Evinrude E-TEC 90 H.O.

[Jawjacker]

Guys does anyone here have any experience running an Evinrude E-tec 90HO?
I'm On the fence on buying a new in the crate engine. I'm scared on making the wrong decision. I would be spending 10K on a discontinued motor. My previous boat motor was a E-tec 60HO which started on the first key turn every time and ran absolutely perfect. Thanks guys

[Coiloil37]

I’ve never run a modern evinrude so no, I don’t have any experience. That said, when I was boat shopping I saw a few boats that had evinrudes on them and their ecm’s all had a long list of faults. I also did plenty of research and the web is FULL of horror stories.
I’ve run mercs, Yamaha’s and Suzuki’s and if I was buying another outboard it would be a four stroke yamaha or Suzuki. They’re as dependable as anything you could bolt to your transom and will have excellent resale when you need it. I wouldn’t touch an evinrude when they were still being produced and I certainly wouldn’t buy one now.

[EZM]

I'd be nervous about aftermarket repair parts.

I also agree a Yamaha, Suzuki (and I'd add Honda) would be the top of my list for outboards.

I've had far more out boards compared to most people and had lot of "experiences" with the good bad and ugly.

Only had 1 Suzuki and it was great. But they are very popular outside of North America.

[KegRiver]

The most recent Evenrude I has anything to do with was not a reliable motor.
Not like the 1970s and 80s Evenrudes.

They might be better now, of that I'm not sure.

If I were looking for a new motor, which I might be come spring, I'd go for a Yamaha or a Honda before anything else.
But to each his own.

[deschambault]

I had one of the early Evinrude Ficht motors and I got lucky as it was a very good motor. Since then I have had Mercurys and don't feel you can go wrong with either a Mercury or Yamaha. I would be very leery of buying an Evinrude which has no dealer network and is reliant on Mercury dealers able to get parts.

[swampy45]

Just bought a brand new in crate Evinrude 110HP HO.

They are offering full warranty for three years post dated until the spring so you do not miss out on six months of warranty down the road, and they are continuing to produce and replace parts on all existing models. They have not gone out of business, only stopped production of current models. There is a reason, and for those patient enough for the "Evinrude" name to possibly come back as a BRP Outboard, you will not be disappointed.

Would you hesitate to buy a Yamaha, Honda, or Mercury Outboard if they stopped production? What about the many vehicles that hit the road and have been discontinued? Probably not.

I have ran both Evinrude and Mercury for the last decade or so and I can see the value in picking up the Evinrude. I chose to go with my Evinrude 110HP HO over anything else not for the price, but for the torque, holeshot, top speed, fuel efficiency, emissions, etc. The two strokes of new are not like they used to be. There is a reason that BRP runs the E_TEC in their Skidoo's, Seadoo's etc, and I have been impressed with their performance and maintenance schedule as a whole.

Whichever motor you choose, happy buying!

[nick0danger]

Originally Posted by swampy45

Just bought a brand new in crate Evinrude 110HP HO.

They are offering full warranty for three years post dated until the spring so you do not miss out on six months of warranty down the road, and they are continuing to produce and replace parts on all existing models. They have not gone out of business, only stopped production of current models. There is a reason, and for those patient enough for the "Evinrude" name to possibly come back as a BRP Outboard, you will not be disappointed.

Would you hesitate to buy a Yamaha, Honda, or Mercury Outboard if they stopped production? What about the many vehicles that hit the road and have been discontinued? Probably not.

I have ran both Evinrude and Mercury for the last decade or so and I can see the value in picking up the Evinrude. I chose to go with my Evinrude 110HP HO over anything else not for the price, but for the torque, holeshot, top speed, fuel efficiency, emissions, etc. The two strokes of new are not like they used to be. There is a reason that BRP runs the E_TEC in their Skidoo's, Seadoo's etc, and I have been impressed with their performance and maintenance schedule as a whole.

Whichever motor you choose, happy buying!

You can not compare an Evinrude motor to a Rotax. Evinrude is made winsconsin, and Rotax in austria. Very different Motors.

[Walleyedude]

I've run a Gen 1 ETEC 200HO, and it was a good outboard, no complaints. I know guys running the G2's and they're happy with them, for the most part. I've also heard A LOT of horror stories about blown power heads and other problems with the G1 and G2 ETECS.

Personally, I will never touch anything Evinrude, or even BRP for that matter, again. They hung a lot of loyal customers out to dry, costing them thousands of dollars, when they simply decided to no longer produce the ETEC. I feel terrible for those people. In most cases they chose to buy the ETEC, and often paid more for it, because they believed in the product/company, and around here at least, they believed in buying "Canadian". Take a look at any boat classifieds and see it for yourself, same boat, same rigging, one with a Merc and one with an ETEC, the ETEC will be thousands of dollars cheaper and nearly impossible to sell. For good reason.

Unless that 90HO was so cheap you could buy two or three of them for what you'd pay for a Merc, Yamaha, etc..., I wouldn't touch it with a 10 ft pole.

I don't care what they bring out next, there is ZERO chance I'd be their test dummy and get left holding the bag again.

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Evinrude's are fine motors but i'd be hesitant only since they've stopped making them and that might make it harder to find parts and or resell down the road. For the money my favourite motors are the Mercury Pro xs. They look so nice sitting there witht he slight forward tilt and they sound absolutely beastly in the higher HP's every time you fire it up.

[TROLLER]

Yamaha Suzuki, Honda, Tohatsu 4 strokes.

Take your pick any one of them will work for yrs. I just don't have a lot of trust any more with BRP

I also am not a huge fan of the 2 strokers, but that is just me, lot's of guys are running the Merc. and it is a great motor.

[jafo]

My dad has a 2007 etc 115 and is currently looking to get the power head rebuilt for the 2nd time. We all enjoy the power and economy of the engine when running but at $5000 to rebuild the power head it gets costly to own. I would be very cautious buying one as part supply may become an issue. The Evinrudes of old were indestructible but I wouldn't say the same for the new ones.

[Rick.]

It is a big decision no doubt. I'm an OMC believer but things have changed when BRP announced they are going out of the outboard business. I would think any amount you save now will be reflected in the resale value down the road no matter how well it performs. If your ok with that go for it. Best of luck. Rick.

[eagleflyfisher]

Any recommendations for Etec service in Alberta ?
Heard boat mart is good ?
Sorry no experience w 90 etec, only a 50 wishing I had a 90!

[roper1]

I have a 15 HO kicker on a boat I bought used. Really like the motor first 2 years we've had it.

[Poppa]

Originally Posted by eagleflyfisher

Any recommendations for Etec service in Alberta ?
Heard boat mart is good ?
Sorry no experience w 90 etec, only a 50 wishing I had a 90!

Boat Mart in RD is a really great shop. Thankfully we haven't really had to do anything other than winterizing each year, but Ray and the crew are good people. I'll vouch for 'em!

[Jawjacker]

Originally Posted by Poppa

Boat Mart in RD is a really great shop. Thankfully we haven't really had to do anything other than winterizing each year, but Ray and the crew are good people. I'll vouch for 'em!

Actually they are NOT good people!!! They have a new ETEC 90HO in the crate. I have called talked to Ray. He said he would think about selling me the motor. He took my number and told me he would call me back in a few hours. Well hours turned to days. So I though maybe he forgot. I've called and left 5 messages with other people at the dealership for Ray to call me back. Nope not a call back. If you don't want to sell me the motor just tell me. I bought my Lund Rebel from them in the old days when they were a Lund dealer . I use to really like them till this scenario happened . Now If I decide to go with the 90HO I have to pay for shipping from Ontario to get one.

[OL_JR]

Originally Posted by Jawjacker

Actually they are NOT good people!!! They have a new ETEC 90HO in the crate. I have called talked to Ray. He said he would think about selling me the motor. He took my number and told me he would call me back in a few hours. Well hours turned to days. So I though maybe he forgot. I've called and left 5 messages with other people at the dealership for Ray to call me back. Nope not a call back. If you don't want to sell me the motor just tell me. I bought my Lund Rebel from them in the old days when they were a Lund dealer . I use to really like them till this scenario happened . Now If I decide to go with the 90HO I have to pay for shipping from Ontario to get one.

Why would you even want one? Evinrude is done. Unless they offered to basically give it to you I don't see any advantage to buying one.

[Jawjacker]

Originally Posted by OL_JR

Why would you even want one? Evinrude is done. Unless they offered to basically give it to you I don't see any advantage to buying one.

Hey OL_JR . The only reason I'm thinking of owning one is based off the experiences I've had with my current Evinrude E-Tec 60HO. It's been an amazing engine. Not a stitch of issues. Always starts on first key turn . Goes like a rapped ape lol. Super quiet and great on gas and oil. With the motor being an HO the hoarse power rating is plus 10%. The 90HO has the hole shot of a 115 being the motor is a de-tuned 115. I bought a bigger boat with a higher motor rating. Otherwise I would never sell my 60HO . It has warranty till 2028. But I'm flip flopping as you see. I don't disagree with what your saying either. I'm torn.

[swampy45]

Originally Posted by eagleflyfisher

Any recommendations for Etec service in Alberta ?
Heard boat mart is good ?
Sorry no experience w 90 etec, only a 50 wishing I had a 90!

Free Spirit Marine, South Edmonton

[swampy45]

Originally Posted by Jawjacker

Actually they are NOT good people!!! They have a new ETEC 90HO in the crate. I have called talked to Ray. He said he would think about selling me the motor. He took my number and told me he would call me back in a few hours. Well hours turned to days. So I though maybe he forgot. I've called and left 5 messages with other people at the dealership for Ray to call me back. Nope not a call back. If you don't want to sell me the motor just tell me. I bought my Lund Rebel from them in the old days when they were a Lund dealer . I use to really like them till this scenario happened . Now If I decide to go with the 90HO I have to pay for shipping from Ontario to get one.

Check with Free Spirit Marine in Edmonton. They had one.

[Jawjacker]

[QUOTE=swampy45;4260785]Check with Free Spirit Marine in Edmonton. They had one.[/QUOTE
Appreciate the tip swampy45. Free spirit marine is where I bought my new boat. Unfortunately the only 90HOs they have left are white in the 25 inch leg length .

[Cold lake guy]

Personally I have experience with the opti 2 strokes direct injection was a good motor probably similar to the ecotec. Sold that boat now my current is a 4stroke merc 2003 so a Yamaha in a merc body. Both were 115 hp one on a sylvan 17 and my current Lund, both did 40 mph + - . Ss prop, low maintenance on the 2 stroke but oil is expensive $60 bucks for 4l. 4 stroke seasonal change of oil $100 with filter. Oh ya spark plugs on the opti are very expensive......repowering a boat usually puts your overall investment beyond the value of the resale value. Maybe sell the boat and look for another?

[Coiloil37]

You can get a new 90 merc 4 stroke for under $10k. I’m guessing a yammi, suzi or Honda wouldn’t be much different.
Paying 10k for a discontinued donk with a poor record, questionable support and limited resale sounds like a bad idea.

[Willowtrail]

Originally Posted by eagleflyfisher

Any recommendations for Etec service in Alberta ?
Heard boat mart is good ?
Sorry no experience w 90 etec, only a 50 wishing I had a 90!

Free Spirit Marine in Edmonton is the only dealership I let touch my etec. Currently running a G2 250HO and it’s a beast. Have a few friends running etec s as well and we’re all super happy with them.

If I had a spare $25k I’d buy a new one and leave it in a crate for my next boat. Was a sad day when BRP closed the doors on Evinrude.

[deschambault]

Sorry but 2 strokes are ancient history, kinda like wanting to buy every buggy whip you can buy.

[Hartly]

[QUOTE=deschambault;4267751]Sorry but 2 strokes are ancient history, kinda like wanting to buy every buggy whip you can buy.[/QUOTE

At this point the Etec is the hottest selling engine. Especially the HO series. They are the number one sought after motor. I have friends that work a various marine shops that tell me this all the time. I find it a coincidence that both mechanics tell me the etec is a great motor and that the ones that are HO series are bullet proof. Power on every stroke, crazy hole shot , super quiet , smooth, dependable. The ironic part about this is one of the mechanics currently works at a Yamaha dealership. He was telling me even the SHO doesn’t have the hole shot of the etec. He also said everyone builds a good motor these days. It all adds up to personal taste and expectations. Once you’ve had an etec it’s tough to find the same torque and top end from other brands. As mentioned earlier they are a BEAST. They go like a rapped ape.