On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 04:14:23 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

I'm looking for a new or used boat in the 18-22' range for inshore
sal****er use and the motor is a big concern of mine. What are the
late model motors to avoid? I've heard 4 strokes in general are the
way to go - and 4 strokes are dogs but if you go with a 4 stroke get
Yamaha or, get a Honda - Yamahas are junk. I've heard to get DI 2
stroke. I've heard that Mercs are the worst and the best; however,
I've also heard of many new Mercs being returned and Mercs on recall.
I've heard of Merc "smart" systems screwing up and having to be
disabled. One dealer swore by the new Evenrude DI (they have "smart"
systems too) and I have seen the above as well as Suzuki and Johnson
on the boats I'm looking at. Are there brands, sizes, types (2 or 4
stroke, carb, efi, di) to avoid? I'd appreciate some help.

=============================================

Here in south Florida both the Yamaha and Honda 4 strokes are very
popular, as are the Merc 2 strokes.

bo jangles wrote:
I'm looking for a new or used boat in the 18-22' range for inshore
sal****er use and the motor is a big concern of mine. What are the
late model motors to avoid? I've heard 4 strokes in general are the
way to go - and 4 strokes are dogs but if you go with a 4 stroke get
Yamaha or, get a Honda - Yamahas are junk. I've heard to get DI 2
stroke. I've heard that Mercs are the worst and the best; however,
I've also heard of many new Mercs being returned and Mercs on recall.
I've heard of Merc "smart" systems screwing up and having to be
disabled. One dealer swore by the new Evenrude DI (they have "smart"
systems too) and I have seen the above as well as Suzuki and Johnson
on the boats I'm looking at. Are there brands, sizes, types (2 or 4
stroke, carb, efi, di) to avoid? I'd appreciate some help.

Any 4 stroke is OK.

Stay away from 2 strokes if you can even though boat for boat they
might be cheaper, initially:-)

Don't under any circumstance get a DFI of any type, you'll find give
away prices on Ficht (there's a reason) & cheap Optimax Merc. You won't
find a cheap E-Tec because they're still scamming people they might
work, they won't & you will do your dough if your boat has one.


K


& the Krause lie of the day is..... one from the sad "my father" range,
really really sad actually.

I'm ever proud of my late Dad's life. Clearly the liar is still in
school boy BS mode


My father and his chief mechanic once crossed the Atlantic in
winter in a 22' boat powered by twin outboards.
Yes, it is possible, even the fuel.
Got a "fireboat" welcome in NYC.

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 04:14:23 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

I'm looking for a new or used boat in the 18-22' range for inshore
sal****er use and the motor is a big concern of mine. What are the
late model motors to avoid? I've heard 4 strokes in general are the
way to go - and 4 strokes are dogs but if you go with a 4 stroke get
Yamaha or, get a Honda - Yamahas are junk. I've heard to get DI 2
stroke. I've heard that Mercs are the worst and the best; however,
I've also heard of many new Mercs being returned and Mercs on recall.
I've heard of Merc "smart" systems screwing up and having to be
disabled. One dealer swore by the new Evenrude DI (they have "smart"
systems too) and I have seen the above as well as Suzuki and Johnson
on the boats I'm looking at. Are there brands, sizes, types (2 or 4
stroke, carb, efi, di) to avoid? I'd appreciate some help.

I understand the problem - you hear one thing, you hear another - it's
a freakin' jungle out there. :)

With respect to Honda, they are great engines - no doubt about it.
However, when they break, it can become problematic finding somebody
to repair them properly. Honda believes in the "our engines don't
break, so we don't need technical information to the local level"
philosophy. Their marketing is somewhat suspect. We have a
contributor here who went around in circles over what should have been
a warranty issue. I've heard second hand stories (for what they are
worth) about Honda's sitting in a shop until they could get a Honda
technician from an auto shop to look at the engines.

Yamaha is also a great engine but replacement and warranty parts can
be a problem - the supply lines are very long and if the parts
actually exist, take a while to arrive. Not in all cases, however -
it just depends on what breaks. Yamaha is also playing tough with
American engines by dumping their products making deals with boat
manufacturers. Take that for what it's worth.

I wouldn't buy a Mercury if you paid me to. And not for the reason
you think - it's their warranty policies which suck. One day over the
warranty and you are screwed - big time. Or they will just ignore
their own warranty policies and leave you hanging - I've had personal
experience with that. Great engines, warranty polices suck. Optimax
has had some powerhead problems and were recalled, but overall they
are solid engines. I just won't own one.

The one engine that I don't know a lot about, but have heard really
good things about is Suzuki.

Despite Karen's negative obsession with two strokes, Bombardier is
actually leading the way in terms of technology. I've had FICHT
Evinrudes and nary a problem - I did have one problem, but it was
quickly solved to my satisfaction by Bombardier and they honestly
didn't have to. Haven't had a problem since. I know several folks in
the shelfish industry (clam bullrakers) over in RI and they have a
couple of thousand hours on them with no problems - and these were the
150 engines which were the recall engines.

I'm having E-TEC 225s mounted on my new Contender (this coming week in
fact) - I believe in them, I believe in the technology. Two strokes
are lighter, much better power to weight ratios, more efficient,
longer warranties. cleaner emissions, easier to maintain and with
Bombardier anyway, longer warranties, better acceleration, yada, yada,
yada. Two strokes have it all over four strokes any way you want to
measure it.

Sorry for the length - I get carried away sometimes. :)

Good luck - hope this helps a little.

Later,

Tom

Yamaha: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. I personally like the EFI better than the
carb since they crank and run like a car (no choke or throttle required).
Don't get Direct fuel injection. Make sure you have a local dealer that has
a good reputation.

Merc: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Again, EFI is better. Don't get Optimax.
Best dealer network. Best for parts. A good local dealer will take care of
you and you won't have the warrenty issues that Short Wave talked about.

Suzuki: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Again, EFI is better. Local dealer and
dealer network may be an issue.

Honda: 4 stroke (I like the least personally due to dealer network)

Evinrude / Johnson: Stay away from Period. Older ones were good in a carb
2 stroke but I don't think you want to go that old.

Personally I would want 2 stroke EFI that a good reputable local dealer
works on. These engines have been around a long time and should give many
years of trouble free use. (like buying a 350 chevy).

--
Tony
my boats and cars at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com
"bo jangles" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a new or used boat in the 18-22' range for inshore
sal****er use and the motor is a big concern of mine. What are the
late model motors to avoid? I've heard 4 strokes in general are the
way to go - and 4 strokes are dogs but if you go with a 4 stroke get
Yamaha or, get a Honda - Yamahas are junk. I've heard to get DI 2
stroke. I've heard that Mercs are the worst and the best; however,
I've also heard of many new Mercs being returned and Mercs on recall.
I've heard of Merc "smart" systems screwing up and having to be
disabled. One dealer swore by the new Evenrude DI (they have "smart"
systems too) and I have seen the above as well as Suzuki and Johnson
on the boats I'm looking at. Are there brands, sizes, types (2 or 4
stroke, carb, efi, di) to avoid? I'd appreciate some help.

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:08:19 GMT, "tony thomas"
wrote:

Yamaha: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. I personally like the EFI better than the
carb since they crank and run like a car (no choke or throttle required).
Don't get Direct fuel injection. Make sure you have a local dealer that has
a good reputation.

Merc: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Again, EFI is better. Don't get Optimax.
Best dealer network. Best for parts. A good local dealer will take care of
you and you won't have the warrenty issues that Short Wave talked about.

Wanna bet? :) Do we need to bring out the receipts and prove the
point one more time?

Suzuki: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Again, EFI is better. Local dealer and
dealer network may be an issue.

Honda: 4 stroke (I like the least personally due to dealer network)

Evinrude / Johnson: Stay away from Period. Older ones were good in a carb
2 stroke but I don't think you want to go that old.

Karen - is that you? :)

Later,

Tom

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 04:14:23 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

I'm looking for a new or used boat in the 18-22' range for inshore
sal****er use and the motor is a big concern of mine. What are the
late model motors to avoid? I've heard 4 strokes in general are the
way to go - and 4 strokes are dogs but if you go with a 4 stroke get
Yamaha or, get a Honda - Yamahas are junk. I've heard to get DI 2
stroke. I've heard that Mercs are the worst and the best; however,
I've also heard of many new Mercs being returned and Mercs on recall.
I've heard of Merc "smart" systems screwing up and having to be
disabled. One dealer swore by the new Evenrude DI (they have "smart"
systems too) and I have seen the above as well as Suzuki and Johnson
on the boats I'm looking at. Are there brands, sizes, types (2 or 4
stroke, carb, efi, di) to avoid? I'd appreciate some help.

Get the Honda. Not because I have controlling stock in the company,
but because I know they are the best engines out there.