# best obj



## rockdamage (Oct 21, 2013)

this is a long lasting argument........ I will do my best to spell it out as best I can. 
Most durable 2 stk-- 40hp 2 cyl, BULLET PROOF ! these engines can be over heated several times gigging and run and run and run. they are also the best out there for light weight power. stock engine with some head work, carbs, and tunner and they will outperform all the new green engines. 
most power.... 3 cly 60 omc these are the true beasts of the river when worked over properly. but in stock form they will out perform every other 60/40 ever built PERIOD ! 
next in line is the 40jet merc. now these come in two different flavors 52cid and the 59cid engines 1998 and newer are the large bore mota's as far as 60/40 go they are ROCK SOLID. Good power, comparable to the omc but off a little. NOISY! remove the oil injection and they will run forever...... maybe even as long as the Yammy
The yammy is not on this list due to the fact that you just dont see many on the rivers. 

now the big argument etec VRS Merc...... using the Eleven point analogy I will explain this where all can understand.
Just a short time ago the king of the river on eleven point was the mega 25 johnson...... not a man on the water didn't wish he had one. But only 55 were ever made. they were no different than any other 40 2 cyl but had a simple restriction plate behind the carbs thus making them legal on the 25hp restricted river. folks were selling these engines for 10 grand !!!!!!!! dealers would trade new engines even up for these gems. along comes tohatsu and does the same exact thing.. turned a 50hp into a 25 with a restriction plate behind the throttle body. These engine run great and sell great. Now they resale value on the old omc's has hit the basement. dealers who traded 6000$$$ engines for these are now stuck with something worth far less. 

this brings me to the mercs and etec...
there are literally hundreds of mercs on the water. The dream of larger cams, throttle bodies and exhaust tuners has come to life. next summer YOU WILL be able to have your engine upgraded to a few different levels of performance. 200-400 rpms will be available to those who want to pay for the mods, will.. and trust me, every one will pay ! 
now the etec is next to impossible to get any gain. no one and I mean no one will be offering legitimate engine modifications on these mota's. Therefore, every redneck will be running to get the work done to the mercs....... And the etecs, a thing of the past except for the few diehard rude fans out there. the etecs will still be a good engine but when the mercs start passing them like they're dragging anchors, you will be able to buy them cheap. And many will choose to... After all, most boaters could care lees about performance right???? or could I be wrong. How many of you bought a truck with a v6 LOL. How many of you would trade in your 60hp for a 90 if the limit was raised. None of you right...


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## semojetman (Oct 23, 2013)

I want to go faster.!


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## Seth (Oct 24, 2013)

The only way Im getting rid of my current 115hp Etec is to get a bigger one. :wink: 
I'm not in to the aftermarket upgrade stuff though. so I am content with my motor just working and not having to worry about it.


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## rockdamage (Oct 24, 2013)

Your comments dont count..... you can have 800hp inboards on your river. All we get is a junk 40
My question to you is why have a 115 when a 250ho would look real nice


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## Seth (Oct 24, 2013)

Oh yea I forgot you current river guys have the HP limit. Where did you run your 300xs when you had it?

A 250ho on an 1852....good god lol. I would love to have an 1860 with a 225 or 250ho one of these days though. I'm content with this one for a while since it's almost payed off. I need a new boat puller before I upgrade boats though. My Silverado is about to rust away. :mrgreen:


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## Lennyg3 (Oct 25, 2013)

I love my 225 merc, but given the option would upgrade in a heartbeat to a 300xs. Too much power is just enough IMO.


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## rockdamage (Oct 25, 2013)

I can help you out with that 300xs craving


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## J Hartman (Jan 18, 2014)

I don't know the Chinese quality in New merc vs usa evinrude shows imo... I work in America, and buy American any chance I get.

Besides that though. Evinrude got a bad rap for the ficht engines. But that was the innovation that ended up pressing on into today's direct injected. I believe two stroke in the outboard industry is where it's at. Especially jetting. 

Merc is most popular because it's Chinese building process is the cheapest.


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## semojetman (Jan 18, 2014)

I am not against the etecs but when put next to each other my mercury just seems a little more refined and overall a little better quality. Not saying the evinrudes arent good because they are.

And im a little biased because I really like where 4 stroke outboards are headed as far as power and fuel efficiency .


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## J Hartman (Jan 19, 2014)

I can't say this in a mercury vs evinrude yet because I haven't personally been able to compare the two On the water. However, I went with the rude, my buddy has the same boat. Picked them up on the same day. He went with 4s Yamaha. Same hp. The two engines as far as torque are not even comparable. Out of the hole, not comparable. Top speed seemed similar, But I have no proof of actual numbers (gps) I just think that if four stroke is the future the average boat will be over 90"wide (guessing / sarcasm) to compensate for the weight. That yammi 4s weighs more than my rude by far, it especially shows when the two are hanging from the "same" boat. I

Not to say 4s doesn't have its place. If I was to buy a new regular boat. I don't need to go fast, get out of the hole, and fly to my next destination. A fuel saver would be great. But if you wanted to save on fuel, why did you buy a boat? Lol


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## Seth (Jan 19, 2014)

I know I seen Ducky's Boats post pics of a Yamaha SHO with a jet unit on it. I've never heard anybody around here mention one of those with a jet before. I bet it would be a sweet motor!


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## dhoganjr (Jan 19, 2014)

I can't say much about the Etecs, all I have ever owned is Mercury. The closest comparison I have was a race with a friend. He had a 1952 Blazer with a 90/65 Etec and I had my current boat 1860 Alweld with a 115/80 Mercury fourstroke. He pulled about half a boat length ahead out of the hole, then I slowly started pulling ahead. Maybe 2mph faster on top end.

Fourstrokes have come along way but I think the weight is the biggest problem in jet use. Dry weight on mine was 383 lbs and then add 5 qts of oil, so somewhere around 400 lbs. I do think the wider bottom makes a big difference with fourstrokes because it spreads the weight over more surface area. It normally ran about 36-37 mph, best I ever seen was 40. It was quiet and fuel efficient averaging about 5 mpg. A 12 gallon tank would run about 60 miles. It ran good with 2 people, but start adding a bunch of tackle or more people and it would take forever to get it out of the hole. Love those tense moments with 5 people in the boat after you stretch every inch you can out of a hole and rise on plane about the time you hit the riffle. Of course it doesn't help that my boat is not a lightweight. As I said it is an 1860 .100", with 28" sides, trolling motor, 3 batteries, 2-12 gallon fuel tanks, extended decks, livewell, perf aluminum floor and all the tools and the extra crap I think I might need. When I bought the boat I had 3 knee braces put in, because I always wanted a 250 Pro XS. 

Before buying the 250 I did some weight comparison, but only with the Mercs. 200-225-250 Pro XS all weigh 505 lbs. A 250 Pro fourstroke weighs 635 lbs dry weight. So about 150 lbs difference hanging on the transom. There is the added weight of the 3 gallon oil tank for the 2-stroke, but that weight is moved inside the boat. My fourstroke is a 2002 115 and weighs 383 dry and the weight for the '14 model 115 fourstroke shows 399 for the lightest weight model. So in 12 years the fourstroke weight increased 16 lbs. They need to be getting lighter, yet they are getting heavier so it seems. Probably due to emissions, just guessing, but the same hp more weight.

So going to a 250/175 Pro XS vs 115/80 fourstroke there is about 105 lbs more on the transom and more than 2 times the hp. 2 very different motors but the same boat. It now comes out of the hole in the length of the boat and it will run 35mph at about 4000 rpms. Best mileage so far was 53 miles on 12 gallons, about 4.4mpg. I was still doing break-in varying rpms every few minutes running up to 5000-5500 and a few wot runs, so I think I can get about the same mileage as the 115. Now the boat does everything I want and has the reserve power needed to turn the heavy beast.

Sorry so long winded, just my take on the 2-stroke vs 4-stroke debate and what I have had experience with.


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