25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

pecheux

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I am thinking of upgrading to a 25 hp OB ... From a 9.9 (& 15) but I am a fisherman and I troll for hours. Can I expect a 25 hp to idle slow enough for that kind of fishing ?

And which one would do a better job a slow idling ? An Evinrude E-Tech (new on the market) or carburated Mercury (both 25 hp)

and by the way .. Merry Xmass to all
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

totally depends what it is pushing. need more info.
 

marquette

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

i troll witha 30hp honda several hours at a time. it's on a 16ft 1989 lund rebel.
it trolls slow enough that if the water is flat i can still go slow enough and if there is a chop i have to speed it up. that's the good side. the bad side is that it "makes oil" using it to troll all day. an E-tec wouldn't have that problem so it maybe a better choice. or maybe mercury's don't have the "making oil" problems that honda has. just out of interest how does the cost compare between the E-Tec and the mercury?
 

coolguy147

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

any 4 stroke outboard will have the making oil if they dont get hot enough so u could just like run full open home? the mercury will cost less then the etec and i think that etec only sells motors with boats? mercury i can get at bass pro in the box i think. but what comes first is the location of dealer mainly if there all in one area then its not a factor unless one is really close and one is like some how evr many miles far is to u would likely not be an option. i think the merc is carb and etec is injected so fuel economoy is another factor. the weight of etecs tend to be heavier i believe 230 to 250 pounds? so yes many other factors then which one is better. they both r good just depends u. i would choose etec though since they i believe r more technonligcally advanced and there 3 year no maitenence thing too but i dont like it so 2 years at most unless u use salt then flush each time motor is not in use
 

patpel

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

Salut Pecheux
I bought a 14ft runabout last summer with a 55hp motor and just could not slow it down enough to troll even going up current. So, I just recently bought an old 7.5hp kicker hoping this will do the trick. I know this does not give you the info you asked for, but I thought i'd share anyway.

Good luck
Pat
 

pecheux

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

totally depends what it is pushing. need more info.

A 14 footer fiberglass ... (as per icon) that could eventualy be upgraded to a 16 footer (same brand)
 

pecheux

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

Salut Pecheux
I bought a 14ft runabout last summer with a 55hp motor and just could not slow it down enough to troll even going up current. So, I just recently bought an old 7.5hp kicker hoping this will do the trick. I know this does not give you the info you asked for, but I thought i'd share anyway.

Good luck
Pat

Salut Pat, been there done that with a 115 hp mounted on a 21 footer with a 9.9 kicker out back for fishing. Was a great setup for me ... outta work out fine for you also. Cheers.
 

pecheux

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

i troll witha 30hp honda several hours at a time. it's on a 16ft 1989 lund rebel.
it trolls slow enough that if the water is flat i can still go slow enough and if there is a chop i have to speed it up. that's the good side. the bad side is that it "makes oil" using it to troll all day. an E-tec wouldn't have that problem so it maybe a better choice. or maybe mercury's don't have the "making oil" problems that honda has. just out of interest how does the cost compare between the E-Tec and the mercury?

E-tech is more expensive ... the Merc 25 hp I am looking at is a 2 stroke ... bran new year ??? at a local Merc dealer close by ... asking $ 2k ... the price seems great ...
But yea it's a carb thang ... lol
 
D

DJ

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

E-tech is more expensive ... the Merc 25 hp I am looking at is a 2 stroke ... bran new year ??? at a local Merc dealer close by ... asking $ 2k ... the price seems great ...
But yea it's a carb thang ... lol

If you like and trust the dealer-BUY IT.
 

steelespike

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

Etec has a 25 and 30.About 146-172 lbs depending on shaft length and equipment.Available with e. start,power tilt and trim have special trolling setting.Comparing a carbed engine to the etec is like a model T and a Subaru WRX.The Etec 40,50 and 60 are 240lbs.
 

coolguy147

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

yes thank you for correcting my steelpike. i have talked to a etec guy before he said the only difference in the 40-60hp range of gas and computers thats it maybe a few other small things and other have higher rpm ranges some dont.

yes carbed two strokes r very very light!!!

i wasnt sure about the weight on the 25-30 i thought they just did the same thing as the 40-60hp. ill tell u this right now ill give anything to have an etec but ill change my mind when i see the tag :eek: mercs r nice i got one my self a 1961 500merc not many parts for it anymore thought so lol.
 

pvanv

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

I believe that you will find that the new Merc 25 is actually a re-badged Tohatsu/Nissan 25/30 4-stroke with EFI. Solid motors. The price structure will make the Merc the most expensive brand of the 3, followed by the Nissan, with the Tohatsu decal being the cheapest. Of course, the somewhat exotic, but solid, E-tec 2-stroke is also very good technology, albeit a bit more expensive.

Different technologies, with similar mid-range performance. If you idle a 4-stroke too much, it will probably make oil. However, above 25% throttle, it shouldn't, and will likely be quieter. The 2- and 4-strokes do have different power curves of course. 2-strokes seem to do their best at and above 75% throttle, while 4-strokes are pretty happy at and above 50% throttle. So, if you expect to run above one-third throttle most of the time, they're pretty even.

If this is the case, I would go with the dealer you like best. Makes all the difference.
 

Silvertip

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

I take issue with the idea that 2-strokes need to run with more throttle than four strokes. Quite the contrary is true. In the under 100 HP range, study nearly any boat performance test using both a two stroke and a four stroke engines and you will find that at a two stroke pushes the boat faster, in many cases much faster, than an equivalent four stroke at the same rpm. I've done many fuel economy studies on the 50 - 90 HP range to support that statement, including a very detailed fuel economy study that I posted on this forum some time ago.
 

marquette

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

i know that since the mercury hasn't been sold or installed it is considered brand new but how old is it to still be a 2 stroke? i thought mercury dropped all their mid-range 2 stroke motors about 5 years ago in favor of the 4 stroke.
 
D

DJ

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

I'm not sure if we're talking two stroke vs. four stroke here, or what. But.

There is nothing in the world wrong with trolling a two stroke. People did/do for the last 75 years or so. I still do. Some at 24:1 to boot.;)

Mercury is not going anywhere. Downsize-yes, disappear-no.

Buy from a dealer you like and trust. The 25 you're looking at sounds like a decent deal. It will do just fine.

The ONLY issue may have is that some bodies of water do not allow two strokes. But, they are few and far between.

Don't "overthink" this.

If the 25 is too fast, re-prop it or put a trolling plate on it. Both easy to do. Work with the dealer on a prop. exchange if turns out to be too fast.
 

Silvertip

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

Once again there is the misconception that all two strokes are banned from certain waters. It is "carbureted two strokes" that are banned from some waters. The new DFI two strokes are not.
 
D

DJ

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Re: 25 hp for trolling ?? E-Tech or Mercury

Once again there is the misconception that all two strokes are banned from certain waters. It is "carbureted two strokes" that are banned from some waters. The new DFI two strokes are not.


Agreed. Explaining that to a Park Ranger is sometimes-"Interesting".

Show them the "CARB" label, on the engine. Once done, good to go.
 

pecheux

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