150 Yamaha 4 Stroke vs. 150 Evinrude E-Tech

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Hey riggiing guy why would anyone in their right mind buy a 4 stroke.

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DB’s. I prefer quiet and I’ll take my chances with that motor 10 years from now.

If a Honda 4-stroke car can run for 200-300k miles, why wouldn’t a short-stroke, 4-stroke hold up for many, many years?

I agree there are less moving parts of a 2 stroke, but any high-horsepower 2 stroke is going to blow powerheads. That is Yamaha, Merc, and Evinrude 2 strokes.

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If a Honda 4-stroke car can run for 200-300k miles, why wouldn’t a short-stroke, 4-stroke hold up for many, many years?

I agree there are less moving parts of a 2 stroke, but any high-horsepower 2 stroke is going to blow powerheads. That is Yamaha, Merc, and Evinrude 2 strokes.

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Are these 4 stroke engines made to run at 5-6,000 RPMs for prolonged periods of time? Most cars I know of run around 2,000 RPMs.

Shrek – you mentioned Honda. Why is it when you see these debates, Honda is seldom mentioned? You see the other 4-strokes talked about a lot, but seldom see Honda brought up – either in a good or bad light. I have a ’01 Honda 130hp. Other than the size and weight (bugger holds 6 quarts of oil!), I think it is a great motor. I would definately buy another. Is Honda just not popular enough to generate opinions, or are the Honda owners just happy enough in general that they don’t mention much?

Tim

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Is Honda just not popular enough to generate opinions, or are the Honda owners just happy enough in general that they don’t mention much?

Tim

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This is purely anecdotal but I see very, very few honda motors pushing boats. Doesn’t matter where I fish or what time of year. I just don’t see them in the numbers you see for Yamaha, Merc or Evinrude. My guess is Honda places very little emphasis on the small midwest freshwater market and focuses on saltwater.

WHen I lived down ‘there’ I also noted that. Up here I see a few more – probably due to the couple of good dealers in the area that sell them. I do not doubt that I am in a small “pocket” of heavier Honda use…..

Tim

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If a Honda 4-stroke car can run for 200-300k miles, why wouldn’t a short-stroke, 4-stroke hold up for many, many years?

I agree there are less moving parts of a 2 stroke, but any high-horsepower 2 stroke is going to blow powerheads. That is Yamaha, Merc, and Evinrude 2 strokes.

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Are these 4 stroke engines made to run at 5-6,000 RPMs for prolonged periods of time? Most cars I know of run around 2,000 RPMs.

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No dude……they are all made to operate at 1000rpms with a redline of 1001rpms.

Come on and think about your response a little.
The vast majority of “Honda cars” operate at a minimum of 3000rpm for normal operating range of prime fuel efficiency/power (cruise speed of 60mph).

The same argument could be applied and dismantled for your I/O outboards too. How many 2.8l V6 chevys or 350 V8 chevys are designed to operate at 5000rpms? Hey, those motors are doing that in boats. Dude, what about big-block, 454 or 502 chevs in the big cruisers? They are operating at 4000 or 5000 rpms. Point is, these are marine motors and are built for the specific purpose.

I didn’t say Honda car motors are in boats.
What I did say that if Honda is smart enough to build a 300k mile car, I think the 4-stroke boat motor is a little more reliable than what is being applied here.

There is only one problem with Honda outboards. They are so quiet that a person can easily forget they are running. I’ve turned the key over a few times while its been running. I see a lot of 40-60 hp Hondas on pontoons up at the cabin. Sorry to get off subject. I’ve ridden in boats powered by Yamaha and Evinrude and they are both great motors. I will say that I asked a sales rep at Frankie’s if he liked the Suzuki or E-Tech more and his response was “If you get the E-tech, we will be good friends by the end of the summer.” He could tell I was confused, so he explained that they see the E-techs in for repair more often. This was 2 years ago, and he said “its just like any manufacturer they’ll get the bugs worked out.”

This always gets to be like a Ford VS Chevy deal and the internet sometimes isnt the best place to get advice on boat motors.Most people will tell you what their running is the best.So heres what I do and I suggest you do.Go to some marine places and look around and try to talk to the mechanics and look around their shop.A good mechanic will tell you what issues he sees in certain motors.I know a few marine mechanics so I generally get some good advice and I wouldnt buy one if I didnt talk to the mechanics first.Boat motors are a lot like cars there are some that run forever with very few problems and there are others that are just lemons.Like James said everyone has a few bad apples out there and a good mechanic will know which ones these are.The more you know or learn about boat motors the easier your choice will be when you go to buy one.4 stroke VS 2 stroke they both have their good and bad points.You just have to figure out which one is best for you.

Scott,
I did order my motor plenty in advance. At the time I worked for the dealer. I ordered the motor so I could show the people around this area the new product BRP had. The rep I talked too told me my motor would be ready two weeks proir to the tourney. I asked him to verify it. He did not. So I had Lund Factory call BRP and ask for the date when it would be delivered. Of course it was too late. The rep would not return my call’s. That is why I canceled the motor. Blowing smoke does not get anywhere with me from a salesman.
Now in response to the 4 stroke question. Look at the new age snowmobile and tell me why the 4 stroke is surpassing the 2 stroke in milage without breakdowns. These sleds run up to 9,000 rpm all day long. The motor’s will take time to prove themselves as a proven winner. Just a question where are all the 2 stroke car’s running these day’s? I dont care who you are that is funny!
Like I said before their is plenty of brand’s out their and plenty of styles of motor’s. Pick the color of your choice and chances are you will be down right happy no matter what brand you pick. Have fun doing it as well.
I choose Yamaha. Why you ask? Because I can!

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If you are looking for a motor for performance then I would go with a 2 stroke. If you want longivity go with a 4 stroke.

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John are you saying that 4 stokes will last longer than 2 stokes? If your answer is yes are you talking the high power motors or mid range motors or would you say all 4 strokes will last longer than 2 strokes?

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The 150 E-tec is over 80 lbs. lighter than the yamaha 150. As far as power, there is no comparison. If you would like, PM me your info, and I can send you DVD showing the 150 E-tec sinking a 150 yammie in a tug of war. Also have great pre season pricing and extended warranty options right now. Walleyebry

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That unbelievably stupid video was one of the reasons i chose yamaha last year , the main reason was the great dealer i went through though.

FWIW – We had my 130hp Honda sitting next to my buddies 200hp Yamaha at a dock. With both motors running, mine drowned his out – significantly louder! I asked a mechanic about that – he told me that the Honda had a timing chain, the Yammy had a belt. I asked what the difference was as far as dependability – he said thy were both winners…..

So as far as quiet being a factor, the Yammy wins hands down.

Tim

Ok, I give up. More weight is great. The more moving parts, the better. Slow is the way to go. New technology sucks. Lets all go back to our lowrance green boxes, Put fresh line on our mitchell 300s with matching 5.5 ft. fiberglass rod, and troll a Lazy Ike. Walleyebry #993

In the 150 class Evinrude also has a 150 E-TEC HO that will have the best hole shot, acceleration and top end of the motors you are comparing.

Good luck with your choice – both companies offer good products and as a consumer it’s great to have choices!

ted

Steve,
Yes I do beleive you will have less mechanical problems with a four stroke. All ranges of horsepower will be the same. How do I know this? It mainly comes from what I seen come in the shop to get fixed. Very seldom did a 4 stroke come in to get worked on. Their was allways a steady supply of two strokes to get worked on.
Walleyebrye,
Not everyone on the water need’s the performance that 2 strokes offer. This is where the 4 stroke come into play. The 4 stroke market is still fairly new. Performance and weight will be worked on in the near future. Just look at dirtbike racing and snowmobile racing and use this as a example. The fourstrokes in both of these sport’s are beating the best that the 2 strokes have to offer. The Verado is just a small piece of the pie to show better performance. The Verado will hang with most 2 strokes out today even with the weight disadvantage. Keep your chin up things are just going to get better in the boat motor world.

Easy now, didn’t mean to make you angry, i just thought that the evinrude ‘infomercial’ was a tad ridiculous. Definetly no need to start bashing on the Lazy Ike!

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Steve,

Yes I do beleive you will have less mechanical problems with a four stroke. All ranges of horsepower will be the same. How do I know this? It mainly comes from what I seen come in the shop to get fixed. Very seldom did a 4 stroke come in to get worked on. Their was allways a steady supply of two strokes to get worked on.

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Thanks for the reply John that is the kind of info I am looking for. What appeals to me about the 90 two stroke is that is does not weigh as much as the 4 stroke, my boat is a 1650 Lund Angler, smaller motor for a smaller boat with the same amount of HP, less weight for a smaller boat is the way I am leaning. How much better gas mileage will the 4 stroke get compared to the 2 stroke? Does the price difference around $2000 justify the better gas mileage you will get? I have a T8 and durring trolling season I put more hours on the T8 than my main motor.

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How much better gas mileage will the 4 stroke get compared to the 2 stroke?

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Steve, a 4 stroke will get worse gas mileage then a DFI 2 stroke.

I dont find the weight of a 4 stroke to be much of an issue.You can fill your livewell or add a little gear and get that much more weight in the boat.They are a touch slower to get up on plane but people make a bigger deal out of this than what it really is.More moving parts doesnt mean more problems in fact it usually means less.When people talk about mileage in boats it cracks me up.OK I get 3 MPG and you get 4.WOW The biggest difference is how you run the throttle.

I think the e-tech is essentially a good motor and cutting edge technology.However when something is new on the market cutting edge technology scares me.Ill wait and see how it holds up in the long run.These things are misers on oil too and that also kind of scares me as far as lubrication.The only thing I have heard about them so far is some lower unit problems but that is only threw the grapvine and I havnt done much research on them.

Everyone knows I like my Yamahas and I am a little partial to them.Heres something to think about.There are a lot of guys running Yamahas out there.When is the last time you heard anyone complaining about one or even having problems with one.Ok one guy mentioned one blew up.I guess nobodys perfect

Do your homework and a little research and you will make a good choice.

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I dont find the weight of a 4 stroke to be much of an issue.You can fill your livewell or add a little gear and get that much more weight in the boat

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Castaway, I always thought the same thing about the weight issue, until I got to use a 4 stroke for 2 days. Same boat I have, same set-up, just a Yamaha 4 Stroke instead of the 225 E-TEC HO I am used to running. The weight difference is very noticeable because the position of the motor. With all that weight hanging off the back, the boat seemed to be to much for the motor. The hole shot was very slow, and in rough waves I had a hard time getting up on top. After those 2 days I was happy to have my Evinrude back. If you have the opporunity to test drive both, the Yamaha 4 stoke and Evinrude E-TEC HO on the same boat, you will notice the difference. Both are good motors and are very reliable, but I would not discount the weight difference, it is noticeable.

Most important, find a dealer that you like and can work with

Question. When a guy blows a power head, is it usually driver error, poor maintenance, or a bad part?

FDR

I am thinking that I can blow any car engine if I really wanted to. Is it the same with boat motors? Just so you know I have never blown either.

Folks that are interested in the differences of the two before purchasing I encourage you to compare on a similiar basis that Scott has detailed. Use the same model of boat with as close as possible load and change only the engines. To be fair you should also note the temperature, humidity and water conditions as all of those have an impact on the amount of HP an engine will produce – one way or another.

With that being said I am very excited to receive my 250 E-TEC HO on the back of my 2008 621 and compare the perfomance over the course of this year to 621/F250’s that I have run for the last few years. Once I have run it I will be able to comment…

For the record I have a Yamaha F150 on the back of my Bennington 2257 RFS triple pontoon. I only had 5 months of use and 120 hours last year – the majority at 1K RPM’s but I have this set-up propped to run righ at 6K RPM’s when empty and it runs 40 MPH upcurrent and has a sub 2 second hole shot. It ran 36 MPH with 8 adults, 3 kids and 2 labs during the heat of the summer so this is a capable engine.

Do the comparison and make your choice and feel confident you made the right decision reguardless of what others feel – you are writing the check and this would be my bottom line!

Good Luck!

Thats exactly the main reason to put the 150 E-tec on my new 620T. The weight issue with a 10hp Johnson 4S and 4 batteries and my big a$$ in the bag of the boat is huge. By the way, my 620 tiller was parked right next to your rig when I picked it up at Rapid. Nice boat Scott. Isnt Bob great to deal with. See you on the water. Walleyebry #993

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I dont find the weight of a 4 stroke to be much of an issue.You can fill your livewell or add a little gear and get that much more weight in the boat

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Castaway, I always thought the same thing about the weight issue, until I got to use a 4 stroke for 2 days. Same boat I have, same set-up, just a Yamaha 4 Stroke instead of the 225 E-TEC HO I am used to running. The weight difference is very noticeable because the position of the motor. With all that weight hanging off the back, the boat seemed to be to much for the motor. The hole shot was very slow, and in rough waves I had a hard time getting up on top. After those 2 days I was happy to have my Evinrude back. If you have the opporunity to test drive both, the Yamaha 4 stoke and Evinrude E-TEC HO on the same boat, you will notice the difference. Both are good motors and are very reliable, but I would not discount the weight difference, it is noticeable.

Most important, find a dealer that you like and can work with

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Ill agree with ya there is a noticable difference but they are 2 different animals.A 2 stroke with less moving parts basically just winds up a lot quicker.Just not a big enough difference to sway me the other way.I did test drive a 619 Ranger with a e-tech on it and it did jump out of the water.But I didnt buy the Ranger either Like I said before it is a give and take deal and both have their different points.Heck Im retired so I got plenty of time to get out of the hole anyway and I like things a lot quieter than I used to.If I want noise Ill take the Harley out for a ride Ive said this for years and I really dont like saying it,when it comes to motors the Japs build a heck of a motor and we like to sell parts.Its not that we cant but there is a heck of a lot of money in parts and service.However due to competition we are closing the gap which is a good thing for the consumer.Well I think we pretty much beat this to death and everyone has some good points and opinions.Im just waiting for the next nice day to pull my boat out and see if the Yamahas starts

Steve,
I have owned the 70 horsepower 2 stroke and the 80 4 stroke. The 4 storke will get way better milage then the 2 stroke that Yamaha has to offer. They dont have a DFI engine in that class. Now compaire this to Optimax or Etec and the milage will be closer. As some one stated above the difference in mpg at wide open is not very much. When the motor’s are at a lower cruising speed the 4 stroke will be way better. Poeple sometime get weight and holeshot confused. The weight of the motor can be compensated when running the right prop. Most shop’s do not spend the time to prop right. Yes the motor still will not have the hole shot or the better top end that a 2 stroke would have. I have set up and propped many boats with fourstrokes on them and gennerally I had to reduce the pitch on the prop to get a good holeshot. When you do this the top speed will be affected. A example would be my boat I have now. I wanted more top end so I went with a higher pitch prop and it made my bottom end lag alittle. Since my top end was 2 mph faster it was not that big of a deal. You will be happy with the 90 2 stroke they are a good engine with very little problems. My boat at the time I owned the 70 was a 17 ft angler tiller. I ran a 17 pitch aluminum Yamaha prop and it went 32mph on the average loaded with 2 guy’s. If I had put a 15 pitch stainless on I think I could have reached close to 36 mph or so. Your boat with a stainless prop with that motor should run 35-40 mph with a stainless prop. Pm me Steve and I could maybe get you a quote on a engine.
The 150 4 stroke is a very good performing engine like Ted mentioned. Ted I was surprised to see you change brand’s.

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Just look at dirtbike racing and snowmobile racing and use this as a example. The fourstrokes in both of these sport’s are beating the best that the 2 strokes have to offer

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Have you noticed they have to use 450 4 strokes vs 250 2 strokes in motocross? The 4 strokes are not beating the 2 strokes if they run cube for cube. The 2 stroke 250’s will walk off and leave a 250 4 stroke, it’s not even close. 2 stroke is still the king.

For power to weight and power per cube, that would be correct.