Etec vs Yamaha vs Mercury

[turbotodd]

I said nothing about it being a "piece of junk".

Brand loyal perhaps?

Just pointed out what I personally didn't like about the 25hp ETEC that I have had experience with...and no it didn't have PT&T. Their LIGHTEST 25hp is 162 lbs as advertised. It's a 2 stroke engine. It's SUPPOSED to be lighter, but it's not. It's heavier than most of the modern 4 stroke 25hp models, thus IMO, outdated. It's a 2 stroke and "should" be less complex in it's design. It is...the basic ENGINE is, but we're not considering the numerous systems that are required to run the engine (specifically the fuel system components)-which are actually more complex than modern EFI 4 stroke stuff. On a 4 stroke, you're injecting fuel. On an ETEC, you're injecting fuel at higher pressures and also add oil injection...more complexity, more weight, one more thing to think about (have to add oil once in a while, and it's got to be specific oil in some cases). Speaking of which....I spent the entire weekend on the waterways in this area and didn't see a single ounce of ETEC specific oil...tells me that either they just don't keep it, or there's not too many ETEC's on the water in this area, OR they don't use much oil. Or a combination of one or more. I don't know. The weight turned me away from them. That among other things. One I used was smooth and pretty quiet but not the best looking, and the oil deal turned me away. I know about the re-flash....but with that reflash, is the engine still EPA certified 3 star? AND....price...the ETEC 25hp is what? $5500? Local dealer is discounting them severely ('16 models which are still new in crate) but couldn't tell me the price until I show up & do paperwork. Sounded shady to me but whatever.

10 year warranty? 3 years standard non-declining is what the warranty statement says. Didn't see anything about 10 years unless you buy extended warranty. Even then, you've got to stick to their service requirements...and document it 100%, if not, there goes your warranty. Might not be a big deal but it can be depending on who the owner is. Similar to Dodge pickups (that I know of...others may be similar)...yeah they've got warranty, but it's only "good" if you stick to the servicing requirements...and on the 2500 diesel, that service is not cheap. Brother's hemi pickup had an engine issue, and because he was "over" by 235 miles on a scheduled oil change, they denied the claim.

 

[JL8Jeff]

My cousin has a 50 Etec on one boat and he loves it even though they did have some issue. They also tried a Yamaha 40 4 stroke on the same boat. He didn't like it nearly as much and they had some issue with that as well. He has a Merc 50 4 stroke on his other boat and it doesn't have the power of the Etec and he had an issue with that motor as well. They sold the Yamaha and it's on someone else's boat and seems to be running fine, I see him on the river all the time. Their Etec and Merc 50's are running fine on their 2 boats. So I don't know if any one of the motors is heads and tails above the others. It probably comes down to the owner wanting a 2 stroke vs 4 stroke or the weight or the cost. My 1994 Merc 60/45 jet seems to be running well and I have no intentions of swapping it out.

 

[gatorglenn]

You should look at Tohotsu motors. All so check out Performance testing of the 40 hp class. On YouTube and you will not buy a Yamaha atfer that.


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[Crazyboat]

I was replacing a hot water heater one time and my plumber told me to go with the 6 yr rated unit over the 15 yr rated one. Reason being, they are the same exact unit but the 15 yr one you pay for the "warranty" if it craps out early.

I strongly suspect it's the reason why E-Tec is so much more expensive then the other brands, they extended the warranty (for a time, don't know if it is still the case) and the added cost of purchase covers that.

IMO TuboTodd's comments were spot on.

As he also pointed out, the Evinrude of old is nothing of the Evinrude of today, OMC and BRP have nothing but a name in common.

 

[bcbouy]

very true.more reliable,more efficient,lighter,better emissions,more powerful,better warranty and quieter.oh,and direct injected.so much more money?do some research. i can't believe you guys dumped on etecs with a straight face.10 year warranty and no service at all for 300 hours.any other new engine is serviced after the first 30.right after you break it in.whats that cost at your dealer?.etec?thats right,no break in needed.i went wot right out of the box.oil and filters?nope.winterize it,nope,does it itself.yeah,its been a month,but i just got back from my 1 month camp/fish trip.anyway,nuff said.

 

[DaleH]

I don't one can generalize brands, but need to stay focused on ONE hp rating. All I know is that our boat club has a Yam 15hp 4-stroke and it is an absolute HEAVY PIG where the OMC 9.9hps on that SAME frp skiffs out-perform it.

 

[handyandy]

Seems like that todd had a bad experience with a bad dealer. None the less that should play apart of your decision check out your various dealers all the mentioned motors are pretty good they all have pros and cons. A big part of the motor is not only the motor but how well the dealer will take care of you. Unfortunately there are bad dealers out there of every brand I'd say.

If I were buying new I'd go etec, the small mercs are tohatsu, so your just paying a mercury badge upcharge on a tohatsu in my eyes on that one. Yamaha's are good, but so are the rest I personally think the yamaha's are a little overrated. Back in the two stroke days they were the best. OMC two strokes were of good design but by the 90's they suffered from some poor quality control which yamaha had a big leg up on them. Merc in the 90's was good but they were just getting caught up to omc and yamaha designs, but I'd say had better quality control than omc. Yamaha had the best electronics back in the two stroke hey days of the 90's, good designs/engineering, good quality control I'd say they really got their reputation from their engines in the 90's and into the early 2000's before everyone had to switch to four stroke. OMC had some good designs and engineering but they're quality control really killed them. Now they're all pretty good I'm not saying new yams are bad by at all they're still great engines, but I don't think they have any major leg up over the other major companies now.

The reason the etec 25 is kind of heavy is because it's the same block and same engine as the 30hp essentially I believe the yam 25hp is the upper power limit of that block/engine which is also the same one from what I can find same displacement as the 20hp. However the yam 30 weighs more than the etec 30. Etec 30 is the same weight as their 25hp, so if you went etec I'd say get the 30 why not have a few more ponies for the same weight. The etecs are quiet fuel efficient and don't use a lot of oil so the oil although is expensive with a little 25 or 30 hp the usage would be quiet low. Still go talk to your dealers and feel them out and try to figure out which you think would be best for you to purchase from. Often times its the dealer that can make break a brand for someone.

 

[MrGiggles]

I ended up buying a cheap project instead of a new one.

It is not exactly what I wanted, but we'll see how I like it. If I don't, I'm in it cheap enough that I could sell it and make some money, along with my old boat, and have a pretty good chunk of change to play with.

Financing probably wouldn't have played out anyway, even though I have a strong score, my average credit history is not that long and I likely wouldn't have been approved.