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i'm looking to re-power my old whaler so I stop at a yamaha dealer and tell him i need a motor. We talk for a while and at the end of the conversation i'm at a loss because he told me that motors don't have year models. They just keep them in a container until sold and he would not tell me anything about the etec motors. I think he was full of it. Does anyone know about the etec motors.

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I think you need to find another dealer.............what questions, both general and specific do you have concerning motors? Also, what size boat and what hp motor are you thinking of? Also, before you give that dealer the boot, make sure you were speaking with someone at the dealership that is either an owner or slaes person and not someone that just happened to be on the floor that day. :@

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What the dealer told you is partially true. Both Yamaha and Mercury no longer use "Model Years." No longer will you be sold a year of outboard that was actually made the year before.

All outboard motors have a placard on them that says the month and year they were actually manufactured.

BRP (Evinrude) still uses model years but the month and year of manufacture is still plainly visible on the outside of every E-TEC.

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It is a 1974 19ft Outrage. It has twin 100 johnsons. I think they are 78/79 year model. I'm will keep this boat for long time after the repower so the cost is not that important. I want the best motor for this boat. My questions are: yamaha are ETEC which is the best? what size motor? Thanks

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As has been stated many times, almost all outboard engines are good these days, it is the subtle design/features that differentiate them from each other.

For weight, two strokes (E-TEC et al.) weigh less than four strokes. With the larger horsepower motors available (250+hp), singles are popular over twins.

For many it comes down to (in no order) price, weight, and dealer locations.

I have had two Yamaha's that have been very good. Then again, they are heavy. E-TEC's have less weight, great gauge offerings and a self-winterization feature. Mercury's Verado's are appealing for their supercharger but are a bit heavy for some hulls. Honda's have a great reputation for reliability and longevity. I can keep going.... see what I mean.

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What is most important are location of dealer and price. All the engines today are pretty good.

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As Tom stated, the Yamaha's are sold as month/year built rather than model year now. I love my Yamaha fourstrokes. Most of the crab boats around this part of Texas run Yamaha's....that was a good reference for me. Good service network available.

By buying around "boatshow" time of year, I got an extra three years of warranty free.

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I agree that all engines are pretty much good these days...

However, there are several things to consider.
1. Price
2. Dealer and location of dealer
3. Weight of the engine
4. CARB rating (people in CA must have this for new engines)
5. and one very important thing, "How many moving parts in the engine" ?

The last one above is were 2 strokes shine in my opinion... Very few moving parts to wear out or break as compared to their 4 stroke counter parts. No oil changes every 20 hours for the 2 strokes as compared to the 4 strokes. No dealer maintenance for the first 3 years as compared to the 4 strokes.

Whether a person lives in California or not, a clean engine is good for the environment.
I don't think any of us can argue that a clean engine is better for all of us in the long run.

For me, there is no way I would go for a 4 stroke as all the dealers are 1 1/2 hours drive from me. I like the idea of not having to take a 2 stroke E-Tec into the dealer at all for the first 3 years. Just makes sense to me.

For you people that have a 4 stroke dealer just down the block from you, then that would be a little different story.

So, take your pick and hopefully everyone will consider all the points listed above.

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Ditto to the above statements.

I too repowered a classic banana that was originally powered with twin 100s. I went with the 135 Honda and love it, but I'm sure that I would be just as happy with any other brand. I would certainly recommend going with a single over twins, but make sure that you have a good fiberglass repairman patch the existing holes. 150hp seems to be the sweet spot on these hulls, but I have read that anywhere from 115 to 200 does the job well. With my 135 she cruises at 28-30 mph @4000 rpm and hits 42 at wot.

Good luck with your project.

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Finding a dealer with a strong service department is important. There are none in my area and when we repowered with a new Etec last summer, it would have made a big difference to have a good dealer nearby.

Also keep in mind if you go with the Etec, that since the 150-175-200 all use the same block size, there's been some discussion that there's not a huge amount of power difference between the engines and going with a 150 can be the optimal choice for both fuel economy and power.

Keep us posted on what you decide.

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Many thanks. The ETEC 150 will be my play. I will get some pictures of her when I get started. She is in very good condition and can't wait to get your thoughts.