Re: new etec's
2004 75hp ETEC in Fiji. Saltwater use only and I run from the airstrip to my house about 30 nm each way in all kinds of seas and weather. The motor sits on the boat out of the water for 2-3 months at a time and then runs like new feveryday for 30-45 days - every time we fire it up. We troll, cruise, and we run fast - heavily loaded and lightly loaded. It is quiet, economical (VERY important when 86 octane is over $9USD/gal). Except for a service bulletin on the oil sensors and a software update that were not done (no dealers in Fiji - only 4 ETECs in the whole country - I got the servcie book, cables, software and a laptop and did them myself)), it has been bullet proof. It's so good, I am now having a new boat built and will hang this motor on the new boat. Would I buy an ETEC for use on a remote island in Fiji again? That's a tough one, given that it's an orphan there without local suport, but heck, unless you have an old carburetted Yamaha, you won't have any local service support. So, yes, I'd get another one. My friends there have Hondas, Mercurys, Suzukis and Tohatsus with problems; there are more Yamaha problems because there are more Yamahas. I've had fewer problems there with the ETEC than anyone has had with any "modern" motor (exclude 2 stroke carburetted "old technology smokey Yamahas which make up 90%+ of the outboards in Fiji).
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