4 stroke vs 2 stroke?

[archie_james_c]

That's a big hmmmm, my Honda 25 longshaft electric is only around 150lb.

 

 

Heres a big "hmmm" Etecs in the sub 50 class are heavier and worse on gas than their 4 stroke counter parts...

 

 

I compared a 50hp Etec to a 50hp Honda....Etec 245lbs, Honda 215 lbs. Etec in a 16 foot 800 pound boat- 6.9 MPG, Honda in a 1200 Lb 16 footer - 9.8......

[Fisherman]

Heres a big "hmmm" Etecs in the sub 50 class are heavier and worse on gas than their 4 stroke counter parts...

 

 

I compared a 50hp Etec to a 50hp Honda....Etec 245lbs, Honda 215 lbs. Etec in a 16 foot 800 pound boat- 6.9 MPG, Honda in a 1200 Lb 16 footer - 9.8......

 

Well that's a nice eye opening find..

[Sinker]

My 40 Mariner is the 2 cylinder model, 2 stroke, long shaft,tiller steer. It weighs 140lbs. I've honestly never seen another one like it. If you can find me a 4 stroke that is comparable in weight, I'd love to hear about it.

 

S

[singingdog]

Do us all a favor and get a 4 stroke. 2 stroke outboard motors are small pollutions machines, both in terms of emissions and (more importantly) in terms of the amount of oil they are allowing into the water.

[craigdritchie]

My 40 Mariner is the 2 cylinder model, 2 stroke, long shaft,tiller steer. It weighs 140lbs. I've honestly never seen another one like it. If you can find me a 4 stroke that is comparable in weight, I'd love to hear about it.

 

S

Nice motor, but you never will see another one like it again. They spew out too much crap (into the air and into the water) and have been relegated to history. That's just the way it is.

 

I drive a lot of boats, and I'll tell you, unless you plan to hoist that engine over your head a few times every day, you won't miss it if you upgrade to a four-stroke. What you will notice right away is that you save money by not having to buy oil with every tank of gas. And, the tank of gas goes a much longer way than it ever did with the old Mariner. And, you'll never smell exhaust again. Or see that vulgar little oil slick in the water. Those are things you appreciate on a daily basis. Spec charts are fine for the sake of discussion, but in real-world use, new four-strokes blow away the old gas guzzlers every time.

[Mike the Pike]

That's not true at all. Let's look at some 40 hp engines:

 

Evinrude E-TEC 40 Two-Stroke ... 232 to 250 pounds, depending on model (see http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engines/ETEC_INLINES/ETEC_40_INLINE)

 

Suzuki DF40 Four-stroke ... 243 pounds, or basically the same weight as a two-stroke. (see http://marine.suzuki.ca/Product%20Lines/Outboard%20Motors/Products/DF40/2010/DF40.aspx)

 

Or if you're really concerned with weight, try this:

 

Yamaha F40 Four-stroke ... 205 pounds (see http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?section=td&model=3498#contentTop)

 

You guys who think four-strokes are automatically heavier than two-strokes are living in the past. In the case of these 40s, the four-stroke is lighter, and by 30 to 45 pounds!

 

You're right Sinker, finding a new 40hp two-stroke will be almost impossible. The choice is Evinrude - period. Every other manufacturer has gone to four-strokes, and with good reason.

 

Wow Craig what an eye opener.Some 2 strokes weighing more than a 4 stroke.I have a Yamaha F60hp 4stroke tiller 237lbs my previous motor

was a 50hp Honda only 215lbs.One thing I noticed was my Honda took alot less fuel than the Yamaha but the Yamaha out performs the Honda big time I guess a 3 cylinder vs 4 cylinder makes the difference.I think the difference in weight 4s vs 2s in the small motors can vary alot more in weight.I swapped a Honda 7.5hp 4 strike for a Yamaha 8hp 2 stroke for a 12 ft tinny I used to have.carrying the Honda was a chore compared to carrying the 2 stroke yamaha.Anyhoo once you go 4 stroke there is no turning back.

Edited April 16, 2010 by Mike the Pike

[craigdritchie]

A lot of new four-strokes are way lighter than old two-stroke outboards. Last fall I went to a Yamaha product launch and drove their new F70 .... it's a 70 horsepower four-stroke that is 109 pounds lighter than the engine it replaces. Think about that. I also drove their little F6 portable .... it's a fuel injected, six horsepower four-stroke that weighs a bit less than their old carburated six hp two-stroke. Amazing.

 

On the west coast, guys are replacing the old inboard engines in their charterboats with big four-stroke outboards, mounted on transom brackets. Gary Cooper, who hosts the "Nice Fish" TV show, put a pair of 250 hp Suzuki four-strokes on the back of his 30 foot Slickcraft, and says he reduced his fuel costs by almost 75 percent (he had a pair of 350 V8s). Besides that, now the boat is also about 10 mph faster, and goes father on a tank of gas. It was obviously expensive for him to change two engines, but he says the fuel savings alone will let him get all his money back in three to four years.

 

Honda just brought out a new 115 four-stroke. I have not driven it yet, but it's supposed to be absolutely incredible. Their old 115 was a really nice engine, so this should be something to see.

[scugpg]

Go with the Yammy F20! Its 114lbs..the F15 is 114lbs as well.....heck the 9.9 is 98lbs.

[doubleheader]

I've been running a 4 stroke since 1998. They were good then they are really really good now. The only possible real world disadvantage I can think of, and that may have even been overcome at this point, is if you plan to take the motor off the transom from time to time you'll want to store it and transport it in an upright position.

[John Bacon]

Nice motor, but you never will see another one like it again. They spew out too much crap (into the air and into the water) and have been relegated to history. That's just the way it is.

 

I drive a lot of boats, and I'll tell you, unless you plan to hoist that engine over your head a few times every day, you won't miss it if you upgrade to a four-stroke. What you will notice right away is that you save money by not having to buy oil with every tank of gas. And, the tank of gas goes a much longer way than it ever did with the old Mariner. And, you'll never smell exhaust again. Or see that vulgar little oil slick in the water. Those are things you appreciate on a daily basis. Spec charts are fine for the sake of discussion, but in real-world use, new four-strokes blow away the old gas guzzlers every time.

 

I checked the Legend web site; there is a $2,600 price difference between a 50hp 2 stroke vs. a 50hp 4 stroke. That is almost $3,000 after taxes and more if you are financing it. I don't think the average fisherman is going to save money by buying a four stroke.

[archie_james_c]

I don't think the average fisherman is going to save money by buying a four stroke.

 

 

almost doubling your gas mileage isnt considered saving money?

[John Bacon]

almost doubling your gas mileage isnt considered saving money?

 

Yes, but so is spending $3,000 less on the motor in the first place. When I said that they wouldn't save; I meant that after taking both the price of the motor and the price of gas into consideration they won't come out ahead.

 

I figure that I spent at most $500-$600 a year to put gas in my 55hp 2 stroke. If I take interest and time value to money into consideration; a four stroke would never save enough on gas to compensate for the extra three grand on the initial purchase. Someone who's running their boat eight hours a day for a hundred days a year will probably save with a four stroke; I think the average fisherman will save with a 2 stroke.

[Sinker]

I dunno, at the end of the day, I bet my 2 stroke doesn't burn much more than a 4 stroke. I don't know how much more, or less it does in fact burn, but the cost of gas is the last thing on my mind when it comes to my outboard.

 

Keep in mind, If I was looking for an outboard over 50HP, I would be looking at 4 strokes for sure. Under 50HP, I'm still a fan of 2 strokes.

 

S.

[pike n' whities]

take a look at this boys. i was trolling around ALL DAY last summer. motor speed down as low as she could go and i started with a full tank at about 8:30am and im pretty sure i never went far past 3/4 of a tank when we got off the water at about 7:40pm, and that was with a few wide open runs too across the top end of the lake. that little 9.9 johnson is a purdy speedy little thang for bein' a 197? haha. for bigger motors i would go 4 stroke but for the smaller deals it'd be 2 stroke for me bud.... those of you who wanna contradict me, go for it. remember to be half civilized now.

 

 

[irishfield]

I couldn't afford to run a big 2 stroke. My fuel bill is about $4000 a season as it is...running my 275 and 9.9 kicker on my 23' Lund. Mind you it was about $5000 a season when I was running my 115 Johnson 2 stroke on the 17' Glastron !!

 

That said.. run what you have and enjoy it! Most of the arguements here are pretty mute, considering you can't buy a NEW 9.9 two stroke from ANYONE.

[sweetpea]

A number of people have mentioned that 2 stroke 9.9's are not available any more. Yamaha does however still make a series of mid-power/portable 2 strokes.

Yamaha 9.9 2 stroke

This being said, I am a big fan of the 4 strokes. I've used both the Yamaha 2 and 4 stroke 9.9 models and both are great. The 4 stroke does use about 30% less gas.

[waterwolf]

ofcourse the 4 stroke out-shines the 2 stroke in some ways, given, but what about the workin' stiff who only gets the liberty to burn a couple of tanks of fuel a season in his 12 or 14 foot tinny cause summer is the busy time at work? fuel consumption? not an issue. that higher price tag is now a more difficult justification to a guy who can't get out fishin' as much as he'd like. lower the price and weight and i'll get on board ,, when and if my 2 stroke merc bites it.

[John Bacon]

A number of people have mentioned that 2 stroke 9.9's are not available any more. Yamaha does however still make a series of mid-power/portable 2 strokes.

Yamaha 9.9 2 stroke

This being said, I am a big fan of the 4 strokes. I've used both the Yamaha 2 and 4 stroke 9.9 models and both are great. The 4 stroke does use about 30% less gas.

 

When I was looking for boats last year I was told that 10% of the motors a manufacturer sells do not have to meet the latest standards. This is why traditional two strokes are still sold. This is what I was told by the salesman; I didn't bother to verify his comments. I did check the Legend site though; they still offer two strokes.