2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

[chrisg]

OK, I need a new motor for my toon. People have told me to get a 4?stroke. Is a 4-stroke that much better on gas? And how much quieter is it compared to a newer (?00 and up) 2-stroke? I also see a 4-stroke is more involved in maintenance.

I found a ?02 90hp Yamaha with power trim, for the same price as a ?00 50hp Honda 4-stroke.
I?m leaning towards the Yamaha, as it has more power, and the price being asked is close to the NADA used price (Which makes me think the dealer is more honest?!).

Plus the Yamaha site has some specs on this engine attached to a toon, so I can see performance measurements.

The only thing is there are no Yamaha dealers near by (have to go to next state to find one ? 2 hours away).

I?m sure anything will be quieter then the merc I have.

Which would you go 2 or 4 stoke

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

depends on what it is going on.

 

[Euro95]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

If the yamaha is an autolube version it won't matter that much, you can get your gas on the road, which saves money atleast where i am.

Also i believe hondas are much more quiet than the rest, atleast the hondas that i have seen.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

Noise figures are sort of misleading when it comes to 2-stroke/4-stroke comparisons. If you look carefully at wide open throttle tests on both (on the same boat of course) you will find the 4-strokes are generally quieter, but not by much. The notion that they are "much" quieter is due to the fact the a 4-strokes makes a different sound than a 2-stroke whereas the dB ratings are very close. However, at slower speeds the 4-strokes tend to be a fair amount quieter and I therefore recommend a 4-stroke for pontoon service as people tend to converse more in a more relaxed setting so quiet really is an important factor. For performance I have to go with a 2-stroke. so the choice is yours. Economy is another confusing factor. You cannot compare 2-stroke and 4-stroke fuel consumption at the same rpm because a 2-stroke will almost always be pushing the boat faster than a 4-stroke at the same RPM. Blame gearing and prop requirements for that. So look at fuel consumption numbers very carefully.

 

[quantico]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

If money is similar I would always pick the four stroke if the weight of the engine is not a big deal. I Like the fewer emissions and not having to mix gas and oil. That being said , two cycle outboards can be just fine as long as you are careful mixing the gas and oil. I think the four cycle is a better design in my opinion. The two stroke is good at making a lot of power in a small / light package... great for leaf blowers and chain saws and 5- 60 hp outboards... etc. Once you get to a large and fairly heavy engine 75 HP and up or so the four stroke becomes a better and better deal.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

Modern larger displacement 2 strokes do not require you to mix oil and fuel together. The oil from a separate tank is injected either with the fuel or directly into the engine..

 

[quantico]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

The oil and fuel still need to be purchased and are mixed in the engine. My point is that the oil costs more than simply using fuel. Also the two cycle engine pollutes more and is less efficient fuel wise... Horsepower to weight the two cycle wins.. and of course you don't need to change engine oil on a two cycle engine, but the four stroke engine is generally a better design in a larger engine...

Occasionally the oil injection pump fails on injected two cycle engines and that is an engine ending failure if not seen very quickly. The failure is not chronic , but remember the VRO engines from evinrude... that generally had a short life.

In my opinion engine technology changes slowly, carbs are used on my older outboards for example, My older two cycle outboards run fine... however if I had an option to buy a fuel injected engine instead of a carb , or a four cycle engine instead of a two cycle I would choose the newer technology in both cases. I would rather be on the newer end of technology even when choosing a used outboard.

 

[Captain Trips]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

I don't know which is better with the modern technology on the two strokes...my last two stroke was a 76 evinrude that was a great motor but required a fine touch on starting when cold. Currently have a merc 4 stroke that starts every time just like my truck does. Change the oil at the end of the year and I'm done...

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

Only time will tell whether 4-strokes are a "better design" than a two stroke. Let's see how many of those engines are still around 20, 30, and 40 years from now.

 

[sumcat1]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

My first pontoon had a 50hp 2 stroke. My present pontoon has a 60hp efi 4stroke.It's smooth,quiet,starts instantly,uses a lot less fuel,no oil tank to fill,no smoke.I could never go back!The only maintenance change is an annual oil and filter change and maybe a timing belt in 4 or 5 years.Both simple jobs.I know there are some good injected 2strokes out there now but my die is cast!

 

[chrisg]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

Well, I just ended up buying a '99 60HP merc bigfoot 2-stroke. From what I read, the gas economy is not that much better to offset the added cost for the 4-stroke. Ya I have to fill it with 2-cycle oil, but considering the price. I could pay one way or another.

As for noise, Watching other pontoons driving up and down the river, the 4-strokes are just as loud as the new 2-strokes. So for me, it came down to price.

I hope to take it out once before I have to put it away for the winter!

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

That's a good reliable engine Chris. I think you will be happy with it..

 

[DJ]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

Agree with Rick.

The "Bigfoot" makes a big difference on a toon.

We have two toons, both with 75 HP Mercs. One is 2-stroke, the other 4-stroke.

Both toons see use about 70 days per year. Both engines have been flawless. The older 2-stroke has over 1200 hours.

I will say, the 4-stroke uses about 1/3 less fuel.

However, for "average" use the 2-stroke is a great choice. Easy to maintain and some great deals are out there.

Great choice-Enjoy!

 

[chrisg]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

One thing to consider, many lakes and bodies of water are off limits to all 2-stoke engines. In my state about a third of all the lakes have banned 2-stroke engines.

While that may not be your case in your state, if you ever want to take it on a vacation, etc. it could be a huge issue.

- No, the boats will stay around here.

Ah, shoot the 'fish huggers'

( Waiting for the rebuttal)

 

[chrisg]

Re: 2-stroke Vs 4 on a pontoon.

Well, I got to try out my pontoon with the new motor. I expected to have to get it from the marina ( which is not on the water), but they put it in the water and put it at my place, even brought my trailer back to the cabin, wow, that's service!

So its a heck of a lot quieter then the 115 I had!, heck it even started with little effort, at first I did not know it was running, till I saw the water peeing out the side of the motor!. Its slower then with the old motor, but you can now carry on a conversation with the motor running!

Now to get the correct prop pitch, it should do better then 15MPH!