Concidering buying a new motor for my 16/1/2 ft sea nymph. Can't decide if the 4 stroke Yamaha 40 or 50 horse or the evinrude e-tec in a 40 or 50. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of these??
your going to get alot of opinions on this but in this range they are about equal. The Yamaha/Merc 50hp is actually a bit lighter then the Etec and both consume gas at about the same rate. What ever on is cheaper gets my vote.
If you search the posts you will find alot of differant opinions on 4 stroke vs E-Tec. I purchased an 40 hp E-Tec at the beginning of the year to replace a Mariner. I started by finding a good local dealer that I trusted.
They sell Mercury, Yamaha, and Evinrude. I picked the E-Tec because of Weight, price, and no special break in.
I also have a 16' Sea Nymph. considered the 60hp Yamaha summer of '04 (hadn't heard of the E-tec till I went to the marinas) but bought the E-tec due to lower idle rpm, direct fuel injected vs carbs, (Yammy's may be dfi at this hp now), and 7 yr warranty vs 3yr. I have had zero regrets and would buy it again.
The no break in and self winterize are nice perks.
btw the 40, 50, and 60 E-tec are basically the same motor, so consider the 50 or 60.
This is no knock on Yammy, they make a great motors.
These engines really are equal in most respects. Hole shot is where you would normally see a difference, but in this case, the E-Tec is not any better on that than the Yamaha. I would call it a draw between the two with the deciding factor being the dealer....
Also, I think it is a sad commentary on the marine industry that part of the buying decision is based on the individual dealer. It should be a given that every authorized dealer is honest, has a competent service department and makes an effort to keep the customer after the sale. I don't know of any auto manufactuer that would tolerate the type of moron dealers that we accept in the marine business.
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Elvin
My answers are like Zen...It may not be the answer you want, but it is generally the answer you need.
My Three Rules:
1) Look in your service manual first.
2) Have basic mechanical skill.
3) If you are confused, take your engine into a dealer.
It's really the complete lack of professionalism in the marine business that bothers me. There are many exceptions, but there are far too many "dealers" that are signed up by (all) the engine manufacturers that treat customers with complete distain after they have sold them something. Dealers today don't carry parts inventory like they used too and depend far too heavily on the manufacturer for support. Part of the problem is the over abundance of manufacturers for the market, but I hear far too many dealers bragging about how they "put the guy off" because they didn't want to do the service work or didn't feel like placing a parts order. I don't know of any auto dealer that’s financially suicidal enough to act that way. Auto manufacturers do not tolerate that with their dealers. We accept it as a given with boating. The programs that our industry have come up with so far are a joke. Only the largest boat dealers can comply with them and the irony is that they are usually among the worse of the offenders....Oddly enough the other worse offenders are the tiny dealers. I long for the days of the Mom & Pop dealers that had one engine line, three boat lines and had an parts/accessory department. But I digress from the topic.
__________________
Elvin
My answers are like Zen...It may not be the answer you want, but it is generally the answer you need.
My Three Rules:
1) Look in your service manual first.
2) Have basic mechanical skill.
3) If you are confused, take your engine into a dealer.
I also have a 16' Sea Nymph. considered the 60hp Yamaha summer of '04 (hadn't heard of the E-tec till I went to the marinas) but bought the E-tec due to lower idle rpm, direct fuel injected vs carbs, (Yammy's may be dfi at this hp now), and 7 yr warranty vs 3yr. I have had zero regrets and would buy it again.
The no break in and self winterize are nice perks.
btw the 40, 50, and 60 E-tec are basically the same motor, so consider the 50 or 60.
This is no knock on Yammy, they make a great motors.
I also have a 16' Sea Nymph. considered the 60hp Yamaha summer of '04 (hadn't heard of the E-tec till I went to the marinas) but bought the E-tec due to lower idle rpm, direct fuel injected vs carbs, (Yammy's may be dfi at this hp now), and 7 yr warranty vs 3yr. I have had zero regrets and would buy it again.
The no break in and self winterize are nice perks.
btw the 40, 50, and 60 E-tec are basically the same motor, so consider the 50 or 60.
This is no knock on Yammy, they make a great motors.
Are you talking about the Yamaha 4 stroke? I don't see anything in the Yamaha books that say anything about the idle rmp's. Are you able to troll with your e-tec? The warranty is now 3 years also.
Yes, actually I was there to buy a Yamaha 4 stroke. In fact I had already had my credit card approved for the purchase and it was a done deal but when the shop owner heard me say I wanted a 60 I could troll with he suggested the E-tec.
The Yammy was in stock and I could have had it that day but he suggested I go online and research the E-tec wich he sold but did not have in stock.
At the time the Yammys in my horse range were all carbed and idled around 800 to 1000rpm (if memory serves). Also the E-tec had a higher gear ratio wich also helped in trolling.
I can troll at less than 1 mph (and do for many hours at a time.)
That was three years ago and I suspect Yam and others have changed, you still have to do your homework but like I said I have been very happy.
I have a Wellcraft 18' with the 115 hp E-Tec. My dealer also sells the Yamaha as well.
Comparing the two motors is like comparing Lexis and Mercedes. One is a little more performance and the other a little more luxury. One is a little quieter the other is a little more refined. Witch one is better? Beats the hell out of me because neither one can toe my boat..LOL.. You get the idea though, both are great motors.
I decided to go with E-Tec mainly on the service aspect. We have, in my area, 3 Rud dealerships that also do service as Yamy only has one. All the dealerships around here have pretty good relations with each other and with customers, so I figure if one doesn't have a part in stock the other two might.
I have never owned a Yamaha and only know what friends of mine who do have them feel about there motors. They all sing the praises.
I have only great things to say about E-Tec, Great fuel economy, great oil economy, strong hole shots, top speed of 48 mph, trolled at 2 mph all day long, easy maintenance, very clean burning, smooth. and on and on.
I vote for whatever gives you the best service options. The only question I have is did I buy the Lexis or the Mercedes?
Thanks everyone. All good advice. Does anyone know if there are any sites out there similar to consumers report that evaluate and compare boats and motors?
I am also in the market for a new outboard.
I'm replacing the Johnson 115/80 jet on my Wooldridge XtraPlus river sled.
If all things are equal between Yamaha and Etec, I'm going to have to go with the one designed and manufactured in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.
I'm happy to support Americans that can build a great product at a competitive price.
Yamaha 4 stroke vs evinrude E-tec
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