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I just bought a 17' Boston Whaler Montauk that I want to repower. On my 15' Dauntless I have a 60 hp 2014 Evinrude E-tec and I love that motor. I will be repowering the Montauk with a 90 hp motor. Besides running crab pots, I will be trolling for salmon. My buddies are trying to convince me to get a 4 stroke as it is better for slow trolling and quieter than a two stroke, I have to say my e-tec is pretty damn quiet, but I'm keeping my options open. To repower with a new 90 hp e-tec it will cost $12,200 out the door,

Any thoughts on re-powering? Two stroke vs four stroke? Cost, weight? Yamaha vs Honda vs Merc? Those three vs the E-TEC?

Thanks

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every manufacturer has a very good 90 hp offering. All are acceptable for weight.

It is really a matter of price, available service and engine features.

I would review the rigging options because with the networking, change in gauges, displaying on plotters and multifunction displays, price differences can be significant.

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Wow, that is steep. Was that possibly an ETEC 90 HO engine, as opposed to the standard 90? If not, I would keep shopping - - that price is ridiculous. It's about the same as a quote I got last year for a new Merc 150 Fourstroke.

If you want to get an idea for pricing on comparable HP engines from Mercury, you can visit www.jacosmarine.com or www.edsmarinesuperstore.com.

I concur with your friends' advice to focus on a fourstroke engine.

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I was pricing a new motor for my 1995 Dauntless 13 with a new 4 stroke Mercury or Suzuki 40hp, and the price with all new guages and all else I would need is priced at $9000, so a 90hp at $12,000 does not seem to far out of line.
Prices sure have gone up since I last took a look.

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I think we are reviewing the TOTAL price for the engine, controls, gauges and installation.

My general estimate for a repowering with a 90hp motor is:

Engine -- $9000
Rigging components (binnicle, harnesses, cables, gauges-- $2,000
Derig, installation, repair --$1,000

Tax is included in each line item.

Not included are trade in deduction, upgraded binnacle, engine display monitors.

For a 115hp motor, add $2,500.

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Your buddies' information on 2-strokes is about 20 years out of date. A modern, direct-injected 2-stroke such as the eTec has very little in common with the historical "2-smokes." They are quiet, just as easy on gas as a 4-stroke, and will troll all day long.

The eTec 90 is a great motor for a classic Montauk. If you are happy with your current eTec then it's a natural choice. If you currently have OMC rigging you'll likely be able to reuse it which will save a lot of coin.

Other than that, any of the major manufacturers make great motors, and better technology is coming down to lower horsepower points. You can usually get a sense of which dealer in your area gives the best deals and service simply by looking around and seeing what other local boats have on the transom. If you're looking at used motors, definitely avoid older technologies such as the first generation direct-injection motors (Yamaha HPDI, Mercury Optimax) and carburated 4-strokes. They were OK in their day but technology has moved on.