Does anyone have any thoughts on buying Shipmate two-stroke oil at $6.95 compared to Merc oil at $16 to $18 a gallon? Shipmate claim that by using their product, it won’t void the warrenty. I’m all for paying more money…if there is a differance. 
Thanks in advance!
Brian
There was a discussion about this a while back, here’s a link to the forum.
http://www.in-depthangling.com/forums/river/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=equipment&Number=55392&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
My personal feeling is that the Shipmate runs better in my 50HP Merc than the Merc oil did.
Greg
Brian – I have a 1990 70 hp Yamaha that has always run great. I have always run the generic TCW-3 2 cycle engine oil from Walmart. The oil I am running is call Super Tech – in my opinion it is as good as the name brand oil.
I ran that ShipWreck 
…I mean ShipMate oil for a while on another boat, never again. The oil did not burn clean, smoked terribly, smelled awfull, fouled the plugs and so on. After only a few hours of use I noticed a big buildup of soot comming out of the exhust! I certainly would never run it in an injection system.
I think there are better “Generic” oils out there like Pennzoil or Valvoline that you can get at most gas stations.
J.
Menards carries Pennzoil at about 8-9 bucks/gallon. I’ve been running it for a few years now in a 15 and 110 with no problems.
Gander Mountain in rochester has Penzoil synthetic blend for 10.00 a gallon. 
Guys, I used to think that oil was just oil. However, it isn’t. There are different viscosities and chemical configurations from each manufacture. Always, ALWAYS, go with the recommended oil that the manufactures states, and AVOID generic brands. The results are a difference of loosing potentially 30% of a motor’s life expectancy under normal usage. However, if you only plan on keeping the motor for a few years, as most people do, and you don’t want to invest the extra coule of bucks, because you want to buy a box of night crawlers, then go with the walmart brand. Remember that Force was just a generic brand as well….
I personally have seen some big differences in performance between the cheapest of oils and the more premium products. Amsoil burns cleaner with less smoke with a smoother idle than the shipmate price range products. I’ve not noticed much of a difference between the $10 – 12 glallon products to be able to suggest one descisively over the others but I won’t suggest the low dollar stuff as an equal to the top end oils.
I personally won’t run anything but the good brand motor oil in my motors [Johnson outboard brand] because I figure the motors are way too expensive to use cheap stuff. I do get it by the gal. from my dealer who refills my gal jug from his 55 gal. drum so I do save a couple dollars on every gal. that way. Thanks, Bill
In a four-stroke or an inboard, I would probably agree wholeheartedly with what Gary said. The problem is that within those systems, oil is resident in the crankcase and is pumped throughout. This inevitably leads to some sludge buildup in both the pan/crankcase and the oil passageways within the block and heads.
When you switch brands of motor oil (again, four stroke or inboard), you run the risk that the detergents present in “brand Y” will knock loose residue from “brand X” and clog or hamper oil flow, with drastic results.
In a two-stroke, the oil condenses out of the gas under pressure and heat when it passes through the crankcase. Because of the heat on the metal parts, they get the most oil. In that lubrication system, the oil is essentially ‘passing through’ and there is none resident, so I had assumed no residual or sludge. I may have to rethink that a little bit in light of what was said.
Another opinion that I’d held onto for a while now is that the primary differentiating factor in crankcase oils was their resistance to heat and breakdown. If you changed your oil often and on schedule, it would likely not make for any problems running cheap oil. Since two-stroke oil is only resident in the crankcase for a short period of time, I would have then said that the brand is even less important.
Google groups turned up a gigantic thread on this also. My newsreader won’t let me post a direct link, but here are some of the more interesting posts on it:
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No, this isn’t official info, but my nose doesn’t lie. Smell the Quicksilver and then the Wal-mart or Lubrimatic and you’ll find one difference……….Mercury puts ALOT of ammonia in as a cleaning solvent.
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There was a report done in one of the boating mags last year regarding this. While I don’t have this mag or the report it went something like this. (In everday language of course).. The oil classifications have specs which must be met to qualify them for a specific grade i.e. TCW II or TCWIII. Within these specs lies a certain tolerance. Best described as .. If the oil was to carry a rating of TCWIII then it would need to fall in the tolerance range of 5 – 10. This is where the less expensive oils come into play. They fall within the lower portion of this tolerance range somewhere around 5 or 6. Your name brands, and BTW, Yamaha Lube was rated the highest, fall in the higher end of this tolerance range.
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One problem with “store brand” oils is that their quality is not consistent from batch to batch. The big chains often buy from different refiners at different times, so you may get Texaco one time and Citgo the next.
My personal favorite:
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But does exceeding a MINIMUM requirement make the cheap oils as good as the more refined, (and more expensive) oils? One bowl of “Total” exceeds the Minimum daily requirement of vitamins set by the USDA – does that mean one bowl of cereal per day, with no additional food is a healthy diet? -No. Minimums are minimums, not an indication of relative quality.
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The club that I am in most people run Merc’s from 150-225 XRi. For the past two seasons I know that two of these peole have only used OMC TCW-III and have never had a problem. The reason is that we have a local dealer that sells bulk OMC TCW-III for 9.95 a gallon.
This dealer also claims that OMC and Quicksilver are the same, except for the die that is added. He told me that both come from Gulf oil
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There is also a very high probablity that your favorite generic oil is EXACTLY the same as one of the name-brands because they all ultimately come from the same oil company (Exxon, Mobil, etc). What’s even funnier is that his may change from year-to-year as these resellers change their suppliers due to better deals or other business reasons. So your WalMart oil may be OMC oil this year and Yamalube next year.
The specs for oils are tight enough that you would have to run an engine for 100000 hours to see a difference between the upper and lower end. The manufacturing variance alone could easily account for an oil even from the same manufacturer wandering between the low and high end of the various TCW-III specs.
This is all simply misplaced brand-name loyalty and succumbing to hype. I challenge any reader to post proof that the brand-name oils are in fact better.
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OMC/Merc/Yam were all involved in writing the TCW-III standard. I can’t see that they would then take OEM oil to those specs and tinker with it (essentially saying that they didn’t believe their own input to the spec) thus wasting lots of R&D money
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I spoke to the Mercury High performance people and it was suggested that my warranty might be voided if I did not use Quicksilver oils. I have two 200 offshore Mercs driving a Fountain 31 SFC and these motors burn oil and fuel rapidly when we are running above cruise. I belong to Sam’s Club and Texaco TCWIII is $16.90 for three gallons. I called the Texaco people and was informed that if Mercury required Quicksilver Oil, they would have to furnish the oil for the period of the warranty. I believe that it is the Magnunson Act that requires the manufacturer to furnish required solvents. The people at Texaco were most helpful and furnished several papers on TCWIII oils and indeed it seems that there is little difference in them other than price. I also read an article in Powerboat reports that indicated that the real difference was between TCW II and TCW III.
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My brothers in the oil and petroleum business and he’s always used Texaco outboard oil and insisted that as long as the oil met the same specs it was the same. He finally convinced me and I was happily using “other than Mercury” oil for a while and then I ate a ring. The mechanic who worked on my boat told me he thought he could tell the difference between motors who’d used the quicksilver oil and those who hadn’t.
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one of the Yamaha factory reps that hits the shows
made several key points about oil:– The TCW-III spec is very tight. Any oil that meets TCW-III is acceptable.
– The above comment is not true for TCW-II.
– All three major brands (Merc/OMC/Yam) are produced by the same mfgs. Mainly the dye is different.
– All three major brands worked together to develop the TCW-III spec because II was so loose.
Allright, enough is enough. They continue on like that, but here is the executive summary:
1. People in the oil business, outboard business, and magazine “consumer reports” type articles say that there is little difference between brand names that sign up for the same specifications (TCW-III).
2. People who have had a bad experience with a motor crapping on them tend to run the more expensive oil, probably more for their own peace of mind more than anything.
Oh, also and extremely interesting sidenote:
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One word of caution with the new TCW-III oils is the grade of fuel that you run along with it. With the new oil there is a lot of dtergent that is mixed right in with it. This is also true with the higher grade fuels. We have been advised by Mercury and OMC not to mix the two. If you run TCW-III run a 87 or 88 Octoane. If you run a TCW-II run a higher octane 90-92.
Now for a personal opinion. Consider for a minute what business Yamaha, Merc, and OMC are in. They ain’t in it for the 50 cents/gallon they get for putting their name on a jug of oil. Their primary concern is that an oil meets the specifications set forth such that they won’t end up eating a lot of cost on warranty repairs. This is why those three were all involved in generating the specificaion for TCW-III.
Now imagine you’re an oil company and run the risk of putting out a substandard product and label it TCW-III compliant. How many motors are the ‘big three’ outboard manufacturers going to fix before they come collectively hunting for your sorry butt. No thanks.
I only use Johnson oil and have never had a problem with it. I get it bulk so it saves me a little.
Gator Hunter
Thanks guys! I guess I should have know. It’s like asking what’s better..ford or CHEVY!
My motor runs good (although it has a little shake at low end) and I’ve used both. I did the math on Comanchero’s 13 year old Yammer with some personal experiance included. Using about 52 gals of “cheap” oil compared to 52 gals. of “name brand” oil, I would have spent just under $500 more over the 13 problem free years by using the big buck stuff.
I’m glad I went back to the thread to re read some info! Thanks Gianni! You answered my quesions before I could ask it! Which was: If all this oil meets the twc -ll or lll specs, what’s the differance?
I also have some friends that run premium in thier boats, even though the mfr states regular unleaded is recommended. Seems like a waste of money to me, although my truck runs much better after I wash it 
Thanks again!
I have been debating the switch from QuickSilver to Amsoil for awhile. Has anybody done the switch and what did they notice? I am looking for less smoke at trolling speeds and perhaps smoother trolling with my Merc 60 2 stroke. With QuickSilver it seems to act up and put out quite a cloud and run jerky intermittently.
Thanks for the info,
Ferny.
Ferny.It won’t hurt to try it…see if you like it.As I’ve stated in past posts,I’ve ran Amzoil in my ’83 Mariner 25 hp(Yamaha under the skin)for almost 20 years and I love it.Never a problem with it.Mike
I have recently changed from quicksilver to amzoil in my 97 merc 40hp and wont go back, i noticed a difference after the 1st tank, a lot less smoke and no engine rattle at slow trolling speeds.
just my .02
Cattin_Addict
so would you advise using amsoil over merc oil for a 2 stroke outboard. i think half of my problem is that my motor needs a tune up bad. I stall out when i troll at slow speeds, has no pickup when you hit the gas. it is really slugish and takes a while to get its butt moving. when i get on it, i wanna go. do you think that oil may have something to do with it? i have to premix my gas and oil!
thanks
shane
For what its worth.
http://www.goa-northcoastoil.com/tips/2cycleol.html
This debate rages on amongst my other hobby, sledding. My diploma and experience is in small engines not outboards but suffice to say, oil is not as complicated as you think. Most of them are blended to be semi-synthetic in Plymouth, MN by Lube-Tech(Toro, Lawnboy, Cat, Polaris, Yamaha, Cabelas, etc) and I believe they now have the contract for Phillips Injex. Your dealer does not have a refinery out back supplying XYZ OEM oil for your motor, its done on bids just like many things in this world. The base oils are mostly similar, the differences being the additive package(synthetics) specified to make them more ashless/smokeless. When I buy oil it is in a 55 gallon drum at $7-9 per gallon and everybody in our group shares. No heavy carbon, no ring sticking. The Arctic Blue snowmobile has been very good for us as has the Shipmate in the outboards. The filthiest motor I ever disassembled had lived on Amsoil. I like the Shipmate because it is poly-isobutolene(less smoke) and the price is right. It has been flawless in our Johnsons, don’t know how it will act in a Ficht motor. The only reason we quit Lube-Tech is they got proud and the price on Pennzoil and Injex started going up to their customers which raised the price for all of us.
Great info Hugh,
Thank you very much !! 
Follow the GOA-Northcoast Oil link, print out the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement act and slap it on your dealers counter. You’ll see them stammer.
I’ll just make it easy.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act Affects Engine Warranties
Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, a marine, snowmobile or other engine manufacturer can make a warranty conditional on the use of a specific brand of motor oil or related lubricant ONLY if those products are provided free of charge.
The warranty statement in the manual is the only warranty which is official and a mechanic or dealer has no authority to supersede this statement. This Federal Law Prohibits dealers/mechanics to require the use of and OEM or specific brand of oil unless the dealer/mechanic can prove to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that, (1) no one else has an oil which will work, or (2) they must provide the oil to you free of charge for the required warranty period.
If the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) product is not provided free of charge, the manufacturer must produce a Federal Trade Commission waiver exempting it from the conditions of the Magnuson-Moss Act.
Good info to know hugh 
Thanks!
Hugh, can you post a link to this info too !! Thanks
Broader terms;
MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT
United States Code Annotated
Title 15 Commerce and Trade
Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties
15 Section 2302
“(c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if:
1) The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and
2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest
Link to government speak written by lawyers;
Thank you sir !!
Top oil and clean gas for my boat .Having an oil injected motor I feel better seeing some smoke at start up.
“The filthiest motor I ever disassembled lived on Amsoil” Being an Amsoil user and in no way able to match wits with an outboard mechanic,I called Amsoil and questioned them on this.Without more info than just this statement,they could not be of much help but,they did pose a few questions.What was the motor brought in for repair?Was the mix too rich?Was the motor set to run too rich?They were at a loss to explain a dirty motor when,just the opposite should be expected when using their product.After all,you use half the amount of Amsoil to gas ratio,as you do regular 2 cycle oil.This has always been my (uneducated)understanding too.I need a little more convincing than one simple blanket statement before I’ll go back to regular 2 cycle oil.Mike
As I stated, my background is not outboards but small engines. I have several acquaintances who buy Amzoil as well as a nephew who recently tried it in his pickup and promptly lost oil pressure and dropped some serious coin on the repair. The motor I had open was a 3800-mile 440 liquid snowmobile engine for fresh seals, pistons . The pump cable had been adjusted to the point that he regularly used oil at 60:1-75:1 range. His carb jetting is run 1 size over optimum piston wash to compensate for what passes for good fuel in MN I have never seen such sticky rings, carboned pistons, exhaust ports and y-pipe before. At first glance the y-pipe deposits were so bad I thought he had run it lean and deposited aluminum in it. The crankshaft could best be described as gooey. I personally will not use it, others swear by it. You have to decide your own comfort zone as with any product.
Hugh,you went over my head with some of that technical stuff but,wouldn’t a 60:1-75:1 mix be a richer mix than the 100:1 mix Amsoil recomends when using their 2 cycle oil and wouldn’t that help explain the dirty engine?
Doesn’t explain it to me, not when he switched to the $7 oil and everything is clean after an additional 1000 miles with no pump adjustment whatsoever. No more deposits on the piston crowns, we can now reasonably read piston wash with the Bend-a-lite. Amsoil claiming to be better at 100:1 doesn’t convince me, I know of hopped up motors with the pumps removed and running Klotz at 50:1 pre-mix that are spotless. The difference between 75:1 and 100:1 is .37 oz per gallon, about a teaspoon in the Ratio-Rite cup.
This is getting carried away, I only provided the information to save people money, not to start the same controversy that ties up snowmobilers for hours. If you are happy with Amsoil you probably will be fine but there are cheaper alternatives that will work.
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