A - yep on my second etec had a 90 put 272 hours on it in 14 months then upgraded to a 115ho now have 187 hours in 7 months

B - Well i hope so, I havnt had any problems with mine anyway and i certainly put it through its paces

C - They say 300 hours, BUT i change the Fuel filter every 80 hours and i change out the salt water impellor every 100 Hours (dirty water in creeks) I have had to clean the plugs once due to the low revs i do when trolling (carboning up) I am getting the leg oil changed soon again because the thing runs at higher than average temps in the creeks so i think it needs it, apart from that, regular greasing and cleaning like any other motor

D - Reliability, well again i go to some pretty remote places and put a lot of faith in my motor, never had a problem yet

E - Think they are much of a muchness these days, "big name" outboard manufacturers wouldnt be around for as long as they have if they made shit outboards. I think anything that is mass produced is going to turn out a lemon every now and then

F - my 115 is very quiet, quieter than the 90, but then it has a much bigger cowling. Again i am pretty sure there are standards on the amount of db's at the driving position for outboards these days, although my mates suzi is probably quieter at idle than mine, i think mine is quieter on the plane

G - again pretty much the same as each other, less servicing will be argued for things like etecs but then i guess the cost of oil will balance that out anyway.

hope this helps a bit

Brilliant, reliable, quiet, starts with only a quarter turn of the flywheel, three times better economy than the old 70hp Jonno it replaced.  Yes you might gather that I like 'em .............my new boat, a 6.8, has an old, noisy and thirsty 200hp Jonno and am trying to talk my partner into replacing with a 250 ETEC.  Worth every cent I reckon.

best donk I have had ,all the things sunshine has said but saying that the bloke who live around the corner from me is having issues,its thirsty noisy and wont rev he has a 225 .I have lent him my spare prop to see if he can sort some of the issues out,There are plenty of boats in Karratha and alot are running etecs but Yammies , Hondas ,Merc and Susukis are in plenty of demand.Im putting another one (etec)on my new creek boat so i will have two probaly a 50 i know they can cop the punishment (see brad up in the hardest placest i can get to chasing barra)we chew alot of sand in the creeks around here.Basicaly you can get a dud in any motor same as cars but they are the rare few ,buy two stroke with confidence that there technolgy is as good as the fours and have way less moving parts.etecs need oil, fours need servicing either way buying a outboard has ongong cost enjoy the research

solly

If you make a study od most things in life you find the good,bad,and useless,My point being,Yamaha,Suzuki,make motor bikes,2 stroke knowledgeable,and oil injection are far superior to Mercs and the Older Johnson motors,these two companies were both leaders in marine engines,but also had major problems with the VRO,(variable Oil Injection),so much so that at one dealership I know of,the mechanic advised people to disconnect it and go back to the former Manuel mix in tank.The real reasons 4 strokes were brought about was that the largest markets in the world are the USA and Europe,were the motors are used in fresh water/lakes canals excetera.and as we know,the oil from 2 strokes comes out through the prop,thus pollutes,whereas the 4 strokes,not to the same degree,they run cleaner.but the kicker is they (4 strokes) cost more to buy,and to service,so you  must balance up these costs,against the 2 stroke VRO type that are certainly cheaper (now) to buy cheaper to service,I paid $365.00 for a full service on my 200hp Yamy,my nephew paid $800.plus for his 150 hp 4 stroke Yamy,so I think you must :A get the cost in real terms of a 4 stroke.against a 2 Stroke.work out how many time you are hopping to use them,The more use the more fuel,Certainly 4 strokes used for long hours and frequently will save money on fuel,But will the saving equal the extra cost to buy it and then service it.good luck with whatever you decide on,and have a Great Christmas,& New Year,jersey

thanks for the opinions and knowledge

It would be an ETEC or OPTIMAX.

I've had a 2005 model Suzuki 200 hp 4 stroke on the back of a Signature 650F after upgrading from an EFI 2 stroke. My father out-law, was running and still is running a optimax 200hp on exactly the same boat, fitted out the same. Hi has hit well over 1000 hrs with only a few maintenence issues.

I loved the suzuki, quiet efficient and reliable, but we had both the boats next to each other many times and the optimax always seem to win on the fuel efficiency.

 The 2 strokes are lighter, easier and cheaper to service and with alot less moving parts are becoming much more reliable.

I have since gone to another boat with a sterndrive, but if I had my way again it would be an ETEC or Optimax for sure.

enjoy.

There are so many good motors around today you carn't go too far wrong.   

I've always had 2 stroke  but over the last 10 years 4 stroke, just the fact they don't smell, their quiet, use half the fuel of conv 2 strokes, have great low down torque and very simple electrics compared to say optimax or the like. you've got to be in front esp. EFI 4 stroke.

a 2 stroke flat out is more econmical than a 4 stroke flat out but a 4 stroke cruising is better on fuel because the 2 stroke gurgles more thru its crank case at slower speeds and develops less power

to know wat i mean by gurgling at low revs mate - probly a silly way of describing wat i mean - " 2 stroke consumption better at high revs that 4 stroke"

                   " 4 stroke consumption better at low revs than 2 stroke"

the 2 stroke chucks the fuel thru its crank case at low revs

hmmmmm

I dont need a cert 2 in marine outboards mate, anyone that understands engines (i am actually a marine engineer by the way) knows how a two stroke works, it isnt just outboard technology it is "any two stroke" technology.

In two-stroke gasoline engines, the crankcase is sealed and is used as a pressurization chamber for the fuel/air mixture. As the piston rises, it pushes out exhaust gases and produces a partial vacuum in the crankcase which aspirates fuel and air. As the piston travels downward, the fuel/air charge is pushed from the crankcase and into the cylinder.

Unlike four-stroke gasoline engines, the crankcase does not contain engine oil because it handles the fuel/air mixture. Instead, oil is mixed in with the fuel, and the mixture provides lubrication for the cylinder walls, crankshaft and connecting rod bearings.

A two strok does not just "chuck the fuel air mix through its crank at low revs", this is happening all the time, it is a part of the two stroke cycle and it is the primary source of lubrication for the crank and big ends,

now that explains a few things... esp lubing the crank

i had a 1998 130 hp v4 2 stroke yammie and put a 2001 honda 4 stroke on my boat lost about 9 kn's off top end but i halved my fuel economy on the same amount of km's well worth it for me

ETec or Optimax. The commercial tour operators in the Kimberleys seem to think that the ETec is the tougher of the two.

With fuel consumption between efi stokes and 4 strokes. The 2 st's use more down at low rev's such as trolling etc but become more economical at higher revs and for the 4's its the other way round.

Went with a TLDI on my boat, mostly due to cost over the etec, but also due to ill informed beliefs about them being remnents of the ilfated ficht technology. Still happy with the tohie, its just not as powerful as the etec in the 90hp class although on paper it seems it should be and more.

david, u dont specify what horsepower you are seeking and I believe this will have a far greater impact on which motor is better for you than the make. Remember the 75-115hp opti is the same motor so if your looking at either the 75 or 90 there is a weight penalty. However, the muscle from this donk in these HP is incredible. The 115 however, apparently is lacking as its only a 3 cyl compared to the 4cyl 115 TLDI and the V4 ETEC.

My personal experiences with both the TLDI & the opti are that the former is far smoother and quieter than the later. The later also being about 50kg heavier than the TLDI & ETEC in the 75-90HP bracket. Not real sure on fuel consumption as the motors are fitted to different hulls with different charateristics so cant really make a comparison.

As far as comparing the TLDI to the ETEC. As mentioned before the tohie lacks the punck of the ETEC and I've been told some with the same hull as I are running 17" blades on their 90 ETECs where as I am down to a 14" to reach max rpm @WOT. I think fuel consumption is similar between the two, however I think the ETEC is a little quieter than the TLDI.

As for maintenance and longevity, well my services are around the $400.00 mark, what they do for that money is beyond me, but thats what I pay and apart from a recall for some issue with an exhaust line I am yet to have any problems with my tohie after nearly 5 years of constant (not commercial) use.

Good luck with your decision, as I found it one of the hardest to make.

Bloke I know in the NT has been running the Tohatsu 90 for a while on his 485 Savage. For the amount of weight the thing should fly. Has had it checked out and props matched but just doesnt perform.

I have a 200 Optimax which is 8 years old and just clocked up 1000 hours.

I have not had one issue with it from the day I brought it. Very reliable.

My mate has a four stroke of similar size and fuel economy is about the same.

The Optimax has a lot more bottom end grunt and is a lot quicker off the mark.

The only thing the four stoke has over mine is it is quieter.

what is tldi ?is it a diesel outboard?

TLDI® (Two stroke Low pressure Direct Injection)

oh ok is that special for tohatsu or is that what all the new 2 stroke injected are?

different manufactures have different names for there direct injection 2 strokes, tohatsu just call there one that

yamaha's direct injection two stroke is called hpdi, it means

high pressure direct injection

Dodgy, the TLDI suffers in the punch stacks as I've mentioned above. Apparently the gear ratio has a lot to do with it and I was surprised when all I could muscle out of it on my 5m eclipse was a mid 50km/h at WOT with a near full load of fuel, tackle, and bodies. Would have expected at least another 10-15km/h. The other problem was that it maxed out at 5000rpm with the original blade meaning I had to go down a pitch to 14" to get within the max rpm range.

One thing I would suggest to any TLDI owner is swap the props supplied for a stainless. I replaced mine with Vengence prop and havent looked back. Nothing extra in the top end, but hole shot and grip from the new blade improved markedly to the point that I can lift the leg higher now without lossing grip.

Dont know what it is with their props, but they dont seem to be much chop

So what was the wash up DG?

Or are you still in the investigative stages?

going for a merc four stroke its cheaper to run than a direct injection twostroke becasue you dont always need to buy oil but im considering one for my next boat

and do not buy and fit a engine at saltwater marine they are a bunch of dum f$#ks

Hope its all you expect from it mate

love the grunt from my etec 115HO motor, though i am having issues with the thermostat, motor runs at 71 degrees farenheight most times and just chucks heaps of oil and fuel at it as if it's running cold and is using a "choke" mode, going back to be fixed in a few weeks.

it's economical below 4800rpm which is fine as this where i travel usually at 4200rpm with good economy and 40km/h