"FREDO" wrote in message
.. .


Karen,

I am looking at a 2004 Alumacraft 17.5 foot boat with a 115 Evinrude Ficht
motor. This boat and motor has about 200 hours on it.
Should I really be worried?
Didn't most of these motors that were bad "blow up" within a few hours
when new? Also I seem to remember reading in this N/G that if they got
past the first few hours of operation without breaking you probably had a
good engine.
What percentage of failures did the manufacturers have?
Weren't the bigger motors, i.e..; 200 hp and above really the majority of
the problems.



Well, FREDO, you must be very new here to post that kind of message to
Karen.

First of all, do a search on her posts and see what kind of attitude she
has.

Second, before accepting any answer from her, ask for her experiences and
training and any credentials in the subject of FICHT, Evinrude DI, or E-TEC
engines. She will not give you any as she spouts the same "spruik", as she
calls it, since 1999.

Ficht was first introduced in mid 1996. Back in 1999, the then president of
OMC stated in a news conference, that 20% of the 1998 150-175 FICHT engines
with a 25" shaft, had major problems. Karen loves to quote that quote, but
does so out of context. The factory sent out teams of mechanics to repair
and upgrade all the owners of the '98 and '99 150&175 motors. The FICHT was
re-designed and improved in 2000 and was even more improved by Bombardier
when they took over in 2002 and was produced up to a few months ago.

Just think, if the FICHT and E-TEC's didn't work and blow up all the time,
as Karen contends, then why is Evinrude the 3rd best selling brand in the
US? Wouldn't you think that no one would by them if they blew up and didn't
work after all these years.

Right now if you want a dealer to order an E-TEC, especially the mid-range
models, you will have to wait about a month as the demand is higher than
expected and the company is running full output on several assembly lines to
keep up.

From a service manager's point of view (I have nothing to do with sales) the
motors are working well and we have fewer complaints and warranty claims
than we do with Yamaha which we also service. I am the guy who has to talk
to a mad customer if something breaks down and ruins their weekend on the
water, so I know which motors have problems and ones that don't.

Back to your original question, as with any used product, have the motor
checked out by a trained professional and ask for the computer report that
will tell you the total hours and the percent of use at each rpm range,
along with any stored "faults" that the computer may have detected. Good
luck.

Bill Grannis
service manager