2 stroke or 4 stroke?

[npauls]

I am looking at possibly financing a new motor for my boat. I have the option of a 90hp optimax or a 90hp four stroke from merc. They are pretty much similar in price with the opti being just a touch cheaper. Which do you guys think is a better option. Right now I have a 4 stroke and really like the fact that there isn't any mixing of gas and oil but sitting at the boat launch letting it warm up on cold days is a pain in the ass sometimes. On my old boat I had an old mariner 150hp oil injected which was nice. All I had to do was fill the 16 litre oil tank and I was good to go for the year. If anyone could give me their opinion with pros and cons to both options it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nate

[cribfisher]

I went with a 90hp optimax mainly because of the break-in period and less maintanence. The 4 stroke was nothing over 1/2 throttle for I belive it was 10 hours and 3/4 for the next 40. The optimax is basicly run it hard, just vary the rpms up and down a little every couple minutes when cruising for the first twenty hours.

Always go 4 satroke, BUT,,, go Yamaha 90HP, it's ligter and if broken in right, very quiet

[fishhawk1850]

I have a Suzuki 150 4stroke it is the quietest motor I have ever been in front of, and the fuel milage is second to none. We were at the lake with a buddy for four days basicaly mile for mile my motor used 35 liters less than his Merc 4stroke, with the same prop and boat size.

[Unregistered user]

Check the weight difference between the motor you have now and the replacement. 4 strokes are heavier and not so snappy out of the hole so you may have a longer time to plane especially if your boat is short. Part throttle cruising can suck if the boat is ass-heavy and it will fall off of plane whilst you're cruising quicker than if the balance is right. A heavier motor than your boat was designed for may require a Sting-Ray or other such planing fin which brings another set of problems to the game.

[thorne]

SOrry wrongdiscussion...hehehe..oppppps...

[bowfin]

i can tell you i love my 150 opti the motor just rips light weight good on fuel go to the merc site and check out the fuel dif in 2 and 4 strokes not much dif from what i seen lots less maintance with 2 strokes. If i was looking for some new power for my boat i would also check out evinrude there new outboard are real good.

[jeffrey929]

We have a 115 Optomax and love it.. Very fuel efficient

[Walleyeman]

I certainly don't claim to be an expert on the topic but I had my choice and I went with the 115 Merc 4-stroke.It's very quiet,doesn't stink and there is no oil to mess with.You will lose some power going with a 4-stroke.The 2-strokes seem to come out of the hole better and have better throttle response.

[Sundancefisher]

What I was told a few years ago is that a 2 stroke is lighter but not a fuel efficient and it is less environmentally friendly. I think at the time they also said the 2 stroke had more speed power for the size but not sure.

4 stroke is heavier but more fuel efficient especially for trolling.

[elkhunter11]

I went with a four stroke Merc and never regretted it.It is easy on fuel,very quiet,and it doesn't stink.

[Overbore]

Go with a 2 stroke etec BRP motor. Better power and better fuel economy than a 4 stroke.

[the holster]

Evinrude Etec - one word - awesome. Imagine no scheduled maintenance for 3 years, no break in period (run and gun). Quiet, fuel efficient and far lighter than complicated 4 strokes. Check out some Youtube videos that pits the Etec up against big names like Yamaha and Merc. Oh yeah, the myth about noisy and poor exhaust emissions can be busted. These are probably the cleanest engines out there.
the holster