I’m purchasing a new Alumacraft and am down to the details of choosing the motor. I’ve narrowed my choices to the Yamaha F150 4-stroke or the Evinrude Etec 150. Anyone have good/bad experience with either of these motors? Any thoughts on ongoing maintenance of a 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke?
I used to run Yamaha’s and they make a fine motor. In 2004 I switched to Evinrude because of the ETEC. That motor is amazing, both in power and performance. The motor is a solid performer, has a lot of power and top end, uses very little oil after the computer driven break-in period, is very fuel efficient and starts with ease. I have never had a motor start so well. No matter what the temperature is, I can get in and turn the key and it fires right up. I am sold on the ETEC technology 
Wow, tough call. Sure is a nice decsion to have to make. I put an F150 on my boat last year and love it. It is powerful, quiet, fuel efficient and starts easier than my car. At the time I considered waiting for the 150 or 175 Etec, but decided to go with a proven performer. I am happy with my choice. I think the Etec would have a little more low end torque. The Yamaha is quieter. Take them both for a ride. PM me if you want to check out the F150. You’ll probably be happy either way.
EJ
I use a 4 stroke Evinrude. The motor is very, very quiet. If not up on plane it’s tough to hear the motor.
How are the Etec’s on noise?
I saw a Mercury 4 stroke last night and man was that thing noisy in comparison. It was probably 70% as loud as the older 2 strokes in the same HP class.
Eye,
I don’t think you can make a wrong choice with either of these motors. If you go Etec, make sure you try to get the extended warranty I’ve heard about. Maybe it’s standard, Scott???
4 stroke ‘Rude = Suzuki powerhead
I think that to make a decision, besides actually trying out the motors, you should also consider the size of weights of the Etecs vs the Yammmy 4 strokes. If they are going to be significantly different, then it would matter a lot. But if not, then…tough decision. For me, I have a 115 Yammy…very happy with it. No experience with Etec tho’ but I know they are smaller, lighter, and probably better low end torque. But I did not consider it because of cost.
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4 stroke ‘Rude = Suzuki powerhead
That would be Johnson, and they have exited the joint venture.
This is very helpful. The Etec is about 50 lbs lighter than the Yami and everything I read points to Etec as a motor that will require less maintenance. I know a few guys with the Yami F115 and they love the motor – only drawback to 4-stroke is weight and extra moving parts.
The dealer has both outboards in stock, but is recommending Etec.
I recently bought a 90 HP E-Tec and had my choice of a rebate of $4.00 per HP or an extended non-depreciating warranty for a total of seven years. Of course, I took the warranty.
Aside from winterizing, which you can do yourself, no maintenance is required for three years. The motor starts instantly, has great acceleration and idles nicely.
I just picked up my 150 hp e-tec and my new 1850 Crestliner Fish Hawk this week. Wow!! I am highly impressed with this motor. When i fire it up it just runs so quietly at idle and even at top end speed it’s real quiet! As far as performance I am just extremely pleased with how it shoots me up on plane instantly! When I hit the throttle it really moves me out of the water! I am going to have my dealer switch the prop this week because i’m not quite getting my max rpms out of the prop. I’m only reaching 51 mph (according to GPS) at 4700 rpms with a 21 pitch prop. I’m supposed to be a little higher (5300 rpm), so I’m going to test out a few props. I think I may get even a little more top end speed if i do this.
The Yamaha is a nice motor too, but as far as i can tell this new 150 hp e-tec is going to be a really great motor for me. I only have about 4 hours of run time on my motor so far. One big thing that sold me on the e-tec is the 7 year warranty. i don’t think this has ever happened in the marine industry before now. Good luck with your decision I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice.
Finally made my decision and went with the Etec 150. I think both Yamaha and Evinrude make great motors, but I really like the performance and low maintenance of the Etec. Dealer should have the boat ready by Friday – can’t wait to give it a try!
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Finally made my decision and went with the Etec 150. I think both Yamaha and Evinrude make great motors, but I really like the performance and low maintenance of the Etec. Dealer should have the boat ready by Friday – can’t wait to give it a try!
Congratulations! I just love the 150 e-tech. Keep me posted on how your prop works! I’m going to have my dealer try putting on a 19 pitch 3 blade stainless prop sometime next week. He thought I’d be able to get a little more RPMs out of the new prop and possibly pick a few more mph too. I’m curious to see how yours is rigged and how it works out. You will love the power that this motor offers!
Congratulations again!
RJ
I have the 150 E-Tec on my new Lund 1800 Explorer. Runs great so far. Got about 10 hours of run time on it. Rigged all the way down with a 19″ SST prop. Runs 52 GPS at about 5500 rpm. Enjoy
Finally have the new boat and Etec 150. The dealer installed a 21″ prop and I’m not getting the RPMs and speed I had expected. For those of you who have a Etec – have you tried a 19″ prop? Better results?
How many RPM’s are you turning and which prop do you have? There are so many different props to try before you get everything right, especially with a new outboard on the market.
I am curious. What type of boat, what is the HP rating and how many RPM’s are you turning. I have a 90HP E-TEC with a 19 pitch prop on a 16 foot Crestliner Fish Hawk and GPS top speed is 43 MPH. The RPM range is 4,500 to 5,500 and the boat’s top RPM’s are about 4,900. I am satisfied, but my kid keeps telling me if I go with a 17 inch prop i might get as much as 45 MPH.
Smaller prop will give you better hole shot but may give less top speed, at least that is my understanding. 17″ prop seens too small for a 90HP on a 16′ rig. At 43 mph I would say that you are doing extremely well.
I still have not had a chance to try out the 19 pitch stainless steel prop because it is on backorder. Hopefully it will arrive sometime this week. I will keep you all posted when i get the chance to try it out. If anyone else has any experience with the 19-pitch prop on the 150 hp E-tec, please share your info so that we can all compare results.
I’m running an Alumacraft Tournament Pro 175 – I think the boat itself is about 1400 lbs. Last week I had three small kids and wife along for the ride – RPMs maxed out at about 4700 and GPS speed was 44 mph.
I’m guessing that a 19″ prop buy me a few extra RPMs and MPHs.
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