75 ETEC, on the water!

It has been a long wait, but the 75 Evinrude ETEC tiller that I will be running and reporting on throughout the year has arrived. I will have pictures to post here soon. But, in the mean time, a few initial observations. I was very surprised how compact this motor is. They fit a 75/90 into a 40/50 HP frame! The motor has a unique sound that is very easy on the ears. I am running a 15 pitch prop on a 17.5′ boat, and am getting 35 MPH @ 5K RPM with me and three kids in it. Two adults, she runs about 33 MPH. Out of the hole, this motor is very impressive. Being a 2 stroke, it does not have to spool up power like a 4 stroke. Also, power to weight, the ETEC weighs about 100 lbs. less than a comparable 4 stroke. At idle, she is running about 800 RPM, but I was told it was set high for now, and we will be able to dial it down after a few hours of use. As it sits at 800 RPM, she pushes about 2.8 MPH. I am excited to see how far down we can get it. I will be thrilled to be able to troll down without a kicker. LaCannes did a tremendous job getting me set up and out the door! (Guys, I really appreciated the extra work on the trailer!)
I will be spending a week at Mille Lacs during the full moon, and this rig will be getting a workout! We will all see how this motor performs in all seasons, good or bad!
Tuck

Congrats Tuck, I’ll be looking forward to your reports. Good Luck on Mille Lacs.
dave

Now….. If you can just figure out a way to strap it to the Airplane when you go to work you’ll be in buisness.

I’m looking forward to your future reports.

Out of all the new motors, this one has me the most curious.

I like 4 strokes because of the quietness, fuel efficiency and no smoke factors.

If the ETEC can deliver on those 3 traits and be lighter and troll down to under 2 mph, that’s the motor to have.

That is my thought too. You cannot replace the T-8 or Johnson/Suzuki 9.9 for some of the ultra slow stuff, but I agree, if this motor can get below 2 MPH, and perform like it does at top end, it will be an awesome set-up. I am really looking forward to putting it through it’s paces.