Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

[kapaafire]

Ok had enough of my motor. Going to trade in the gas hog for an upgrade.

Any opinions on the new Evinrude E-Tec 115 hp?
GPH, maintenance, any problems, etc.?

BTW, I'd like to Thank everyone on this forum for their previous assist.

 

[DHPMARINE]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

If they are everything BRP say,they must be great.But I've only seen a couple.Just went to a smallish boat show (about 150 to 200 booths) saw only 1 E-Tec.

That makes me wonder who stocks parts,and who can fix them.I don't know of a boat company that is rigging with them.Someone must be ? ? ?

DHP

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

i've only heard good things about them, if i could afford new that's what i'd do. 4 strokes are 2 heavy, 2 many moving parts, oil changes, more service. etec also passed Calif test for a 2 stroke to operate in the state.

 

[randy_252]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

Just bought a new 2006 E-Tech. Not very much run time on it. So far, so good. I have three other friends that has then also and they have had no problems to speak of.

Pros
No Maint for 3 yr. or 300 hours I think it is.
Beats a 4 stroke any day.
Nice colors
Has power.

Cons
Computerized.
Hard for me to work on. vs taken to a shop.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

There are 5 test drives on the BRP site.
GPH range from 10.09 to 11.33 WOT.
wot 43 mph on a 17 ft Alumacraft Dominator,
29 MPH on a Crest 22 pontoon.
Weight 369 to 375
Rule of thumb for GPH is 10% of HP. 11.5 for a typical
115 motor.By the way GPH on the 22ft pontoon was 10.09 but MPG was only 2.9 Because of the relatively slow speed of the pontoon design.
If I was buying new it would be an Etec.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

I have T Etec 175's with one season on them. Totally trouble free so far. Very quiet, good on gas and oil. Start instantly with zero smoking and immediately idle at 480 RPM like they've been running all day. Seven year warranty if you buy at the right time (I think by the end of March or April). Loads of power out of the hole. BTW, the warranty (at least the first three years) includes spark plugs. I may change the LU gear oil at two years, but it's not required until 3 years or 300 hours.

I don't regard the EMM (computer) as a disadvantage at all ... it's part of the great DI benefits of very low fuel and oil use, especially below 2K RPM.

As far as maintenance, so far zero, but I will pull the props to check for mono and regrease the prop shafts and replace the props. I will also grease the few fitting on the exterior and spray the PH with WD40 or CRC. I'm figuring about 10 minutes per motor. I may add water alarming fuel filters at ~ $80 per motor. These will provide an alarm at the helm for each motor with no wiring external to the PH required. If I do this one time install, it will up the per motor time to ~ 45 minutes. Water pumps, especially for the way I use the motors (offshore in very clean water) will easily go three years.

If you enjoy maintenance of your motor, Etec's are clearly not for you. Otherwise, they're great. My dealer has had excellent experience with Etecs so far ... very few warranty issues.

I would suggest finding a good BRP dealer who has trained techs. I picked a dealer first, then the motors.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

Pro's
Lighter then 4 strokes
Sips fuel (about the same as 4 strokes)
Clean running

Con's
still a fairly new engine but there are a few out there (a buddy is having trouble with mid range hesitation on his E-tec 50hp, still, after many computer updates but atleast it trolls fine now)
BRP is having issues with there DFI powered skidoo snowmobiles burning up though they seem to be doing good on the DFI E-tec so far.
Seems to drink gas pretty good at idle/trolling (my buddies 50hp Etec goes through about twice the gas my 70hp Johnson 4 stroke does trolling)

 

[muskrat]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

great motor!!!!!!.200 hrs

 

[steelespike]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

Pro's
Lighter then 4 strokes
Sips fuel (about the same as 4 strokes)
Clean running

Con's
still a fairly new engine but there are a few out there (a buddy is having trouble with mid range hesitation on his E-tec 50hp, still, after many computer updates but atleast it trolls fine now)
BRP is having issues with there DFI powered skidoo snowmobiles burning up though they seem to be doing good on the DFI E-tec so far.
Seems to drink gas pretty good at idle/trolling (my buddies 50hp Etec goes through about twice the gas my 70hp Johnson 4 stroke does trolling)

I wonder if your buddy is having more of a dealer problem than a motor problem.Not saying dealer is bad
just that maybe they need to go back to out of the box set up with special attention to any factory up dates.
He may want to talk to BRP.Perhaps the dealer has missed some updates.Hard to believe a simple hesatation hasn't been properly addressed by BRP.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

Its an issue a few different dealers have seen, it just that it at a rpm range where most people don't even notice it but his is on a light boat and he can cruise on plane at that rpm range and it will surge a few hundred rpm once in awhile at that slow plane speed and it will hesitate when he punches the throttle to gain speed from that rpm. If his motor was on my boat I would never notice it since my boat wouldn't stay on plane at that rpm.

 

[alana]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

i changed my 115 hp 4stroke mariner for a 115hp 2stroke e-tec evinrude so far i think i made a good choice. the same fuel cosumption as the 4stroke, and if you take changing the sump oil into consideration, i dont think the 2stroke will burn mutch more oil. and a lot less parts to go wrong. i am known as an awkward customer so if i get problems HEADS WILL ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

Snowmobile DFI engines have absolutely nothing to do with BRP's Evinrude line of outboards. The only commonality is they are made by the same parent company. The engines aren't even similar.

Has your friend's Etec ever had the MAP (firmware) updated? It's done at no charge during the warranty period and take only a few minutes. Your friend needs to take his motor to a well qualified dealer BC he should use way less gas trolling than you do. My 175's idle in gear with less than .5 gph each (my old motors idled with over 2 gph, and they were Merc 150's).

 

[Baja Bound]

E-Tec 30 hp for trolling 15' aluminum boat?

E-Tec 30 hp for trolling 15' aluminum boat?

I searched this topic because I'm about to buy a 30 hp for a Gregor Angler 15meant for the Columbia River and the Sea of Cortez.

Everything I read about the E-Tec 30hp seems appealing but I'm being advised that it won't troll as well as a four stroke. At this point I'm strongly considering a Tohatsu 30 hp efi as much because it's available now but hope I'm not passing up the next great advancement in small outboards simply because I'm not willing to wait another season. Any opinions?

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

My suggestion is to start a new thread on that specific topic.

 

[Baja Bound]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

I'm new at the posting game and agree on the need to start a new thread. Rules posted at the bottom state that I may "Not" post a new thread however.

What I've been able to conjur up at dealerships selling both Tohatsu and Evinrude is interesting; there seems to be disagreement about whether these small new E-Tec's will be able to troll as well or better than a traditional four stroke. When the experts disagree who am I to believe?

 

[steelespike]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

The new 25 and 30 Etecs have a special operator controlled trolling setting.I believe there are 4 or 5 performance reports at the BRP Etec sight.
As far as I know the 4 stroke making oil while trolling hasn't been fully solved.
And may still require a deliberate high speed run at the end of the day to help burn off the moisture.E tec Also available with fingertip tilt and trim.
I believe weight as light as 146 lbs.to about 177.

 

[blackbox]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

back to the e-tec 115 question! i sell evinruds,yamahas,mercs., hondas, and tohatsu. no one makes a bad motor! personal prefrance and quality of the dealer are also important factors in choosing a motor. i personaly like the e-tecs. they are easy to sell and make for happy customers! if you buy a e-tec, chk. out the i-comand package they are giving away til april 15th.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

I think that resurrecting a two year old thread can lead to a lot of confusion.

I just attended the New England Boat Show in Boston Feb. 18, 2009 and around half of the outboard boats on exhibit were sporting BRP motors, including the twin motors on the Massachusetts Environmental Police boat.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Evinrude E-Tec? Pros/cons

I'm new at the posting game and agree on the need to start a new thread. Rules posted at the bottom state that I may "Not" post a new thread however.

I think you would have been OK in starting a new thread because this one is about a different ETEC motor. Its also a couple of years old, so there may be user information and opinion that has changed.

As for resurrecting old threads, there are varying opinions. Personally, I don't mind it, as long as the topic remains focused on the original subject.