E-Tec vs Yamaha 4 stroke for pontoon performance

[Underblog]

I am considering an upgrade of the 25hp Johnson on our Leisure Island 16 ft pontoon boat, to either an E-Tec 40 or a Yamaha 4 stroke. I was surprised to find that the Yamaha is a much lighter motor. What else should I consider, aside from getting a newer pontoon boat altogether?

 

[ahicks]

In a perfect world, would the 16' boat be ideal?

To explain where I'm coming from, that boat is on the small side. Adding the price of a new engine to it is going to be expensive. If you take what your boat is worth now, and add what you're getting ready to spend on it, how would that number compare to another, bigger, used boat, with more power?

 

[Underblog]

I am keeping my eyes open for newer used boats with 4 stroke motors. With any used item, there is a measure of uncertainty with respect to provenance. We use the boat most often for evening cruises and occasional extra passengers. The cost of a new Yamaha F40 is about the same as a used 20ft pontoon with a Merc 4 stroke, albeit without trailer, which likely add a couple of large to the price.

 

[WaterDR]

Generally speaking, a two stroke will perform better than a four. But a four will be more reliable and easy to start.

In my mind, a used 20ft boat would likely be a significant improvement over a 16' regardless of what is hanging off the back.

 

[HotTommy]

I can't comment on those two specific engines, but I will caution you against expecting too much from the upgrade. Speed doesn't go up in direct proportion to horsepower. I would expect the move from 25 HP to 40 HP to produce a roughly 25% increase in speed. In other words, a boat that topped out at 10 MPH with a 25 would top out at 12-13 MPH with a 40. Unless you routinely encounter strong winds or currents, the upgrade may be more trouble than its worth. ... I agree that a larger (longer) boat would be more comfortable. It's not just that you have more room for stuff and comfort, it also makes the boat more stable in rough water and when people move around.

 

[Reel Kahuna]

What I like about a 4 stroke is that no smoke and no hassles about adding oil. Squeeze the bulb, turn the key and it starts without choke.

 

[Cat nip]

With a 4 stroke you need to do oil changes and timing belts. Every thing has a trade off its essentially the ford or chevy question. All the new engines use plastic parts and to many computers to be reliable for decades.

 

[ahicks]

I wouldn't make this a 2 stroke vs. 4 stroke thing. The fact the 4 stroke is lighter in this case should be a big factor.

As mentioned earlier, for me it would be more about justifying the serious money for this update, as compared to selling the boat as is and using the upgrade and sale price money combined to go with a bigger more powerful boat.

To best answer that question, how and where this boat is to be used most often needs to be understood.

 

[Underblog]

How the boat is used, to inform further discussion:

It is not our primary boat (we have a 16' Lund Pro Sport with a Johnson 70 for that), but we do live on an island during the summer, and we use the boat to haul people and things to and from our place. A larger boat would likely be more stable in whitecaps, which we do get from time to time. The considerations are noise, smoke, and fuel economy. From what I've heard, four-strokes appear to win on all three fronts.

The trailer I have is good for a 20' boat; any larger and I would need a new trailer, which is at least another $2,000. It seems that a used boat / motor combo is about the same price as a new out of the box motor alone. Trade-offs include: uncertain provenance of a used boat / motor vs knowing what has been done to my present pontoon boat, and additional insurance and storage costs of a larger boat.

 

[steelespike]

Yamaha 40 4s. 214 lbs, 45.6 ci. 2.00 gear ratio 12" diameter props. kind of small.
Etec, 40 240 lbs, 52.4 ci 2.67 gear ratio 14" diameter prop. real size for heavy job.
You could have up to 60 hp in the same displacement/weight etec.
Both brands may have pontoon specific motors.

 

[mpilot]

The one problem I've heard from etec motors on pontoons is that if you run them constantly at lower rpms they like to foul plugs. I'm not sure if the smaller motors use the iridium plugs like the higher hp models but if so it gets expensive quick. A friend is in his third set in a little over a year in a 225 HO. We went with a Mercury 150 four stroke because the only maintenence is flid changes every 100 hours and impeller and alternator belts every 300. No timing or valve adjustments.

 

[flyingscott]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZvIw83uZgY watch this video might answer some of your questions. You are getting some advice from people who are not familiar with the motors you are looking at.

#1 fourstrokes start easier than 2 strks that's false. They are both fuel injected
#2 E-tecs use very little oil fill ups are few and far between and you don't need to worry about filters and getting rid of oil. And very little to no smoke.
#3 A four strk will be more reliable than a 2 strk that's false.
#4 People troll with their E-tecs all the time. Evinrude would have to have the worst engineers to not design there motors to work on pontoon boat. It's a pretty big segment to miss.
Both are excellent motors and both will run a long time. The video is pretty informative and will show you the differences under different conditions.

 

[Underblog]

Scott

I watched the video, and it was concerned with holeshot performance and top speed, hardly issues for my use of the pontoon boat. I am concerned about noise, fuel economy, and ease of maintenance. I have never met a four stroke owner who had anything but good things to say about the motors. I have yet to meet an E-tec owner who has switched, hence the original post.

 

[mpilot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZvIw83uZgY watch this video might answer some of your questions. You are getting some advice from people who are not familiar with the motors you are looking at.

#1 fourstrokes start easier than 2 strks that's false. They are both fuel injected
#2 E-tecs use very little oil fill ups are few and far between and you don't need to worry about filters and getting rid of oil. And very little to no smoke.
#3 A four strk will be more reliable than a 2 strk that's false.
#4 People troll with their E-tecs all the time. Evinrude would have to have the worst engineers to not design there motors to work on pontoon boat. It's a pretty big segment to miss.
Both are excellent motors and both will run a long time. The video is pretty informative and will show you the differences under different conditions.

I won't try to discuss all points but straight from the regional rep the etec motors do not do well if not opened up. Yes, people troll with them but they also run them pretty hard to get to and from the fishing spots. My neighbor that had a ficht 225 and now a brand new etec 225 ho he just bought last year for his tritoon is replacing the boat and motor because it keeps fouling plugs and the factory rep said it isn't s good motor for his application unless he's going to run wide open more often.

Edit to add: I was also told by multiple dealers who sell multiple motor types the etec has a much shorter hour expectancy than the four strokes. Most run them still on their fishing boats but steered us to the four stroke on ournew pontoon. It's a custom order so we could have gotten any motor we wanted but it was pretty across the board for the four stroke over the etec on a tritoon. Supposedly the G2 is better but still too new to tell.

 

[flyingscott]

I won't try to discuss all points but straight from the regional rep the etec motors do not do well if not opened up. Yes, people troll with them but they also run them pretty hard to get to and from the fishing spots. My neighbor that had a ficht 225 and now a brand new etec 225 ho he just bought last year for his tritoon is replacing the boat and motor because it keeps fouling plugs and the factory rep said it isn't s good motor for his application unless he's going to run wide open more often.

Edit to add: I was also told by multiple dealers who sell multiple motor types the etec has a much shorter hour expectancy than the four strokes. Most run them still on their fishing boats but steered us to the four stroke on ournew pontoon. It's a custom order so we could have gotten any motor we wanted but it was pretty across the board for the four stroke over the etec on a tritoon. Supposedly the G2 is better but still too new to tell.

​I have no idea what say about this. You have the worst dealer and rep I have ever heard of. You may want to watch the videos.

​Wonder what Evinrudes next TV ad will be. Works great as long as you only go fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE4m_OI3qdc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE4m_OI3qdc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeKVM3K7tRM

 

[flyingscott]

I would also ask why your friends Brand new 225 E-tec was not fixed or replaced under warranty. Something fishy there as there is a 3 yr no touch warranty.
​Another question is how do these dealers know that a 4 strk will outlast a DI 2 strk they have been around roughly the same amount of time. I am sorry I have no allegiance either way to 4 or 2 strks but this whole thing is people who don't like 2 strks. This whole thing is to fishy, Evinrude dealers and reps saying only go fast otherwise your motor won't run right . Competing dealers saying the E-Tec will not last as long, there is a surprise. $20,000 dollar plus motors not being fixed under warranty just sold, not right.

 

[WaterDR]

We are certainly not gonna solve the 2 vs 4 stroke battle with an online debate. I have owned both. I will never own another 2 stroke. Noisy, smoke, rely on mixing fuel or an oil injector, poor fuel efficiency. Yuck. Screw that.

HOWEVER, the new E-Techs buck the trends. Great motors.

IMO, I would never put a new motor on an old boat unless the boat is a business. You are almost always better off selling and finding the combo you want as a used package for a lot less.

When comparing small motors like this, I think they are horse a piece. Thinks like warranty, price, and local availability of service come into play.

 

[82rude]

WaterDR bingo!the etec bucks the trend.im a owner of a 60 etec and I can say with all honesty and from experience it doesn't smoke period,Fuel economy is stellar,as quite as my buds 50 merc 4 stroke and starts much faster.Ive got nothing against 4 pokes as I came within a hair of buying the merc 60 .95 percent or more of the time I'm trolling and ive had the same plugs for 5 years now.One thing people don't understand about the etec is that it has pinpoint oiling it doesn't just mix it with the fuel as was the old way.The etecs are much more environmentally friendly as many tests show than the 4 strokes it competes against.

 

[WaterDR]

I understand Suzuki may have some good ones now too.

One upside with E-Tech is that they do tend to be cheaper than 4 strokes. BUT, with that comes some issues with market acceptance and re-sale. I suspect 90% of pontoon owners, for example, would prefer to have a 4 stroke just due to re-sale.

The E-Tech motors have a stellar reputation.

 

[82rude]

Actually evinrude has a new line of motors specially designed for pontoons now.From 65 to 150 hp with special gearing etc.