Re: Two Stroke vs Four Stroke?
TheChad,<br /><br />All my 2 strokes (maybe 20+) have been carbed and the current Mariner (merc) 50 is a carbed 4 stroke...my former 2 stroke Mercs were from the 40s, 50s, 60s & 70s. Other than riding with friends who own late model Mercs (80s,90s,2001s)my personal experience is zero on the electronic fuel systems. <br /><br />Just like cars though, over the years you see design trends with each OB brand. Example: HP for HP, smaller Mercs always came with higher pitch props than OMCs. Merc powered boats were more sensitive to loading for speed. Run them light and they were faster, load the boat with people and the OMC was faster. As noted in previous messages, OMCs are more user friendly to work on, etc. The list goes on between the two.<br /><br />There are common denominators with ob electronic systems too...they are sensitive to low voltage. A local battery mfg (Royal Mfg) rep told me this is a VERY big deal at the marinas they stock (East coast). Let the batt get too low, the starter turns ok but the computer doesn't function right...and the motor won't start or run right. The fix is to keep the batt highly charged and batt mfgs are making larger capacity batteries JUST for this application. I don't see this happening with cars but it does with boats. That's another reason I would stay with carbs if going 4 stroke. <br /><br />What Dhadley said about corrosion...early Merc 50s 4s are widely known to have a corrosion problem where the water tube plugs into the powerhead. They used dismilar metals that attacked each other and plugged the water tube. Little details like that are what seems to plague mercs more than OMC. <br /><br />Again, what Dhadley says, the cost of working on 4 strokes is labor intensive compared to 2 strokes. Call your local dealer and ask what the cost of an annual checkup is for a 4 stroke vs same hp 2 stroke. Here's my numbers based on 9 yrs...$250-$300 for the 4 stroke and $75-100 for 2 strokes...same dealer. <br /><br />This is going to get people pizzed but IMHO...Most people who want to buy 4 strokes now are NOT going to listen to anything good about 2 strokes. They are NOT going to compare annual maintenance or major repair costs. They are NOT going to buy based on EPA data. They are NOT going to worry about "making water" in the crankcase, etc.. They ARE going to buy a 4 stroke because they perceive them better because someone said so.<br /><br />Remember guys, this is just MY opinion. I don't claim to be an expert...so don't get your panties up a crack.
TheChad,<br /><br />All my 2 strokes (maybe 20+) have been carbed and the current Mariner (merc) 50 is a carbed 4 stroke...my former 2 stroke Mercs were from the 40s, 50s, 60s & 70s. Other than riding with friends who own late model Mercs (80s,90s,2001s)my personal experience is zero on the electronic fuel systems. <br /><br />Just like cars though, over the years you see design trends with each OB brand. Example: HP for HP, smaller Mercs always came with higher pitch props than OMCs. Merc powered boats were more sensitive to loading for speed. Run them light and they were faster, load the boat with people and the OMC was faster. As noted in previous messages, OMCs are more user friendly to work on, etc. The list goes on between the two.<br /><br />There are common denominators with ob electronic systems too...they are sensitive to low voltage. A local battery mfg (Royal Mfg) rep told me this is a VERY big deal at the marinas they stock (East coast). Let the batt get too low, the starter turns ok but the computer doesn't function right...and the motor won't start or run right. The fix is to keep the batt highly charged and batt mfgs are making larger capacity batteries JUST for this application. I don't see this happening with cars but it does with boats. That's another reason I would stay with carbs if going 4 stroke. <br /><br />What Dhadley said about corrosion...early Merc 50s 4s are widely known to have a corrosion problem where the water tube plugs into the powerhead. They used dismilar metals that attacked each other and plugged the water tube. Little details like that are what seems to plague mercs more than OMC. <br /><br />Again, what Dhadley says, the cost of working on 4 strokes is labor intensive compared to 2 strokes. Call your local dealer and ask what the cost of an annual checkup is for a 4 stroke vs same hp 2 stroke. Here's my numbers based on 9 yrs...$250-$300 for the 4 stroke and $75-100 for 2 strokes...same dealer. <br /><br />This is going to get people pizzed but IMHO...Most people who want to buy 4 strokes now are NOT going to listen to anything good about 2 strokes. They are NOT going to compare annual maintenance or major repair costs. They are NOT going to buy based on EPA data. They are NOT going to worry about "making water" in the crankcase, etc.. They ARE going to buy a 4 stroke because they perceive them better because someone said so.<br /><br />Remember guys, this is just MY opinion. I don't claim to be an expert...so don't get your panties up a crack.
