justify the extra $$ for the etec.

thanks again for the feed back. I have a big decision to make...

go the yammie.

[Bi_polar]

The main beef i have with E-Tec's is the cost of the oil....Sure they use half the amount of oil to a conventional 2 stroke but it cost twice as much and when you get in a boat like Ted's (crazywalrus) with an "A" series 90hp Suzuki and do 150 nautical miles out to the Barwon Banks and use 80 litres of fuel???????

It's like WTF!! .... what E-Tec will do that.

[shortie]

the etec using the good oil mixes it at 300:1 and yes the oil is expensive but the mix ration makes it cheaper in the long run.

[Manni79]

I own a 75 etec - also my first boat/motor

The 300 hour service I beleive is a great marketing campaign by Evinrude backed up by a lot of fine print.

Having said that I have heard of people since buying mine that they are close to 300 hours and not serviced it once!!!

I bought mine 11 months old with 30 hours on it and by 50 hours had it serviced due to carbon build up in the injectors. Speaking with Evinrude this was not even something i could claim under warranty. Root cause of the issue being many hours spent by previous owner trolling at low speeds and not giving the motor a good strap afterwards to flush em!!! one thing I have learned about my etec, it loves to go fast!!!

Other little items like if a spark plug dies, it doesn't fall under 300 hour warranty and you can't replace them yourself as they need to be alligned a specific way so, you fork out like 30/40 bucks for these plugs plus labour for the install etc...

It's not great for trolling speed in estuaries and yes it can smell - personally i don't troll much and mainly just cruise/fang it from A - B

After saying the above, i love me etec and would get another one if i bought another boat, i love the sound of them and the economy is amazing !!! the have great power in my opinion and gets me from A - B in no time

[ellicat]

There has been some funny things said so far in this thread, some relevant and some not. Those in the know will know.

The answer is as long as the motor you get doesn't break down you are more than likely to be happy with it and in future threads like this you will recommend it. If you buy a lemon (probably an equal chance no matter which) you will hate them forever.

You can always play with the type of prop to change the performance to what you want.

Whatever you do, don't

Get a Force ! :woohoo:

[regulated]

Other little items like if a spark plug dies, it doesn't fall under 300 hour warranty and you can't replace them yourself as they need to be alligned a specific way so, you fork out like 30/40 bucks for these plugs plus labour for the install etc...

True about the plugs. My mech has to carry a LOT of plugs, says they have to point a specific direction to get the optimum burn so you may need to try 3-4 plugs in each spot to find the right one for that cylinder. Nearly everything is an involved process to fix so has to be an experienced or a dealer repairer. Told they aren't worth the hassle but as everyone has said the new ones seem great. Maybe they took all the complaints on board and now have a great product.

I'm a yami fan. My bikes have been reliable for years and the boat has been great too. Mate a 3 grand difference between yami and suzi could get you a massive HDS or humminbird, even the $1000 gets a good SI/DI hummy. I know what I would go for.

[haines490slc]

Mate a 3 grand difference between yami and suzi could get you a massive HDS or humminbird, even the $1000 gets a good SI/DI hummy. I know what I would go for.

and it will buy you a lot of fuel and the engine won't rust out in a few years like suzies have a reputation for they don't call them disprins for nothing :evil: there is a reason Suzuki don't offer corrosion warranty.

[e-fish-n-sea]

ive owned suzuki/yamaha and a merc im now running a 175hp etec 2012 model best motor ever starts 1st time every time.loads of power across the range quiet i looked at every motor on the market and kept goin back to etec i troll and i cant say ive noticed the smell which comes with the 2 stroke as for the 300hr services i plan to take it in every 100hrs anyway for a check over/leg oil etc hope this helps

[Dubbzy]

I'd say...resale. Thing about resale.

If you have a look at the second hand market as it is today, all boats with etec sell well below all other brands.

For good reason, would you want to but a 3-5 yr old motor or even older that you know received no servicing in the first 3 yrs.

You can also approach this a different way. Ring a boat yard with an etec sales man and hear the no servicing etc. then hang up call back and ask to speak with the service manager. Tell him you just got a boat with a new etec on the back and what servicing would be best for the life of the motor! You will never get him it tell you to repeat the 3 yr service deal, he will be wanting you in each yr to replace oils and pumps!

That speaks volumes in its self. Hope that helps

[elops]

I have an 2007 etec E40DTLSC on a 4.1 Poly. Got the 300 hours up in 12 months, when they did the service they never had to change the plugs. Take it for a service/check/lube every 100 hrs or 12 months, plugs changed at 400hrs, at 520 hours and just short of 3 years had an injector problem fixed under warranty no probs since.

Often see oil at half price bought extra bottles every time it was on sale.

[Homer4duff]

Have an etec 200 HO on the boat (Haines Signature 610c) and had a bent driveshaft from day one which was replaced under warranty (motor now 6 years old) and apart from seized thermostats caused by lack of use the motor has been really good. I have to do a check to make sure everybody is holding on and not thrown off the back before opening the throttle, it punches out of the hole that hard :-)

The motor on the boat was one of the first in the country so I'm not surprised we had teething problems but anything bought new should be fantastic and drama free.

I need some more Etec oil. Anybody suggest somewhere in Bris that sells it at a reasonable price?

[shortie]

Funny how popel that own etec are saying they are trouble free and people that have not owned them sat they are not.

As for cheap etec oil. Maybe if all owners on here get together we have be able to buy in a bigger quantity bringing the price down. Cuase i will need some shortly as well.

[bootyinblue]

Haven't read all the other opinions to cloud things but will give you my findings. We repowered a 5.2m alloy centre console rescue boat about 12 months ago and looked at the etec versus 4 stroke choice. We needed good fuel economy, environmentally friendly as its used on drinking water dams, quick off the mark, and must start first turn of the key.

Our choice......50HP Suzuki 4 stroke. And got a great price to boot. I can give you the dealers details if you want, it will only cost a phone call for a price.

[Bommie]

go suzi 4 stroke

[Hunter]

I had a 90 hp etec on last boat. Bought brand new sold 5 years later with 570 hours and not one slip up. Was a fantastic motor.

However, they do have a reputation for some breakdowns - and would think twice about buying another given advances in 4 strokes.

Just bought new boat and went with a Suzuki 4 stroke. Couldn't be happier.

[Bri The Pom]

Have an etec 200 HO on the boat (Haines Signature 610c) and had a bent driveshaft from day one which was replaced under warranty (motor now 6 years old) and apart from seized thermostats caused by lack of use the motor has been really good. I have to do a check to make sure everybody is holding on and not thrown off the back before opening the throttle, it punches out of the hole that hard :-)

The motor on the boat was one of the first in the country so I'm not surprised we had teething problems but anything bought new should be fantastic and drama free.

I need some more Etec oil. Anybody suggest somewhere in Bris that sells it at a reasonable price?

Just got some more from tournament boats in springwood just up from ikea 65 bucks.

[shortie]

Im currently waiting for a price back for shipping from the states on

Evinrude ETEC XD-100 2-Cycle Oil Gallon Case (6 pack)

MSRP: $269.94 American

Web Discount Price: Only $177.77 American - Currently Low Stock, new orders ship in 7-10 days

Depending on what the freight price is this works out very cheap.

Anyone interested in a group buy.

Buying a 55 gallon drum worked out only about $2 american cheaper but im guessing frieght will kill.

[Homer4duff]

Thanks Bri,

Seems that's the going rate from Etec dealers. I got quoted $85 from Northside marine this morning.

Shortie,

Let us know what you get quoted shipped to your front door.

Ta