2 stroke or 4 stroke

[fatboy]

Hey Guys,
i've been reading up on another forum and people think that oil injected 2 strokes such as e tecs and merc optimax's are better then 4 strokes. Does anyone have any thoughts on this topic? also you dont see many 4 strokes on bass boats like skeeters these days what's the reason for this?
hope to see some great replies.

[Timmah]

Hey mate,

It's a bit of a hard one because people are always gonna have there favourites. Yes the new 2 strokes as far as i'm aware a quiet good. You'll probably find the emissions on the 2stroke a pobably less than a 4 strokebut don't take my word. Your probably best to do a bit of research on the web about these motor's. There's always pro's and cons' for both. You may find that the bass boats use 2strokes because there lighter and they may also be cheaper. The other thing aswells is that americans like to use products that they make themselves which is a good note. This will be an interesting one to watch. The other people to ask would be out board motor mechanics cos if you ask a sales person they may give you a bit of a biased answer. Another thing that may change your mind is the price comparrison.

Good luck
Tim

[Superduperman]

I'd doubt the cost has much to do with it, bacause with the amount some of those boats cost an bit of extra $$ for a 4stroke wouldnt be much of a consideration. The Power to weight ratio is better with a 2st, as is the out-of-the-hole speed. Fuel consumption varies depending on the rev range. at certain Revs E-tecs actually consume more fuel than a standard Yamaha 2st, while at other revs they're on par or better than a Yammy 4st.

I have an e-tec and love it to peices (even if it's not quite as fast as I would like ) never had a problem with it, starts first time every time. pretty quiet at idle, but it gets a little loud at WOT, which is to be expected coz my boat seats are like 1m away from the motor Optimax's are supposed to have better performance but i'm not too sure on the fuel consumption etc etc. Yamaha V MAX's are sweet as too, but i dont know much about them.

Ask around, there's a few people on the forums with each different motor, ask them why they chose it. I went E-tec coz I like a good hole-shot and the quietness and reliability. I have never had a problem with it and would recommend them to anyone.

[Dell]

I dono if i'm allowed to do this but heres a link to another forum topic which i found quite interesting. enjoyhttp://bbcboards.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=265994

[bucaneer]

It really comes down to personal choice, and what you are going to use it for.
I had a Seaquest runabout powered by a 70 hp 4 stroke Johnson (rebadged Suzuki), which I was very happy with. The hole shot was good, no fumes, quiet, and didn't even know how to spell petrol, let alone use it.
My fishing interests changed and I bought a 9 month old Bream Boat with a 75 hp Etec on it. I know for sure that the last trip this Etec did before I bought it, was spent crawling round in speed limited water for three days, and when I launched it for the first time I found the plugs had oiled up just like the old conventional 2 strokes. I gave it a good hard run which helped a lot, but it was still giving me the good old smell of 2 stroke fumes whenever I idled it. I took it back to the dealer who checked it right out, and even re-mapped the computer. He reckoned it was running as well as any Etec on the water, but when he ran it in the test tank, I could still smell 2 stroke fumes. I guess sitting in front of my 4 stroke for 2 years had spoilt me, and most would not have noticed the fumes, but it was enough to make me swap the Johnno onto the new boat. I have been happy as a pig in DohDohDohDoh since
While doing this motor swap, I was in the unique position of being able to compare performances between the two motors.
The bream boat lost 5 hp and gained about 36 kg in weight (an extra battery + 18 kg on the motor). Despite this the Bream boat only lost 1.2 knots at WOT, and with the much more even power curve on the four stroke, was a far better boat, particularly in speed restricted waters. On the other hand, I felt the Seaquest really benefitted for the better acceleration of the Etec.
Most of my work is done in speed restricted waters, so for me the 4 stroke is a clear winner. I'm sure you would be quite happy with either motor, but it would pay to have a good think about how you will be mainly using the boat.
Cheers,
Andy

[toadfish]

four strokes have more torque!(you can over prop them) there also quiet with better fuel economy,and more useable power! and like dirtbike technology 3 years after there introduction 2 stroke riders became 4 stroke lovers and now finding a 2 stroke on the starting gate at any event is a rare find indeed!fuel injected short stroke 4 strokes are the way of the future and if they dont take off in boating remind me to eat my fishing hat!

[BoofHed]

the old thing 2 strke versus 4 stroke, me i just bought a 40 4stroke fuel injected mariner and i couldnt be hapier. No noise and a diferent power ratio than ther old 2 stroke. If money aint a problem the go the 4 stroke and the fuel injection
Bruce jmo