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I have a 1987 Outrage 18'. My plan is to re-power this winter with an E-Tec 150. I recently saw an announcement that Evinrude is introducing a new E-Tec 135 HO starting in January 2013. It is my understanding that the 135 will be a v6. I typically use the boat in both salt and freshwater for fishing and skiing. The majority of the time I will have 7 individuals on the boat (adults and older kids). How much difference does the 15 hp in light of my typical use of the boat? Does it make sense to stick with the 150 to get the extra 15 hp?

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Well, we so far know nothing about that 135, but I would guess it will have the same low end and midrange as the 150, but 10% less top end.

You may as well just get the 150....the 135 is unlikely to be significantly cheaper, and your boat is rated for a 150.

The 135 must be arriving for those with 140 hp rated boats, replacing the 130 v4 which seems to have a bit of a rep of not being a great engine?

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Given the high passenger count, I would recommend the 150hp.

Some might even say to go higher like 175hp. Kamie may be the one to consult with since she has an E-TEC 175 on her Outrage 18.

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It looks to be a 135 HO which would put the HP at about 148. Give this a read:

http://www.etecownersgroup.com/post/W...2?trail=15

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I have a 1992 outrage 19 I....same hull as the outrage 18. I recently re-powered with a suzuki 140. In terms of the lower horse power, I hardly notice a difference. The top end is the same as the original motor (1992 evinrude 150). I really like this motor.....

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A 135 HO (High Output) would be completely different than a 135.

Still no info on the Evinrude site yet that I can see.

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The 135 HO on the same boat is only a few mph slower than the 150. Acceleration is almost the same as the torque curve mimics the 150. We all know how good the 150 torque is from a video produced a few years ago.

Stay tuned for a new video, by the way.

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The question I have is why make two approximately 150HP engines? Seems odd to me, and how different from the regular 150 is it?. Basically, it sounds like a new set of decals. Even more so, the 135HP V-6 has always been basically a cheap altermative to a V-6 150, with only a slight drop in performance, and never great sellers. Mercury started doing this on their 60 degree V-6 back in 1986, then dropped them, then brought them back in Optimax and Verado versions. Now Mercury has dropped the 135's once again.

So what's happening here and what could be the reason for a seemingly dupicate offering? I'm wondering (speculating only) if this new 135HO offering is in anticipation of something soon to be coming from Mercury, such as both 135 and 175HP versions of the brand new 3.0 liter 150 4-stroke. Mercury tends to make all three horsepowers on the same platform, and has been doing it for 26 years already. An engine like a 135 HO would keep Evinrude in this 135/140HP game, and since it is a disguised 150, would offer very good relative performance that they could sell for a slightly reduced price. They would need an engine like this to compete with a high torque Mercury 3.0 liter 135 4-stroke should one suddenly appear. Sounds like clever marketing at work once again, the name of the game these days.

Nevertheless, I hope the new model is a success, and like the discontinued 135 V-6 Optimax, should blow the doors off a 140 Suzuki. I am all for buying engines from US/Canadian based corporations.

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I suspect Finnegan is onto Evinrudes Marketing Dept, though I suspect Yamaha to be the target. I read a comment made during one of the F200 release events about Yamaha working on a new line of mid-range engines. I suspect they will have a redesigned F150 and a derivative or two coming out fairly soon. Look at their range and see the F150 is one of the older designs, plus it is now among the 150's considered to be too heavy.

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A second line of speculation could be unrelated to Mercury or Yamaha, or at least not directly. Evidently the 115HO/130 V4 are being taken off the market. This is the model with some sort of exhaust valve that creates the extra HP over the standard 115 V4. As many remember, the 130 was delayed considerably in getting to market, probably because of design problems. And then once on sale, had somewhat of a troubled history if I remember correctly. Maybe pollution regulations with this exhaust vale are part of the problem.

So this new 135HO can fill in for the new gap created by loss of the 115HO and 130, and be a better performer. But it leaves them with no competitor to Mercury's popular and lightweight 115 ProXS (123 Prop HP) or 125 3 cylinder Optimax engines.

Even though Boston Whaler sold a lot of boats with the standard 135 Optimax V-6 and Verado engines, I can't see this engine with much classic Whaler re-power application at all. It sounds like something directed at the small bass or walleye boat market .

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Seahorse will correct me if i'm wrong, but most of the H.O. engines, Evinrude or otherwise are targeted to the Bass boat market. If you have a 135HP limit, you drop the 135 HP HO on it and your basically at a 150 while not violating your capacity plate.

If you are going to carry that many folks, get the 150

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I never could understand the thinking of having the same size block and weight to purchase the smallest one of the group...now Evinrude will be making a 135 V6 that weights around 420 lbs... and still have the following? 150, 175, 200, same blocks, same lower units, what does each one of these engines weight in at? Same, so why purchase the low end of the line up?

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You have a max HP of 140 and don't want to over power?
You live in a state where it is illegal to over power your boat?

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It might also be a shot at the Suzuki 140 market...

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The 135 H.O. is now on the Evinrude website.

http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/engines...TEC_135_HO

They claim a max of 148 HP. This will be a great engine for the Outrage 18 owner who wants V6 torque, but doesn't require a 50mph top speed.

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Looks like it is the same V6 block as the 150hp and the same weight of 433 pounds.

http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...ticle_id=6

I like the graphics on the H.O. models. (I know, some won't)
See attachment below.

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I like the HO graphics as well...I look forward to your performance report Joe!

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While the discussion on the new E-TEC 135 is interesting, we have lost sight of the original posters question.

It appears he got the answer (or got scared away) since he has not posted again.

In the future lets try to make sure we stick to answering the questions and not diverge from the subject at hand.

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Phil,

Maybe you misread the title from the original poster.

(New) Etec 135 HO v. Etec 150 for 18' Outrage

I think we are still on topic here.
The 135 H.O. may be a good choice but may depend on price compared to the standard 150 hp.

Maybe mct will tell us what he bought, or is thinking about buying, now that the 135 H.O. is out.

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I just looked at the Evinrude website and the HO135 is lnow listed.

http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/engines...TEC_135_HO

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I had to delete several posts here that were off topic.

The topic is (New) Etec 135 HO v. Etec 150 for 18' Outrage

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The video review on the Evinrude site points out some sort of high performance gear case on the 20" shaft version of the 135 HO. Do any of you know if this is consistent with the other small block V6's?

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Yes it is, perfectly.

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I went with the 150. Based on my use of the boat, I wanted the slightly bigger engine. I took advantage of Evinrude's offer for free rigging and extended warranty. Engine has been ordered and should be arriving this week, if it has not arrived already. Once it is installed and I get a chance to get on the water, I'll do a follow-up post as to how it runs.