GYPSY400

BRP ( skidoo, Can-am) bought OMC, phased out Johnson and developed E-TEC.. decent motor, but they have their issues. once covid hit they felt they didn't have market share to compete with mercury and Yamaha.. so the bean counters shut down evinrude. Eventually, if not already, they will stop making parts for all evinrudes

Yes Johnsons haven't been made since early 2000's, and evinrude shut down in 2020.. I'm not sure if they are still making parts, but when I went to the dealer 2 months ago he said parts are going to be harder and harder to get as production of motors has stopped.. I'm guessing once their stockpile of parts is gone, they're gone. OEMs ( all oems) have a commitment to supply parts 10 years after the production date of the unit.

Personally I have no problems with the 18 merc, although Johnnyrudes have a better reputation. I believe the weak point is the ignition system, but every motor has its shortcomings. keep in mind Johnson and evinrudes will be harder to get parts for in the coming years as manufacturing has stopped. My issue is that an 18 is pretty small for a 16ft boat.. that should have at least a 25, if not a 30hp on it.. but you can always upgrade the motor in a few years.

Gas line antifreeze IS ethanol.. I never use it and never have a problem with freeze up. Ethanol is murder on carburetors and other rubber parts of the fuel system. The key is to keep the water out of the fuel system. Even if you run ethanol gas, remember to run the last tank of the year ethanol free and then run the carbs dry when you store it for summer. Good luck on your snowmobile season.

Congrats on the new sled!! I run shell synthetic ( gold label) in my polaris which can be found at Canadian Tire. If it doesn't run perfect, learn how to clean the carbs so it doesn't lean out on the top end and blow a piston. Running a good dose of seafoam along with shell V-power gas will keep the fuel system trouble free in the future.

This is the worst possible time to shop for a snowmobile! Prices are highest during the start of the winter, and now with covid, add $1000 to anything out there. You will need to educate yourself on maintaining a snowmobile, they are high maintenance machines if you want to be reliable. Things to avoid: machines with silly bar risers and Monster energy stickers. Every teen ager that pounds a machine off jumps does these mods! Also, stay away from adds that say " ran fine when parked" if it ran fine, it wouldn't be parked!

I agree.. no need to fog a 4 stroke, but it doesn't hurt it. In regards to fuel.. run ethanol free gas ( shell v power) with fuel stabilizer or ( my favorite) sea foam. Run the engine until you know the stabilized gas is through the system, then disconnect the fuel hose and let it run dry. If it's an efi engine DO NOT run it dry..ever

Check out tinboats dot net It is my go to website for any type of boat repair

Good luck with your purchase. . BTW.. Legend, Smoker craft and Starcraft are made in the same factory.

I built mine from 2x3's.. 10 of them..and a tarp from princes auto

Trailer breakaway battery at princess auto

Small outboards charge very little anyhow.. Like 4A at full rpm.. You could run a deep cycle battery and solar or trickle charge it.. I run a "trailer breakaway battery" for my portable fish finder I got at princess auto for like $30. Another option is to install the charging system onto the motor.. If its a Johnson or evinrude I know they sell a kit to make the magneto charge for like $150, but like I said, you only get 4Amps.

For convienience I would choose Windy Lake.. The bass and lake trout fishing are as good as Fairbanks, but the road getting there is way better.. I've never fished on halfway lake, so I can't comment on that.

ifish Ontario is a good app to find lakes and learn what species are in them ( doesn't work for rivers though ) Navionics is good for big water, but doesn't work on any lakes here in Northern Ontario

If your doing a lot of highway driving, the hybrid wont save you any money.. At high speeds the gas engine is the primary motivator, so the hybrid components just add up to more maintenance.. And I sure wish my Heep liberty would get 25 mpg!!

I use what ever oil I have handy ( lighter stuff in winter) but I don't use used oil as I don't want to mess up my reservoir or feed line with dirt.

I worked on one yesterday.. My buddy has an 81

ch312.. I agree with most of your post.. I have been to many mud runs. Most of the mud bikes here are Canned Hams, as they are the choice for excellent power and good reliability.. Also, the local dealer is very good.. And at the end of the day, there is usually a Polaris being towed home.. In regards to the size of machine, yes bigger is better, but smaller works ok.. As a first machine, I don't recommend a big bore.. I've seen many inexperienced riders get in over their head.. So to reduce initial cost and possibly YOUR insurance rates ( accident statistics dictate insurance rates) I think a 400-500 is fine for a novice rider.... To compair apples to oranges, just because your buying a new car, doesn't mean you need a corvette! And yes.. If your going to spend 10 grand on an ATV, you can spend $100 on a helmet!

You guys are hilarious!! I know everyone's bike is better than their buddy's so IMO my 10 year old can-am ( bombardier back then) is way better than a new polaris or arctic cat.. Lol.. I'm not going to knock any particular brand as they are all pretty good nowadays. On a more serious note I recommend 400 or 500 for a first bike.. No need for a 650, 800 or 1000 etc.. When you want to go bigger once you get experienced, then give the 400 to the wife. For working or plowing, my little 400 does just fine.. I plow and I've towed some pretty heavy loads with it.. The bigger bikes don't do it better, just faster... Just use common sense and low range Diff lock is important.. Suzuki's and yamahas have good systems.. Can am's visco-loc works very well to once you learn to drive it Honda doesn't have diff lock, strictly 3wd, and Polaris has a good system, but is prone to failure IRS vs. solid axle: for me, IRS.. But it does have its drawbacks when towing with a heavy tongue as you loose some ground clearance ( I manage).. 2-up riding has the same effect (single seat ATV's). Also, getting stuck with an IRS bike, and your stuck!! Get the winch out! Solid axle bikes don't really ride that bad with today's good shocks, just not as nice as IRS, and have less body roll in the corners. So, the choice is yours, it's your money to spend, but I still have to list my favorites and what I would buy 1) Can am 2) Suzuki 3) Yamaha 4) Polaris 5) Honda 6) Kawasaki 7) Arctic Cat Stay away from anything " offshore".. When it breaks, you'll never find parts for it... And a good dealer is better than a good bike.. They all break, but if your dealer takes care of you, that's important..

I have to agree on the nils blades.. If I'm lucky I can buy from their website, but I think I will have to sharpen them myself.. It still works awesome when it's new though!!

Tragic really.. Myself, I don't like going on rivers in winter, the ice never really is that safe.. A man went through here in Sudbury last week.. Was fishing on a lake with 10" of ice, hit a weak spot on the way home, his sled wasn't going fast enough when it broke through.. My buddy saved him and brought him to the hospital. The victim was 74 and well experienced on this lake, just a freak thing really.

Up in Sudbury , the WARMEST it's going to be for the next 5 days is -21c.. We just had 25 cm snow over the weekend with -5 to -10 temps The lakes will tighten up nicely, and the trails getting there will be stellar.. To think it was +7 last weekend!! Lol

I just bought one today at the Costco in Sudbury for $49.97 ( it was $99.99 before Christmas ) tried it out in 12" ice.. Took less than 20 seconds, and no jamming when breaking through.. I've never used an auger so easy and quick!! Once I charge my drill up, I'll see how that works too, but it's not needed.

I only have a 30 merc, and I'm looking into getting a SS prop.. Marginal gains, but gains much the less.

Pretty cool!!