Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

mydogmax

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I have to make a decision on what motor to buy. I only have two choices: Evinrude 40HP ETec or Honda BF 40HP EFI. I have a 15 foot Klamath ADW windshield series boat.
What motor is best for this boat?
What would you choose?

Thank you, Rich
 
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Silvertip

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

The Honda will be smoother because its a 4 cylinder whereas the Evinrude is a twin. Performance should be about equal although the Evinrude probably has a much lower preventive maintenance costs since there is no oil or filter changes, no valve adjustment, no belts, etc. I have always preferred two stroke motors on my planing hulls but I tend to favor a four stroke on a pontoon as they spend so much time at slower speeds. Two strokes just seem to be a better fit on a planing hull. I have a Suzuki 4S on my pontoon and although it has only 23 hours on it, it has been flawless.
 

mydogmax

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

Silvertip, I really appreciate your response. This is a tough decision. If you view Evinrude's website and competition trials (ie. tug-of-war and pulling the other boat under water) you would be pulled toward buying the ETec. The flip side is that Honda has such a good warranty and good reputation.

To-Silvertip - you seem to be leaning toward the Honda as my choice. My 15.2 ft Aluminum will be exploring many hide-away places such as lake powell and the colorado river (camping trips and fishing trips). I need a motor which will cruise at low speeds through slot canyons yet still give me the best speed to get 20 to 40 miles to destination.
Anybody out there have other thoughts?
 

JUSTINTIME

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

comes down to certified techs in your area
both are really good motors
 

steelespike

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

When checking out any of the motors forget the competition just check out the performance reports on boats similar to yours.I think you will find the Etec 40 has a better hole shot,fewer less complicated service intervals.I believe no service required for 300 hrs or 3 years,also no breakin required.also an excellent warranty.Etec is heavier 240 to 205 But it may have more displacement.
 

Silvertip

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

The smaller E-tecs do tend to be a bit heavier than equivalent four strokes but one need only look at the lower units to understand why. E-tec lower units are much bigger and I would think much more durable because of it as well as being able to take a little more abuse.
 

Mike722

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

I had the same choose when looking to repower our pontoon boat in 2006. Both dealers had excellant service shops so we went with the the ETec due to no service for 3 years and we got the 7 year warranty.
 

mydogmax

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

ETec really has a 7 yr warranty? How come Honda dealers keep saying they have the best at 5 years?
Tough decision but I feel that Evinrude ETec will be a stronger and less problematic/less maintenance motor.
Sounds like the majority of responses out there to my question fall toward ETec. Am I getting this right?
 

Silvertip

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

Here are some facts to chew on. No -- I was not leaning toward the Honda but I do agree the first thing on your list should be dealer service availability. It is very annoying to have to travel long distances to get an engine serviced should the need arise.

The Honda is actually a 3 cylinder engine not a 4 as I originally pointed out. It is also a fair bit smaller in displacement (808CC compared to 864CC on the E-tec). The Honda also has 2.08 gears whereas the Evinrude has 2.67 gears and it will turn a 13-7/8 diameter x 17 prop with ease. And it will likely smoke the Honda out of the hole because of that. The Evinrude sweet spot for fuel economy is 3500 RPM which yields 8.6 MPG on the 18 foot CC I looked at. The Evinrude also has an 81 amp alternator. As I pointed out earlier, I absolutely lean toward two stroke power on planing hulls. Honda makes a good engine and there is no disputing that. Is it better than the E-tec? Not in my view but then what is important to you may be totally different than what is important to me.

Lastly, when you begin to compare fuel economy, do not make the mistake of comparing it at specific RPM. Two strokes will almost always be pushing a boat faster at any given rpm than a four stroke so obviously, at those RPM the 4-stroke will show better economy. Compare fuel economy at the same speeds and you will find the E-tec as economical or even better in some cases than the four stroke. And by all means make your comparison on the same boat. Different hulls have different efficiencies so fuel economy will be different and in many cases, very different even though the boats would appear nearly the same.

Of interest is the Evinrude MFE (Multi Fuel Engine) which runs on anything from kerosene to jet fuel. 55HP and built for the military but apparently available to the general public.
 

ebry710

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

Chevy vs Ford. Although the technology between the two are different, there are Honda people, ETEC people and Honda Haters. Both technologies are great and you cannot go wrong with either.

I am going four stroke for my kicker (probably not Honda because of the local Honda mechanic sucks and Nissan's are cheaper) because I hate carrying an extra oil tank and their real quiet. Now, if I got a deal on an ETEC better the a Nissan, the I'd take the ETEC. Like I said both systems are real good.
 

reelfishin

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

I would lean towards the E-Tec myself, I own two smaller Honda motors and while they've been good motors, they are heavy compared to their two stroke equals and both a lacking it the hole shot and lower mid range area.
The main issue is parts, I have to order all of my Honda parts online since the nearest dealer is over 2 hours away and worthless when it comes to trying to order parts for an older motor, even worse for service which is how I ended up with both of these motors after a dealer failed to properly service them.

The E-Tec has a great reputation, makes excellent power, has a fantastic dealer network, and being a 2 stroke, required less maintenance.

As a comparison, forgetting about the lack of support, the Honda, being a four stroke runs on pump gas and requires on two stroke oil. It does require periodic oil changes and does have a timing belt which needs to be serviced on occasion.

I would be very interested in a military spec E-Tec 55hp MFE, if they were available, but I was told they don't sell them to the public? Or at least no local dealer wants to deal with them?
Any idea how or where to get one and how much more are they than the standard version?
 

Silvertip

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

The Evinrude web site doesn't indicate whether or not the 55 HP MFE is available to the public but reading between the lines would indicate that it is not. It is a high output version of the 40/50 HP E-tec though as it is a two cylinder engine. I would think in about three years or so you would begin seeing these on E-bay or at Government auctions. Perhaps emergency services groups (fire departments, emergency rescue organizations, etc) may be able to buy them as well. If that's the case, someone on the inside could budget for one, then you buy it from the organization. Warranty would be an issue and lastly, the price tag is probably prohibitive for the average boater.
 

jevery

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

Boatwrench in FL sells the MFE. They're over 18K though.
 

BillP

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

I have a 50hp 4 stroke and several two strokes. No more 4 strokes for me at this time because they have more parts, more maintenance and are WAY harder to work on. Hondas are good but they are 4 strokes so I'd not buy Honda. If you have the burning desire to buy a 4 stroke (like I did) then buy one and learn about them.

Something you may want to do is compare the cost of scheduled maintenance visits on the new engines. A friend of mine bought a pair of new Yamaha 4 strokes and really choked on the costs. He wouldn't listen to me about eTecs but is now going that way when these engines are toasted. I believe the first yr he had two visits and spent about $2k for the pair...just for "scheduled checks". He can't do them because it involves computer stuff...only the dealer can do it to retain warranties. If you only run a 100 hrs a yr the maint won't matter. If you run 600+ hrs a yr the "scheduled" maint will eat much bigger.

Quite frankly, after buying two new Honda Civics (1998 & 2006) I think maybe Honda owners somehow believe Hondas are better more than they really are. My take is Honda outboards are in the same bracket...thought better of than reality.

bp
 

jevery

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

This is the issue I have with BRP?s marketing strategy. They discredit themselves when they mix the legitimate strengths of their design with an impression of what they?d like for us to believe. People who know, know that the E-TEC?s are not any more fuel efficient than EFI 4-strokes, though it sure didn?t save the poor chap at the gas pumps from what looked to be a very substantial kick to the crotch. BRP makes a number of claims that would be quite difficult to substantiate with factual data. The E-TEC design has sufficient advantages to market to their segment without the hyperbole. When they cross the line of reality they damage their reputation with the folks who know better.
 

ebry710

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Re: Honda 40HP EFI vs. Evinrude 40HP ETec

This is the issue I have with BRP?s marketing strategy. They discredit themselves when they mix the legitimate strengths of their design with an impression of what they?d like for us to believe. People who know, know that the E-TEC?s are not any more fuel efficient than EFI 4-strokes, though it sure didn?t save the poor chap at the gas pumps from what looked to be a very substantial kick to the crotch. BRP makes a number of claims that would be quite difficult to substantiate with factual data. The E-TEC design has sufficient advantages to market to their segment without the hyperbole. When they cross the line of reality they damage their reputation with the folks who know better.

I have not heard that ETEC are more fuel efficient, if fact I thought the 4 stroke was more fuel efficient. ETEC inject and fire after completing the exhaust purge. This eliminated the exhausting of unburnt fire. 2 strokes can fire twice as many times as a 4 stroke giving them more effective power. 40 hp is 40 hp, but the time for which to reaches 40 hp goes to the 2 stroke.
 
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