CONTINUOUSWAVE

My original 150HP Evinrude two stroke has given up the ghost. I found a 2007 ETEC 115 for sale locally. How bad will the underpower be?

A 115hp outboard on a Outrage 18 will not be underpowered.

There are several well known members who have the same power and are pleased with the boat's performance.

If you do a search you can read the threads. Here is one of many threads: http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/007630.html

[The description of under-powered for a 115-HP on an OUTRAGE 18] depends on your needs and how you liked the 150-HP. On my OUTRAGE 18 a Yamaha F115 does about 40-MPH or so. I am re-powering with a 225-HP this spring.

Regarding used E-TEC engines, see my compilation of model year changes to the legacy E-TEC engines in the period 2008 to 2012 to get an idea of what might have changed from a c.2007 engine:

E-TEC Model Year Changes
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... anges.html

Phil....that link is pretty funny. I am amazed at the bias against 4 strokes 8 years ago. Now a days you would have a hard time finding a buyer that wants a traditional 2 stroke. The extra $3k would have paid off easily in fuel and resale. I also like Jim's "bet" about a 4 stroke lasting 25 years. Plenty of 20+ year old 4 strokes going strong. I still see Bearcats that are 50+ years old as well. I still think my Montauk with the DF70 Suzuki was a great match. It was less than 3mph slower than my 90hp Yamaha and per day it literally burned half the fuel. I removed the Pate and ran a 6gal portable for the entire day. When i bought my 18 Outrage in July it had a full tank. I am still over half full today. The fuel mileage in modern outboards at idle to fast cruise is so much better than the old days. WOT they burn the same of course.

My last point is for many people dropping down in HP is a hard thing to do. I have done it on multiple Whalers and have been very happy with my decision. Personally I am fine with the F115 on my boat and would keep it for the duration but that is not why I bought the 18. I bought it to try and get as close to 60mph as possible on a low budget and realistic handling abilities. I can find nice 150hp 4 strokes used by me but I really want a min of 200 and more like a 225 or maybe a 250.

I have a 1986 Boston Whaler 18 Outrage with a 115 HP Evinrude E-TEC. I am very happy with its power to weigh ratio. With h half-full fuel tank and two aboard, the boat hits 40-MPH.

I have four friends with 1980-era 18 Outrages, with different outboards for power, and I have ridden in all of them.

I live in Southern California and use the boat 100-percent of the time in the ocean for fishing. I have taken it to the offshore islands over 6- miles offshore on many occasions. Our ocean conditions here RARELY allow me to comfortably travel over 25 to 30-MPH. I maybe see four days a year where I can run at wide open throttle.

I can tell you that without reservation, the light weight 115 E-TEC on the 18 Outrage rides considerably better than the heavier 150-HP outboards.

We regularly get short interval wind chop of two to four feet waveheight with a combined grounds swell of four to eight feet. The bow of the 18 Outrage flies up in the air with a heavy outboard on the transom, sometimes to the point of really having to work the throttle just to stay on plane. With the light outboard, the bow stays down considerably and allows the hull and reverse chine to do the work it was designed to do.

If you like to run fast and have the calm water to do so, you may be happier with a 150-HP.
That new three cylinder E-TEC G2 150-HP looks interesting, and is reasonably light.

Two of my friends have F115 Yamaha four-strokes on their 18 Outrages. They are reasonably happy, but there is significantly better acceleration from a dead stop with the Evinrude over the Yamaha. It's almost not even comparable.

My brother and I have an 1984 Outrage 18 powered by a Yamaha 150 HPDI. This engine is too heavy. Just having a look when the boat is at the dock, this looks obvious. But, for sure, WOT gives 45-MPH.

I believe a strong 115-H engine that is less than 400-lbs would be more appropriate. In that range, maybe the E-TEC H.O . or Mercury Pro XS are good. They have more horsepower, and the weight of the engine stays reasonable for those old transoms.

biggiefl wrote:I also like Jim's "bet" about a 4 stroke lasting 25 years.

In the prior thread which is being remarked about, I very accurately observed in 2011 that there were no ten-year-old four-stroke-power-cycle engines, and that was because therer not been at a 150-HP power model made prior to c.20001. I suggested that in order for others to claim a four-stroke 150-HP would last 25-years, we would have to wait until 2025 for proof. That is not a bet, but just a simple statement of facts.

That a c.1975 55-HP BEARCAT might still be running in c.2000 after 25-years is not proof that the same would occur with a c.2000 150-HP four-stroke engine.

If high-horsepower four-stroke-power-cycle engines run for 25-years, why do the guys with triple 400-HP VERADO engines buy new ones every three years?

Plenty of early 2000 era F225's going strong. For what these things cost, they better last a long while if properly maintained.

I think I am going to hold out for more HP. The E-TEC engines look good.

[I am] just not sure I can drop $15,000 in a second boat. I may have to make it the first boat.

Are you saying that you are holding out for more than 115hp? Look for a used 150. I am looking for a 200 or 225, and unfortunately all I find are nice 150's or 20" shaft engines.

I just returned from the Fred Hall Fishing Show in Long Beach. On display was a 2020 Evinrude ETEC 150 G2 3-cylinder. The dealer said $13,200. Not sure what that comes with. I was in the show less than an hour and he already sold one engine

And, oh yes, the $1,200,000 Boston Whaler boat was there. I never gave it a second look.


FISHNFF