Had a mate show/teach me how to service my boat motor last weekend, he was formerly a boat Mechanic at a NOR boat shop. Just in general chit chat with him while working on my motor the topic of both these motors came up. He personally said after having worked on numerous motor of both brands he wouldnt buy either and said he would only ever recommend 4 strokes.
But when i did press him he did say if he HAD to choose Optimax or Etec he would go an Etec, but that he would service it as regulary as you do a 4 stroke, yearly/100hrs, and not as its advertised as only needing servicing every 3years/300hrs.
On the plus side other than electric computer diagnostics etc, Man servicing a boat motor was easy!!!! Well helps having a boat mechanic show you :) Filmed it all on my GoPro so i can always reference it when i service it on my own next time.
One thing I've noticed about Etec dealers. Of course there gonna have an Etec on There personal boat but they always have twins. I wonder why? One of the guys at work is getting is second rebuild done on his 08 Etec 400hrs my other mate had to get towed in twice so he ditched the etec at 600hrs and went for a Yamaha. Some people love them tho
you dont ever seem to have a good thing to say about them makes me think you know absolutly nothing about them me on the other hand have had a great run out of the ones i have owned over the years but at the end of the day any new motor is a good motor and see as most manufacturers give you 5 yrs warranty thats pretty good peace of mind
seeing as i have previously mentioned that i am running a merc and it is a piece of shit i can not quite see how it could be a bias oppinion other wise i would have not had one in the first place... Im not to sure of many people that say nice things about merc but have a super high foillowing of yammys . but hey the whole world cant be wrong or could they? Ok you want the truth . i have owned 2 mercs now and both of the heaps of shit have not started on occasions left me stranded several times and have had me using my minnkota back to the ramp ! i hear 90 % of people calling them black anchors including people that own them . Dont give me the shit that because i am related to a yamaha dealer that i am bias! In my time i have owned suzuki , johnson , yamaha , merc , honda and etecs.
All of the above i would recomend except the merc including the one i am about to get rid of for parts!!!!!! as i dont want some other poor soul to be left out at sea with no way of getting back in!
As you may know my old boy is NOT a honda or suzuki dealer nor an etec dealer at that! but i would have no problems at all sending any of my customers or mates to go see the boys at water world or allboats at all .
In the past i have sent many people to other dealerships because whilst Dad may own boatcity , I dont , so there is no need for me to be bias towards any product at all.
Take it as you like my friend but it seems the only person bias here is YOU !
P.S i currently own a savage not a stessco but dont tell any one or my dad will you as i should be bias towards a dinghy manufacturer he deals with yeah ;)
Just for the books to mate i never in my origional post mentioned yammys it was other users , so there was no bias opinion given apart from my personal feelings on a product . I never knew i was not allowed to tell of my problems with products because of my relations with other dealerships. I actually gave no recomendation at all . Apart from this one now . Go se sean or matt from water world wangarra. they are one of perths BEST dealerships and they stock etecs! They have just mooved up the road, they are now located on ocean reef road in the new industrial area, there workshop is second to none and these boys offer great advice , service, and ontop of all prices . And this is the feed back i have got from there customers!
from what i have read from some of your posts you seem to like to get OLD tinnies and do them up which means you would have OLD and probably not very well looked after merc motors on the back so to base your opinion and say that all mercs are shit is 2 faced i know plenty of people who run them and that includes MARINE MECHANICS yes people that work on outboards everyday and yes they run them on there personel boats funny that if they were so shit as you say why would they use them ??????????? i dont think you have ever had a late model merc at the end of the day as i said previously any new motor is good and the 5yr warranty thats given is good peace of mind i have seen blown up motors from every motor manufacturer and before you say how would you know that yes i did work in the marine industry for a number of yrs so yes i do have some background knowledge
from what i have read from some of your posts you seem to like to get OLD tinnies and do them up which means you would have OLD and probably not very well looked after merc motors on the back so to base your opinion and say that all mercs are shit is 2 faced i know plenty of people who run them and that includes MARINE MECHANICS yes people that work on outboards everyday and yes they run them on there personel boats funny that if they were so shit as you say why would they use them ??????????? i dont think you have ever had a late model merc at the end of the day as i said previously any new motor is good and the 5yr warranty thats given is good peace of mind i have seen blown up motors from every motor manufacturer and before you say how would you know that yes i did work in the marine industry for a number of yrs so yes i do have some background knowledge
am i not allowed to have a personal opinion just like everyone else mate? Sorry if i have hit a sore point by stating that i have had problems with mine , next time i go to post i will be sure to pm you first to make sure that it wont upset you and that you aprove of it. also just quickly mate there are others on this post that have had issues to and said they will not buy again so i dearly hope you will say the same to them to and tell them they are wrong aswell as i would hate to think that you were just targeting a couple of individuals my friend?
Etec for sure, I've got a 60hp Etec and it has never missed a beat in the 350 hours it has done. Cheap to run and don't have to worry about running it in or 100 hour services is a major factor that got me to buy one.
You could get away with not serviceing a fourstroke for hundreds and hundreds of hours and many have, but you will probably pay a price for it. I cant imagine the etec having a very different fuel filter system, gear box or impellor system than any other outbourd ( engine oil / filter different). So either we service the forstrokes to much or the etecs to little. Probably find out aroung the 1000hr mark.
Was asked if I wanted the plugs and impellor changed during the 300 hour service because the mechanic said they were still like brand new and would last through to the next service with ease. Told him to change them to be on the safe side along with the other filters etc.
Mercurys are not ncknames "Black Anchors"for nothing, have seen more dud Mercs than other makes over many years and would take a lot to change my mind.
I've put just over 700 hours on my etec in the last 3 and a bit years with no issues.
Never owned an opti but have mates that do. Seems they definitely go better if they get regular use. Park them up and you will have nothing but problems.
were originally built for fresh water use. Some of these were sold to the Aussie market ending up in salt water, the results were obvious, heaps of corosion, hence "Black Anchors".
As for E-tecs and Optimax's, these motors speak for themselves, they get out of the blocks and go like rockets and are very reliable. There's an E-tec on the Barra boat I fish out of, quiet, economical, goes like a jet and lighter than a 4 st.
Like stated, bit like the Holden v Ford v Merc v Nissan.
Well seeing that the whole Merc being black anchors sage has come up again..........
So far my ex-tinnies 40hp 2002 Mariner(Merc) has had not one, yep not one single problem EVER and it has done over 600hrs now. My brother now runs it in the NT since i sold it to him and still no problems.
The 115hp 2006 Merc on my boat also has NEVER had one problem, not a single one. Mind you it has now only just ticked over 200hrs, so it doesnt get used often, but it does seem people say they get problems from lack of use, well mine has had plenty lack of use and still no problems, and i dont do anything to it in preparation for storage other than general cleaning after using it :P
I think motors bugger up from lack of maintenance, servicing and care rather, or flogging the shit out of them at high rpm.
Now that i have said that i hope mine doesnt bugger up out on Monday/Tuesday now hahahaha.
Ive had a few old 2 strokes, then recently a F115 yam and now 2xDF115. The yam was awesome, these suzukis are the ducks nuts. Swinging a big prop is perfect for my Cruisecraft, one outboard can get it to 22 knots average into and with the wind. Took about 2-300 meters to wind up to it, both gets it to 37.
I havent owned a modern merc or etec, but to be honest I dont see what the big advantage is of the DI 2 strokes or verado for that matter in a fishing boat.
Only some models are significantly lighter than the newer 4 strokes, and if they have so few moving parts etc, then why arent they cheaper than a four stroke?
I have heard from a good source that those large coast guard boats in the USA that have six or eight large Mercs on the back, only do it because most off the time thay can only get one to start, apparantly most drug smugglers now are using a 4 foot tinny with a 15hp to outrun them
Out of interest i wonder what motors are the drug smugglers motor of choice. Surely they would want something thats pretty reliable.........and FAST :D
These debates normally just turn into personal preference, like the Ford/Holden argument. When I buy a new engine I look more at the weight and the capacity of the engine, and work out the best fit for my boat. If 75 hp is near the maximum power allowed on my boat I'd be inclined to look for a smaller capacity/lighter weight, engine, which out of the Merc/ Etec is the Etec at 1295 cc and 145 kg. If 75 hp is closer to the mimimum reccomended but that's all you felt you'd need I would go for the larger capacity, which generally weighs more, but it will give you more torque. The Merc is 1526cc and weighs 170 kg. having said that, the $ are always a pretty convincing part of the argument for me too.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Ford or holden debate really.
Ford or holden debate really. In Aus a lot of people seem to be going etec but, have heard good and bad about both. Whats the price difference ?
Travisd
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 07/05/11
Neither
U gotta go with value for money- two stroke Yamaha for value hands down
Had the 60 enduro awesome- new technology Premix 100/1 isn't smelly and still quiet
Baron Sportsman
Just the depth that Varies
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Had a mate show/teach me how
Had a mate show/teach me how to service my boat motor last weekend, he was formerly a boat Mechanic at a NOR boat shop. Just in general chit chat with him while working on my motor the topic of both these motors came up. He personally said after having worked on numerous motor of both brands he wouldnt buy either and said he would only ever recommend 4 strokes.
But when i did press him he did say if he HAD to choose Optimax or Etec he would go an Etec, but that he would service it as regulary as you do a 4 stroke, yearly/100hrs, and not as its advertised as only needing servicing every 3years/300hrs.
On the plus side other than electric computer diagnostics etc, Man servicing a boat motor was easy!!!! Well helps having a boat mechanic show you :) Filmed it all on my GoPro so i can always reference it when i service it on my own next time.
pricey10
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 07/01/12
One thing I've noticed about
One thing I've noticed about Etec dealers. Of course there gonna have an Etec on There personal boat but they always have twins. I wonder why? One of the guys at work is getting is second rebuild done on his 08 Etec 400hrs my other mate had to get towed in twice so he ditched the etec at 600hrs and went for a Yamaha. Some people love them tho
Karratha. WA
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Optimax is very old tech now
Optimax is very old tech now and those compressors are a bitch to replace.
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
your a very anti mercury man till
you dont ever seem to have a good thing to say about them makes me think you know absolutly nothing about them me on the other hand have had a great run out of the ones i have owned over the years but at the end of the day any new motor is a good motor and see as most manufacturers give you 5 yrs warranty thats pretty good peace of mind
brenz
Posts: 2182
Date Joined: 15/06/06
mercs
what can you say good about a merc lol , and yes one of my boats do have a merc on the back and what a lump of junk it is!
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
coming from mr yamaha
would not expect a unbiased opinion out of you seeing as though boat city is a yamaha dealer they obviously got the family business by the balls hey
brenz
Posts: 2182
Date Joined: 15/06/06
seeing as i have previously
seeing as i have previously mentioned that i am running a merc and it is a piece of shit i can not quite see how it could be a bias oppinion other wise i would have not had one in the first place... Im not to sure of many people that say nice things about merc but have a super high foillowing of yammys . but hey the whole world cant be wrong or could they? Ok you want the truth . i have owned 2 mercs now and both of the heaps of shit have not started on occasions left me stranded several times and have had me using my minnkota back to the ramp ! i hear 90 % of people calling them black anchors including people that own them . Dont give me the shit that because i am related to a yamaha dealer that i am bias! In my time i have owned suzuki , johnson , yamaha , merc , honda and etecs.
All of the above i would recomend except the merc including the one i am about to get rid of for parts!!!!!! as i dont want some other poor soul to be left out at sea with no way of getting back in!
As you may know my old boy is NOT a honda or suzuki dealer nor an etec dealer at that! but i would have no problems at all sending any of my customers or mates to go see the boys at water world or allboats at all .
In the past i have sent many people to other dealerships because whilst Dad may own boatcity , I dont , so there is no need for me to be bias towards any product at all.
Take it as you like my friend but it seems the only person bias here is YOU !
P.S i currently own a savage not a stessco but dont tell any one or my dad will you as i should be bias towards a dinghy manufacturer he deals with yeah ;)
Brenz
brenz
Posts: 2182
Date Joined: 15/06/06
Just for the books to mate i
Just for the books to mate i never in my origional post mentioned yammys it was other users , so there was no bias opinion given apart from my personal feelings on a product . I never knew i was not allowed to tell of my problems with products because of my relations with other dealerships. I actually gave no recomendation at all . Apart from this one now . Go se sean or matt from water world wangarra. they are one of perths BEST dealerships and they stock etecs! They have just mooved up the road, they are now located on ocean reef road in the new industrial area, there workshop is second to none and these boys offer great advice , service, and ontop of all prices . And this is the feed back i have got from there customers!
wadetolley
Posts: 2258
Date Joined: 27/06/08
Mercs
Mercs are alright !
brenz
Posts: 2182
Date Joined: 15/06/06
wade i am just giving a
wade i am just giving a personal pov on the outboards i own and thats the way i intended to keep it untill strike zone flared up
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
you must be head of the mercury hate team
from what i have read from some of your posts you seem to like to get OLD tinnies and do them up which means you would have OLD and probably not very well looked after merc motors on the back so to base your opinion and say that all mercs are shit is 2 faced i know plenty of people who run them and that includes MARINE MECHANICS yes people that work on outboards everyday and yes they run them on there personel boats funny that if they were so shit as you say why would they use them ??????????? i dont think you have ever had a late model merc at the end of the day as i said previously any new motor is good and the 5yr warranty thats given is good peace of mind i have seen blown up motors from every motor manufacturer and before you say how would you know that yes i did work in the marine industry for a number of yrs so yes i do have some background knowledge
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
you must be head of the mercury hate team
from what i have read from some of your posts you seem to like to get OLD tinnies and do them up which means you would have OLD and probably not very well looked after merc motors on the back so to base your opinion and say that all mercs are shit is 2 faced i know plenty of people who run them and that includes MARINE MECHANICS yes people that work on outboards everyday and yes they run them on there personel boats funny that if they were so shit as you say why would they use them ??????????? i dont think you have ever had a late model merc at the end of the day as i said previously any new motor is good and the 5yr warranty thats given is good peace of mind i have seen blown up motors from every motor manufacturer and before you say how would you know that yes i did work in the marine industry for a number of yrs so yes i do have some background knowledge
brenz
Posts: 2182
Date Joined: 15/06/06
STRIKE ZONE
am i not allowed to have a personal opinion just like everyone else mate? Sorry if i have hit a sore point by stating that i have had problems with mine , next time i go to post i will be sure to pm you first to make sure that it wont upset you and that you aprove of it. also just quickly mate there are others on this post that have had issues to and said they will not buy again so i dearly hope you will say the same to them to and tell them they are wrong aswell as i would hate to think that you were just targeting a couple of individuals my friend?
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
I have owned a merc and if
I have owned a merc and if was ok. Still, I know more people that have had problems with Optimax than etec, and they were bigger problems as well.
You're obviously a merc fanboy, why don't you try something else next time ;)
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Etec
Etec for sure, I've got a 60hp Etec and it has never missed a beat in the 350 hours it has done. Cheap to run and don't have to worry about running it in or 100 hour services is a major factor that got me to buy one.
hooty
Posts: 198
Date Joined: 25/05/10
You could get away with not
You could get away with not serviceing a fourstroke for hundreds and hundreds of hours and many have, but you will probably pay a price for it. I cant imagine the etec having a very different fuel filter system, gear box or impellor system than any other outbourd ( engine oil / filter different). So either we service the forstrokes to much or the etecs to little. Probably find out aroung the 1000hr mark.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Service
Was asked if I wanted the plugs and impellor changed during the 300 hour service because the mechanic said they were still like brand new and would last through to the next service with ease. Told him to change them to be on the safe side along with the other filters etc.
Mercurys are not ncknames "Black Anchors"for nothing, have seen more dud Mercs than other makes over many years and would take a lot to change my mind.
dodgy
Posts: 4578
Date Joined: 01/02/10
I've put just over 700 hours
I've put just over 700 hours on my etec in the last 3 and a bit years with no issues.
Never owned an opti but have mates that do. Seems they definitely go better if they get regular use. Park them up and you will have nothing but problems.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Cruise Control
Posts: 973
Date Joined: 03/11/10
For my two bobs worth. I've
For my two bobs worth. I've had inboards and outboards, two strokes and four strokes. I have learned two things from my experiences:
Mind you I have mates that have E-tecs and Optimax's and they go like rockets. I'm sure they feel the same way about their motors.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Mercurys
were originally built for fresh water use. Some of these were sold to the Aussie market ending up in salt water, the results were obvious, heaps of corosion, hence "Black Anchors".
As for E-tecs and Optimax's, these motors speak for themselves, they get out of the blocks and go like rockets and are very reliable. There's an E-tec on the Barra boat I fish out of, quiet, economical, goes like a jet and lighter than a 4 st.
Like stated, bit like the Holden v Ford v Merc v Nissan.
I have a Honda.
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Well seeing that the whole
Well seeing that the whole Merc being black anchors sage has come up again..........
So far my ex-tinnies 40hp 2002 Mariner(Merc) has had not one, yep not one single problem EVER and it has done over 600hrs now. My brother now runs it in the NT since i sold it to him and still no problems.
The 115hp 2006 Merc on my boat also has NEVER had one problem, not a single one. Mind you it has now only just ticked over 200hrs, so it doesnt get used often, but it does seem people say they get problems from lack of use, well mine has had plenty lack of use and still no problems, and i dont do anything to it in preparation for storage other than general cleaning after using it :P
I think motors bugger up from lack of maintenance, servicing and care rather, or flogging the shit out of them at high rpm.
Now that i have said that i hope mine doesnt bugger up out on Monday/Tuesday now hahahaha.
Rob H
Posts: 5803
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Ive had a few old 2 strokes,
Ive had a few old 2 strokes, then recently a F115 yam and now 2xDF115. The yam was awesome, these suzukis are the ducks nuts. Swinging a big prop is perfect for my Cruisecraft, one outboard can get it to 22 knots average into and with the wind. Took about 2-300 meters to wind up to it, both gets it to 37.
I havent owned a modern merc or etec, but to be honest I dont see what the big advantage is of the DI 2 strokes or verado for that matter in a fishing boat.
Only some models are significantly lighter than the newer 4 strokes, and if they have so few moving parts etc, then why arent they cheaper than a four stroke?
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
hooty
Posts: 198
Date Joined: 25/05/10
I have heard from a good
I have heard from a good source that those large coast guard boats in the USA that have six or eight large Mercs on the back, only do it because most off the time thay can only get one to start, apparantly most drug smugglers now are using a 4 foot tinny with a 15hp to outrun them
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Out of interest i wonder what
Out of interest i wonder what motors are the drug smugglers motor of choice. Surely they would want something thats pretty reliable.........and FAST :D
Norty
Posts: 80
Date Joined: 13/12/12
Thanks guys, as a newbie to
Thanks guys, as a newbie to boating, fishing and these forums it's good to see so many varied opinions of
boat motors, I feel happy now knowing that quite a few of you like yamaha's.
Mine is a yamaha 90hp, and yes I've been instructed to only use Yamaha 2 stroke oil in it.
Now just to learn where and how to actually catch fish, but i've got my retirement to
enjoy doing that.
Cheers
red dawn
Posts: 104
Date Joined: 29/11/10
Merc, etec, yamaha, suzuki
These debates normally just turn into personal preference, like the Ford/Holden argument. When I buy a new engine I look more at the weight and the capacity of the engine, and work out the best fit for my boat. If 75 hp is near the maximum power allowed on my boat I'd be inclined to look for a smaller capacity/lighter weight, engine, which out of the Merc/ Etec is the Etec at 1295 cc and 145 kg. If 75 hp is closer to the mimimum reccomended but that's all you felt you'd need I would go for the larger capacity, which generally weighs more, but it will give you more torque. The Merc is 1526cc and weighs 170 kg. having said that, the $ are always a pretty convincing part of the argument for me too.
seaswirl
Posts: 268
Date Joined: 29/08/10
optimax
Just got rid of my old Optimax motors.....used alot of expensive mercury 2 stroke oil....had 4 other boats with mercs....never again!!
I am putting a new Suzuki 300 on mine.....good luck!!