Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

[tmg1]

Hi all,

Am considering buying a new motor and am torn between a 70 hp Evinrude Etec or a 75 hp Merc Optimax. In my own experiences, the Evinrudes always seem to be an easier starting engine and very dependable, as I have friends who have many Mercury and they all seem to be very finicky starters, always having to feather the throttle and a lot of dinking around to get them started. But I know of noone who has an Optimax. Any input? Thanks!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

being a evinrude lover, and having own Mercs, i would only go rude. optibombs, had some problems.

 

[Kev144]

Re: Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

I would check whats closest to you. Both good motors, being in the performance marine industry, we do somewhat little with outboard stuff but we've had evinrude, merc and yammies on our boats here. Back a year or so ago we purchased 4 brand new Evinrude E-tecs 150hp and 3 of the 4 caught on fire due to electrical problems at 4 hours. (FYI this is a large boat that had made use of all 4 outboards). Not to say we have had our share of problems with yamaha and merc. In the real world, if your buying new, i think my key factor in this would be dealer reputation, how far they are from you, and the best bang for the buck. They are becoming so high tech these days it's getting harder and harder for the average joe to work on them since the old carb days.

I can't really help you on the dependability part of the 75 hp. I think the lowest hp merc we run here is a 150 to 300. Again as i said we are 95% into big power on I/O's and do minimal stuff with outboards but do work on them.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

Hi all,

Am considering buying a new motor and am torn between a 70 hp Evinrude Etec or a 75 hp Merc Optimax.

I'm sure you meant the 75hp E-TEC as there is no 70hp version.

Both motors start OK without touching the throttle, just turning the key. The E-TEC starts quicker, less than one flywheel revolution while the Optimax has to build up air pressure first for its injectors to function so it will crank over for a little longer.

The E-TEC does not need a battery to run as it makes its own juice during rope-starting. That cannot be done with the Opti, if the battery is dead on the Mercury, you are SOL.

The biggest advantage is the quietness of the E-TEC. It is super quiet at idle, similar to a 4 stroke, and very quiet and cruise and wide open compared to the Opti.

 

[supercoolbabe]

Re: Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

You can't go wrong with the evinrude 70. I had one for 20 years and had no trouble at all with it. I believe Mercs have a bad reputation for overheating. Check the paint on the block.

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

Most of the time outboards overheat is a lack of preventative maintenance. They all can overheat when the impeller is not replaced often enough or the water pump is beyond worn out. Thats not a valid point to pinpoint overheating on mercury. That being said, the optis HAD problems, nearly 10 years ago now, when they first came out. Now, they are proven and have shown to be very reliable and fast. Both are good motors, and being a merc man, i can tell you, go with dealer rep and convenience.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Which motor should I buy-Evinrude or Merc?

Etec is a DFI meets the highest CARB requirements only 2 stroke allowed on Lake Tahoe.(2 strokes aren't banned because they are 2 strokes but because don't meet polution requirements).No maintenance required for 300 hours or 3 years.No break in requirements.Motor your looking at is a 75 no 70 Etec.A 90 is available in the same size and weight.