Need help on a decision

Howdy,<br /><br />New poster and soon to be new boat owner.<br /><br />I have spent some time doing some research on engines (2 stroke vs 4, etc)<br /><br />I am looking to purchase a 2006 Stratos 191 FS with a 175 johnson, which i guess has been discontinued in production as of this month.<br /><br />The salesman said this will be more than enough HP to pull skiers and friends in the boat at 65 mph +. <br /><br />I called another dealership after hearing about 4 stokes, and he told me that this 175 johnson will eat me out of house and home with gas and oil, and I should look at getting a 4 stroke instead.<br /><br />The origional dealer said that they do not put 4 stokes on the stratos fish and skis, and others have said that a comparable 4 stroke wont be able to out perform the 2 stroke.<br /><br />Does anyone have advice and direction for me?<br /><br />Thanks

Re: Need help on a decision

Welcome to iboats. <br /><br />The power curves are different. 2-strokes just keep building Hp w/ RPMs. 4-strokes flatten-out toward the top. Depending mostly in cubic inches, it takes about the same amount of fuel to produce 175Hp no matter what motor kind. But a 4-stroke would be much easier on gas at low RPMs.

Re: Need help on a decision

I don't know about Stratos and 4 strokes.<br /><br />Why would you buy a discontinued motor ?<br /><br />Don't believe salesmen,unless you get a real life demo,with you there.And the rest of the skiers.<br /><br />DHP

Re: Need help on a decision

A 4 stroke will use a LOT less gas to make 175hp than a carbed 2 stroke and about the same as a DFI 2 stroke.

Re: Need help on a decision

With just a couple of mouse clicks on Yamaha's web site you can check 2 stroke (DFI) vs 4 stroke performance, fuel consumption and other test data on all sorts of boats. I checked a 150 HP 2-stroke on a Stratos and Yamaha figures show 20 GPH @ 5850 RPM, and 60.5 MPH. A Ranger with a 4-stroke used 15.9 GPH @ 5800 but only ran 55 MPH. At 3500 RPM the 4-stroke used 5.5 GPH at 31.6 MPH while the 2-stroke used 8.5 GPH at 35.6 MPH. This is Yamaha's data. Obviously two different boats were used since there was no test of a 4-stroke on a Stratos. Whether you consider 4 GPH "way" less fuel or not is up to you. As pointed out, the power curves are different between the two and my personal preference is still two stroke for the performance edge. Oil changes and valve adjustments are not especially cheap on four strokes and are not required at all on two strokes.