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I have to replace the 2 stroke Johnson 150 on my Outrage as it turns out it was submerged in Katrina. I have the opportunity to buy a very low hour 2002 Yamaha 115 four stroke 25" shaft - at about 1/2 the cost of a new Yamaha 150. My question is - will I be underpowered? I can spend the extra $ if necessary, but I would love some feedback regarding if the 150 is necessary. I will use this boat for fishing inshore, and family cruising.

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I don't think you would be under powered since the specs say you could use as little as 75 hp.
Others here that will probably give you more input.

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My freind Willy has that engine on his 17 montauk.
I have rode on his boat a few times and it is very fast.
I think the 115 is truly more powerful than 115 horses.
Get ready to by yamaha aadditives.

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You also need to consider that you are going from a 2-stroke to a 4-stroke in terms of weight. i.e. suprisingly the 115 is heavier.

115 HP - 402 lbs (taken from 2007 yamaha website)
150 long shaft (1986) - 381 lbs (taken from my OEM manual)

If you are worried about losing HP... then max it out. What's worse the added cost to go back to a 150 HP and being unhappy, or sacrificing some extra bucks to get what you really want at the start.

I know Yamaha's are clean, reliable, quiet and fuel efficient. These are awesome engines.

On the otherhand, Evinrude has an interesting video on hole shots... the E-tech vs. Yamaha 4-stroke (225 HP). Check it out, pretty cool. It's called the "E-tech challange". When I repower I am seriously considering this.

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

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Hi tcrenshaw,

I have had quite a few different outboards and boats over the years. I always try to stick to higher end of the rating as far as HP. Going from a 150 HP (I assume prop shaft rated) to a 4 stroke 115 I suspect will be a huge difference. If you are used to jumping up on plane with a heaver load you may be very disappointed. From what I have seen the 4 stokes do not seem to have the low-end torque and acceleration of the 2 stokes. I may wrong and I do know the 4s are catching up on performance. Regardless you’re still dropping about 30% in HP with about the same weight. Just something to think about. I am looking to go the other way from a 90 to 115 on a Montauk hull...

BTW Evinrude has promo DVD on the etec. In one of the segments there is tug of war with 225HPs Yamie and etec... The Yamaha lost and the boat slowly capsized as the driver bailed.... Pretty funny...

Jon In NJ

Where are the BikinisB)

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tcrenshaw,

I am thinking along the same lines you are at this time.

I have driven an Outrage 18' with a Yamaha 115 hp 4-stroke and it wasn't bad at all. It seems to be adequate.

I am debating putting an E-Tec 115 hp or an E-Tec 150 hp on my Outrage 18...
E-Tec 115 hp = $8k
E-Tec 150 hp = $11k
(prices from Ed's)

The weight difference between the two is only 52 lbs. so that isn't that much. I am just not sure if I would be totally satisfies with a 115 hp so I am still not sure which way I am going to go.
http://www.whalercentral.com/readarti...ticle_id=6

One day I lean towards the 115 and the next day the 150... I think if a person is unsure about the smaller engine, then they (me) should just go for the 150...

I might be eating my words in the near future if I go with the E-Tec 115 hp 2-stroke though.... :o

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Take the MAX H.P rating for the boat, re-power with 75% of that, this gives the boat good fuel economy, and a good power to weight ratio, it also leaves enough "Pony's" in Reserve to get the Hell out of the way of Danger quickly if you have to !

Example: A Boat is rated for max H.P. of 100

A 75 H.P motor would be right for the boat.

mw

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All,

Also Keep in mind that BW seems to like to use lower than Coast Guard recommendations for many models... Must be for liability. I guess when they are cut in half they do not preform that well :D

Jon

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Thanks everyone! I have decided to go with the 115 (as stated, low hours, 1/2 price of new) with the agreement of the owner of the boat shop that he will take the 115 back if I am dissatisfied, and I will get a NEW 150.
As this boat was free and new to me (thanks to a generous father in law) I never ran it with the 150 that I am replacing, so issue of being disappointed regarding the 115's performance vs the 150's performance is not the issue. However, I want a decent hole shot and a WOT speed of 35+.
I will report back after our first sea trial.

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After lake testing the boat yesterday with the 115 Yamaha 4 stroke, 2002 model , the verdict is in - 115 is not enough. I could only get 35 mph @ 5800 rpm (WOT)with 3/4 fuel load, 2 adults , one child (and we are only 413 lbs combined) and the boat felt sluggish. I could get it out of the hole fine but I never get that feeling of "popping free" when you are trimmed out just right, the prop would lose purchase, (trimmed too high) before I ever felt like we were free.
I am not saying I couldn't get on plane, the boat just felt bow heavy. I will now have to hear what the 2007 Yamaha 150 is going to cost... ouch.

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Ah....happiness does have a price! :D

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I repowered my 1983 Outrage about a year and a half ago with the Yamaha 115 fourstroke. With four adults I can get 44 mph in a light chop. I think you should look at your prop before you sink a boatload more of money into a 150. The weight difference is a huge consideration as well. I was biased I have to say by the bad taste the built in self destruct feature my 1998 175 Johnson Ficht had.

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Tcrenshaw,
Go to the Yamaha Home page, select outboard motors, and then click on four stroke series. Select in-line four strokes. Once there, select performance bulletins from the headings at the top of the page. Once there, select four stroke technology, offshore center console boats, and Edgewater boats. There are several performance tests for Edgewater boats similar in length/weight of your 18'. I noted that test speeds ranged from 38 MPH to 45.6 MPH depending on the specific model Edgewater, and specific prop. Make a note of the prop used for the Edgewater that most closely matches the length/weight of your boat. That should give you something to compare to your performance results. I used the performance data for an Edgewater Sentinal Commercial package to get some idea how a 150 four stroke would perform on my 22" Outrage. Although the Sentinal is not exactly the same as my Whaler, the performance data for it is very close to what I get for my Outrage. Good luck!

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Thanks for the tip, the site is helpful. However, I would love to know why they exclude Boston Whalers from their boat list. I know Edgewater is designed by an ex whaler engineer (correct?).....does that have something to do with the glaring omission?

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The reason they exclude Boston Whaler is simple, you could never purchase a new whaler with a Yahama outboard so why test.

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Joe,
While I was living in Atlanta, Georgia, a friend had an 18' Outrage rigged with a looped charged 140 Johnson. It was a very sweet performing boat. I believe he was running a 13 1/4 by 19 prop. Would pop up on a plane quickly and run in the mid 40s. I'm not sure of the technical differences between the two engines, but based on e-tec literature and videos, it appears the 115 might give you similar performance. Just a thought.

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Tcrenshaw, I feel the same way and did a post a few days ago on just that: http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/vi...ad_id=2335

I understand not testing new Whalers, but it would be great to have some comparison numbers on our classic hulls... I'm sure they don't see it as a big enough market to justify the testing costs.

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that is the answer, whaler powers new with Merc.s

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Just following up on an old thread. I'm looking at a 1984 Outrage that needs and engine, appears to be in good shape, and am considering purchasing and re powering with 4 stroke Yamaha 115. Did you ever get improved performance from your 115 similar to other posts or determine why you couldn't?

Also looking for value and suggested things to look for or watch out for on 80's 18 outrages. This is the original owner's boat with original 150 Yamaha engine, original trailer and appears to be in great shape. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

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I had a 2 stroke Yamaha 115 on an '86 Outrage 18. I could do about 40 WOT with a fishing load (bait well, ice, people, etc.). I switched to a 2 stroke 150 and the difference is huge. I'm also getting better mileage beacuse I'm cruising at 35 to 40 - not WOT to achieve the same speeds.

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I think there is no better choice available today than an Etec 150 for the BW 18' Outrage.