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Hi . everyone. I am new to the site. i have a 17 outrage II. and it has 125hp mercury 2 stroke. I am thinking to repower with 150hp E-Tec . I saw the sticker on my boat it said 150hp max. Is anyone know this motor would be too heavy for this size of boat? and how do you rate this motor?

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dickie do,

Because your model Whaler is rated for 150 hp motor, you can use the same Engine Reference Guide that I made for the Outrage 18'.
http://www.whalercentral.com/readarti...ticle_id=6

This guide will show you the different weights of the motors so you can quickly compare them.
The E-Tec would be a great match for the Outrage 17' II series Whaler.
I have heard nothing but good reports on this motor as several members already have it on the back of their transom. I am thinking about putting this same motor on my Outrage 18'...

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I don't have a 150, but I put a 60 ETEC on my 15. I have owned a lot of boats with many variations of outboards and I have never been as impressed with an outboard motor as I am with this one. It is really sweet, light and powerful.

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The outboard will be heavier than your 125HP but I don't believe it will be too heavy for the boat. You will change the static trim so you might want to toss a couple bags of sand in the back or invite a couple of large friends over to see if the difference is something you can live with. I believe the 125HP is in the 320 pound range, the E-Tec 150Hp is in the 427 pound range.

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Does anyone have a ballpark price of what these 150 E-TECs are going for from dealerships right now?

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some interesting reading on the topic regarding the 90hp
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refe...ion90.html

BTW- went off shore in a CC with 2 suzuki 175 4 strokes. nice O/B's no doubt. However, the first time offshore with this rig and we hit the 20 hr use warning - which on a suzuki is the first oil change. from what i understand the E-tecs NEVER have an oil change and the first maintenance is 3yrs! i see this a HUGE benefit of the e-tecs. nice choice on the e-tec.

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You can get an idea on pricing from Ed's...

http://www.edsmarinesuperstore.com/ev...inrude.htm

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Call your local dealer. I believe that Ed's is advertising the engines with the $4 per HP rebate which ended 3/31 so it may not be a cheap as you think.

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I was at Bass pro shops yesterday and you can still buy carbed 90 Merc 2 strokes for $5095 and 150 Efi Merc 2 strokes for $7667. Now with nothing else being equal, you can buy almost 2 of each for what one same hp Etec goes for. Thats just not right, I don't care how quiet,good on fuel and oil they are. Thats not a complaint of the Etecs quality, just it's pricing.

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Bob,

That does sound like good prices on those motors.

dickie do doesn't say where he is located, but for me, I couldn't buy those engines living in California. Even if I could buy one and put it on the back of my transom, I would still not be allowed to launch on many of the rivers and lakes. I know a few other states are starting to do the same thing.

I couldn't even buy the brand new 150 Optimax as it is not CARB3 rated..... These engines cannot be sold new in California.
So that doesn't give me much choice for purchasing a new motor.
Either a 4 stroke or an E-Tec in the 150 hp size....
I also like the idea of NO service needed for the first 3 years on the E-Tec. That is important to me because I don't live close to anywhere that I can take it in for service.

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I am waiting to see what Dave finds when he does the 3 year service on the twins. I may or may not wait that long.

On the E-Tec pricing, yes it may be higher than older Merc two strokes and there is a premium on the 150 / 175 HP range, just because they are new and lots of folks waited until this year to repower with them. You always pay a premium for new, I could walk into a dealer and buy my car for 8k less than I paid last year, but I am glad I bought it last year and didn't wait.

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Yea you Ca guys do get screwed, but couldn't you buy one from another state and repower your boat yourself? I can see having something new, but those Merc motors are new too. yes they are a bit noisier,smokier and thirstier, but with the money your saving you can pay for the extra gas and oil for years,as well as routine service and still save money. I am just a cheap SOB i guess lol I will say from what I have heard about the fuel consumption, twin 90 Etecs would be nice on my 21 Revenge soon to be Outrage. The throttle jockey in me would probably drop a Opti 250 XS on it though ;)

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Bob,

Most other states cannot sell to California residents for the CARB reasons...
Even if we could buy new which we can't, or even a used one which we can, we still would not be allowed to operate those engines on many of the lakes and rivers no matter if it is new or used.

Outboard motors must be CARB 3 rated in order to even launch your boat in many of California waters.....
I have a 1985 2 stoke and I cannot go in some of the waters around here.
That is why I plan on buying an E-Tec......

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Well - first of all, it's important to cut through the marketing clutter on both fronts.

I enjoy the well-managed and executed marketing campaign that BRP has for the ETEC motors right now, however, its important analyze reality.

1. No dealer maintenance for 3 years. This is true if you're like most outboard owners and are able to add 2-cycle oil, check and regap (if necessary) spark plugs and other minor owner-maintenance. Personally, I believe that every owner should do a short list of maintenance every year.

2. Old habits die hard. Living in the cold north, I've been raised with the notion that every fall, you change the lower unit oil. If it needs it or not - this preventive maintenance item is much cheaper than worrying about frozen water in the lower unit over the cold months of winter. So - I did change the lower unit oil last fall at the end of the season (at Christmas).

The E-TEC is virtually maintenance-free for the operator, however, you will have to add oil, since it burns oil as part of the combustion process. Set your motor to XD-100...the motor is extremely stingy on oil at that setting.

Here is what I expect my dealer to do this fall:
1. Change the water pump/impeller
2. make any necessary adjustments to throttle and shift cables and settings. I expect him to lube these as well.
3. Lubricate the steering rod and shift shaft
4. Change the lower unit oil and gasket. Inspect gears and prop shaft for damage/wear
5. Take an engine history report from the EMM to determine how the engine is running and if there are any adjustments necessary
6. Download any new EMM updates that may be available
7. Install and gap new spark plugs.
8. Inspect and lubricate all connections on the motor
9. Chat me up most of the time while he's doing it, explain what he's doing and continue being a generally good guy that he is
10. Serve me a cup of decent coffee
11. Hand me a bill that is reasonable for the work performed and the time necessary to complete the job.

I expect a few hundred per motor.

I won't expect to have to see him out of necessity for another 300 hours....but I'll probably drop by a few times in between. If there are software updates at those times, I'll get those gratis *so long as BRP keeps reimbursing dealers for this service - as is current practice.

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One other thing that I haven't seen mentioned about the etec is winterizing. They have an automatic winterizing feature which means you don't have to go through that hassel if you are in a cold region. There is a sequence you go thru with the throttle and ignition and it basically fogs and lubricates itself.

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Yes. The winterization feature is AWESOME! Especially for me. In the fall, I find myself winterizing every weekend because you never know when the snow will come in and close you down for the duration.

My dad's comment when he saw me do it:

"THAT ..... is.......slicker ....than snot!.....Do it again boy!"

So I did.

It is definitely very cool and really does extend my season - I can take the boat out very late or early in the season and winterize it at the ramp as I pull the boat out and not worry if I can't use the boat again for weeks/months....she's fogged.

My guess is that OptiMax comes up with something similar in the next year or so.

Dave

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I have the same boat (17 Outrage II) and I have the 135 Optimax on mine. According to its I.D. plate, it weighs 492 pounds and is no problem. I also hang a 6 hp Jonhson on a bracket, which is another 80 lbs or so. Also no problem, although when I have a full tank of gas and more than two people on board she has a tendancy to porpoise a bit.

Roy