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I have a 1987 Montauk that presently has a 1987 Mercury 70 hp 2 stroke. I am considering repowering the boat and cost of purchase of a new motor plus ongoing cost of routine maintenance would be a concern to me. I am considering both the Yamaha F70 or an Evinrude ETEC 90 for weight reasons. Can the guys who have similar engines comment on how much the 100 hour service charges are on the yamaha F70's or the cost for the 300 hour service for the Evinrude ETEC's. I used to do all my maintenance on my old 2 stroke so I had no cost of ownership for maintenance besides some cheap parts.

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1/2 or more of the tasks for the service interval can be done yourself.

Dealer servicing for these intervals can be $1k depending on how many items they replace. Be very wary.

You will still be able to do the water pump, T-stats, fluids, spark plugs, filters etc yourself.

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If you want to be cheap with boats remember the Dollar store I see on the road, Boat stores are Hundred dollar stores.

I have a 90 HP 4 Stroke Yamaha. Dealer recommends Ring Free for the gas $22.00 a can. Yamaha oil $30. for 5 quarts.
The timing belt needs to be changed every 500 hours about $500. Nothing is cheap with boats.

However there are numerous Yamaha dealers where I live. 1 Honda and a few Suzuki and Evinrude. One of the reasons I chose a Yamaha. If I need parts or service, I have a lot of choices.

The old story pay me now or pay me later, and later is More Money. Use what the dealer recommends, because Ring Free is cheaper than fuel injectors.

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I traded my Yami for a Merc last year. I always used RingFree because that's what they recommended. I never ran it long enough for major service.

I have 1 Yami dealer close, and he's not good to deal with. OTOH, there are 6 Merc dealers right around the block. (Obviously, location is everything)

Merc says nothing about RingFree or timing belts or valve adjustments. Am I missing something?

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The ETEC 90 (mine is a 2012) service is about $700. The interval is every 3 years. No in between oil changes because it is a 2 stroke. I use my Montauk a lot and average about 100 hours per year. Mine has been trouble free for 3 seasons and I'm thinking about getting the service done in the spring. The motor is programmed to run the Evinrude SD100 synthetic oil which I think averages 100 / 1 ratio so the $35 a gallon oil goes a long way. I think I've bought 4 gallons in 3 years. Fuel usage is also great.
The ETEC winterization is automatic (you can see it on YouTube) which is great. Due to late fishing opportunities in NJ, I winterized it 4 times this year. Each time takes about 5 minutes.

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At a recent Boat Show the Mercury motors had a decal which stated Timing Belts every 300 hours.
Yamaha states every 500.
If you have a Mercury, better check 0n that belt. A failed belt can ruin an engine.

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Mercury makes a wide range of marine engines. Which model are you referring to?

The Mercury 75-90-115 Fourstroke engines use a timing chain that never needs replacement. They also have a self-adjusting valve train. Weight is 359 lbs. Watch the Merc Utube channel to see how simple it is to DIY maintain these engines.

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Using ring-free or similar products in your four-stroke is just silly. Do you use such a product in your car? Of course you don't.

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I winterize my 4 stroke and it costs around 100 bucks. My dealer told me nothing special to winterize.

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My Merc is a 2017 and its a Boston Whaler OEM engine.

It didn't have that sticker. The Owner's Manual says to "inspect" the belt and replace if it shows cracks.....Yada, Yada. It does not come up in the "Maintenance Schedule" under the 100 hour or 300 hour "mandatory" items.


Mine is a 150 Montauk with a 60 HP 4-stroke if that makes any difference.

Timing belts, shiming belts. I won't debate the need - its the valve adjustment requirements that drove me away from Yamaha. I can replace a belt, but I have neither the equipment or the expertise to do those adjustments. Hence, I'm now a Merc guy.....LOL.

RingFree, shimfree.....that's a non issue. It probably isn't necessary but for the added few pennies it can't hurt.

As far as Winterization is concerned, I see no difference. The oil I used to use in my old Evinrude 2-strokes is a wash compared to the yearly 4-stroke oil change. The lower unit needs draining in any case, so you alwys have pot of old oil to dispose of anyway

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gipsmjim
I ditto that statement you made.
I too have the 60HP Merc ELPT 4-stroke and when I read the statement from wrangler I was afraid I missed some maintenance so I immediately again read my Mercury owners manual and no where could I find a reference to when to replace the belt except for the inspect statement.

You must maintain any mechanical equipment 2, 4, or no(Wankel) stroke.

tedious and surfgod82 said it although my 60HP in the cold West Michigan weather cost me half of what surfgod 82 paid.

The impeller and lower unit oil cost for my 1986 Evinrude 2-stroke is the same as my 2008 Mercury 4-stroke. The cost of 2-cycle oil usage is comparable to the oil change cost for the 4-stroke. So for me bottom line it is equal for the maintenance you can do yourself.