Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

[Maxum21]

hey all, just wondering if theres any significant differences in older carbuerated 2-stroke outboards. i previously had a '93 Merc-Force 90. I now have (as of sat) a 1993 wellcraft with a 115 Yamaha.. Havent had the yama in the water yet,but just from looking it over, it doesnt seem drastically different from my last force o/b.. Anyways i'm considering upgrading my boat with a larger outboard.(now that theres great deals out there) most likey a 150hp. My budget will allow me a '95-'00 carb-2stroke. Is there any brand i should avoid in the 150hp range between those years? is there any noticable deifference between all the big brands? They all seem pretty similar to me, but i'm not a mechanic and i can be way off here. what do you guys think? thanks
Jamie

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

Gossip 101: As the story goes, Yamaha came online late in the season and modeled their line after a successful brand with years of proven reliability.....OMC. As more of the gossip goes, OMC sued them for patent infringement. So with that said, you should see a remarkable resemblance between the brands in the year model area you mentioned.

Force was West Bend, then Chrysler (I had 2 of them) and then Brunswick Marine bought the line and made it part of Mercury which they also acquired. I have picked up on some scuttlebutt since the Bruns purchase and it seems that the Force brand is much better, sharing some Merc parts, than it was previously. There is a guy on here, Frank Acupora (spelling)......from Pennsylvania who swears by them. Go to the Force forum and his name is all over the place.

On the rest, OMC, Merc, Yammie, haven't heard of any big problems with any brand; personally I'd run any of them......however, the black horse is in my barn and for the time being it will stay there. Grin. But I am not a brand specific guy. Give me a quality product that does what I want, at a reasonable price and I can be bought.......

Best I can do,

Mark

 

[Maxum21]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

Mark, thanks for the history lesson!
I actually met Frank C. He bought my old Force lower unit! I actually had fun with my old bayliner/force but it seemed a bit underpowered. Ive read somewhere(maybe here)that unlike other brands, forces put out less hp than the same size o/b of another brand. Dont know how true that is...have you ever heard that?

 

[robert graham]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

I've run Yamaha 2 strokes for 25+ years and never had any problems with any of them. I prefer the premix carb models for their simplicity and ease of maintenance, understand some of the newer HPDI, injected 2 and 4 strokes require maintenance of extra fuel pumps, filters, injectors, etc. Whatever motor you buy, just be sure to maintain clean, fresh, stabilized fuel by using the Stabil Marine all the time and install a fuel/water separator. I also use the Yamaha Ringfree all the time and drain carbs a couple of times a year just to be sure they're totally clean. My present motor is a 1999 90HP 2 stroke premix and I've never touched the carbs for cleaning, motor runs just like a new one! So far, so good. Good Luck!

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

hey all, just wondering if theres any significant differences in older carbuerated 2-stroke outboards. i previously had a '93 Merc-Force 90. I now have (as of sat) a 1993 wellcraft with a 115 Yamaha.. Havent had the yama in the water yet,but just from looking it over, it doesnt seem drastically different from my last force o/b.. Anyways i'm considering upgrading my boat with a larger outboard.(now that theres great deals out there) most likey a 150hp. My budget will allow me a '95-'00 carb-2stroke. Is there any brand i should avoid in the 150hp range between those years? is there any noticable deifference between all the big brands? They all seem pretty similar to me, but i'm not a mechanic and i can be way off here. what do you guys think? thanks
Jamie

Is there a reason you didn't buy a boat with the motor you wanted?? The value of your Welcraft is in the motor hanging on your transom.
To compare your old Force outboard to that 115 Yamaha is a no brainer...that 115 Yamaha was one of their best motors. That motor along with the 3 cyl 70/90 motors is what helped solidify Yamahas presence in the outboard market.
If looking for another motor and which one to avoid? Maybe the Ficht motors Evinrude made.
I'm not her to knock other motor brands, but your reasons for wanting to dump the motor you have is puzzling.....

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

If you haven't actually had the Yamaha in the water how do you know you want to replace it?

If you're boat is underpowered for your use I can understand I guess. If the Yamaha has high hours and is a liability maintenance wise I guess I can understand.

However, in my opinion that Yamaha is a much better motor than anything that ever wore the Force name.

If you do go ahead and get a newer motor and you are not brand specific I would look for a good deal on any of the major brands (Yamaha, Johnson, Mercury, etc.). I would agree that avoiding the Evinirude FICHT motor from 96, 97 thru 2000 is probably an ok idea. However, if you find one for a good price with a proven history it may make an ok motor. If you find one that is 2001 or newer for a price that works for you it could be a good motor.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

Gossip 101: As the story goes, Yamaha came online late in the season and modeled their line after a successful brand with years of proven reliability.....OMC. As more of the gossip goes, OMC sued them for patent infringement. So with that said, you should see a remarkable resemblance between the brands in the year model area you mentioned.

Actually it was the Yammy sterndrive unit not the outboards side OMC sued over.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

I am a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. principle.

Stick with any of the major brand CARBED motors, be absolutely religious about your fuel freshness, filters, quality oil, prop it to run at the upper end of its RPM range (but not unnecessarily run it there), any most all of these motors should last you a good number of years.

Regular maintenance, cleaning, lubes, water pump impeller, all added reliability which contribute to motor longevity.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

Actually it was the Yammy sterndrive unit not the outboards side OMC sued over.

I stand corrected, as it has been awhile since I read about it. Do remember that Mr. Yammie wanted to get into a pretty competitive market, late in the game, and supply a product that measures up to the brand name. Certainly makes sense to thoroughly investigate a proven winner first. I think he did that. Don't remember the distinction in the suit mention by the media. Just remember the event and at the time noticed the similarities in the V OB's

Mark

 

[dingbat]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

No big difference between the big brands. Where there is a big difference in the technologies used in the 2 strokes.

The EFI 2 stroke was a step up from the smoky, gas thirsty carbureted motors of the past. The DFI 2 stroke (E-Tec, HPDI and Opti-Max) was the next leap in technology and is the way of the future. In day to day use guys running DIF are reporting a 30-40% reduction in fuel usage over the carbed 2 strokes of old. Depending on how much fuel you use the savings can be substantial.

 

[Maxum21]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

ok, now you guys have me second guessing my idea to upgrade. No, i havent had this boat/motor in the water yet. I got this boat for a steal of a price, so i was considering selling my o/b and using that money towards a larger one. I was kinda thinking a 115 would be on the borderline of being underpowered for a 20' boat. The boat is a wellcraft excel bow rider. I believe it weighs a bit over 2000 lbs. If i could figure out how to upload a pic i would...anyways do ya think thats an underpowered setup?
and btw, i'm not sure of the hours on this motor. theres no hour meter. however, i did a compression test and each cylinder read 121-122 psi

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

What does the Coast Guard Sticker say the boat is rated for?

From my understanding the Wellcraft Excel line of boats are light for their size....although 115 does seem a bit small for that size of a boat.

 

[Maxum21]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

weight according to Nada is about 2100 lbs. cant seem to find a capacity plate

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

nadaguides.com usually lists o/b hp OEM installed

I looked at the 93 20ft models be did not find an Excell

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Any major differences in 2stroke outboards?

http://www.nadaguides.com/default.a...&m=0547&y=1993&ml=E&gc=MR&gtc=MR&d=1600066651


I'm pretty sure that all the OB Excel models came pre-packaged with only Yamaha motors. Assuming your boat is the 20DX model, the link above is for your boat.

If there isn't a capacity plate right out in the open someone took it off or something. In 93 all boats in this size range should have had a capacity plate.