It appears all of the following eTEC motors are the same motor based on the cubic inches and weight:
15 high output (2 stroke eTEC, not the 4 stroke portable, non-HO version)
25hp
30hp
Aside from the obvious hp increase, is there anything really different about them?
I've been thinking about getting a boat and how I want to set it up for a while - still studying the options. I am pretty well set on an eTEC 115 main, but there aren't any small hp matching motors really suitable as a remote "kicker" like the Merc 9.9 pro kicker or bigfoot. The "smallest" evinrude appears to be the 15ho. Though, with the size of the motor and a 25/30 being the same frame/displacement, from a size perspective I'd rather get the bigger hp. I could pull it off and run it as a main with a skiff just as well.
I have heard with some motors it is not good to run them long at low speeds because of carbon build-up, etc. This is one of the main benefits of a kicker when trolling or otherwise running at slow speeds - you can run the kicker harder at that speed than a main. I am looking at the kicker as a two part objective - primarily back up power if I loose the main (rip off the lower unit, mechanical failure, what have you), as well as a better option for trolling.
From a back up power perspective - I don't know that I would gain much push (translate that to speed), realistically speaking, at 30hp than 15 because of the size/weight of the boat. That power may not even get the boat to plow, let alone have any chance of getting on plane (alum 16'6", 88" beam, 13deg deadrise, under 1100lb dry hull weight).
What about from an engine tuning perspective? eTEC's are injected engines. So is it really the tuning alone that affects the hp? On carbed engines the higher hp models in a line up mostly just had bigger carbs. If it is only tuning then running a higher hp motor slow would be the same as running a lower hp at the same speed, in terms of fuel delivery, carbon build up, etc, no? If the motor is dual purpose for a kicker and skiff power the higher hp makes more sense.
Any thoughts on my logic here? Any thoughts on the wear/use of the motors?
15 high output (2 stroke eTEC, not the 4 stroke portable, non-HO version)
25hp
30hp
Aside from the obvious hp increase, is there anything really different about them?
I've been thinking about getting a boat and how I want to set it up for a while - still studying the options. I am pretty well set on an eTEC 115 main, but there aren't any small hp matching motors really suitable as a remote "kicker" like the Merc 9.9 pro kicker or bigfoot. The "smallest" evinrude appears to be the 15ho. Though, with the size of the motor and a 25/30 being the same frame/displacement, from a size perspective I'd rather get the bigger hp. I could pull it off and run it as a main with a skiff just as well.
I have heard with some motors it is not good to run them long at low speeds because of carbon build-up, etc. This is one of the main benefits of a kicker when trolling or otherwise running at slow speeds - you can run the kicker harder at that speed than a main. I am looking at the kicker as a two part objective - primarily back up power if I loose the main (rip off the lower unit, mechanical failure, what have you), as well as a better option for trolling.
From a back up power perspective - I don't know that I would gain much push (translate that to speed), realistically speaking, at 30hp than 15 because of the size/weight of the boat. That power may not even get the boat to plow, let alone have any chance of getting on plane (alum 16'6", 88" beam, 13deg deadrise, under 1100lb dry hull weight).
What about from an engine tuning perspective? eTEC's are injected engines. So is it really the tuning alone that affects the hp? On carbed engines the higher hp models in a line up mostly just had bigger carbs. If it is only tuning then running a higher hp motor slow would be the same as running a lower hp at the same speed, in terms of fuel delivery, carbon build up, etc, no? If the motor is dual purpose for a kicker and skiff power the higher hp makes more sense.
Any thoughts on my logic here? Any thoughts on the wear/use of the motors?
