Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Optimizing the performance of Boston Whaler boats
plumber
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Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby plumber » Sun Mar 08, 2020 6:09 pm

I am going to re-power my 1977 Montauk 17 with either a 2020 Suzuki DF90A or a 2020 Evinrude ETEC 90.

The spefications list the dry weight of the DF90 at 343-lbs and oil capacity is 4.2-quarts. The E-TEC dry weight is listed at 320-lbs and the oil tank capacity is listed at 3-quarts.

An Evinrude dealer stated the Montauk 17 would perform better with the E-TEC. He had customers come in replace their Suzuki engine with an E-TEC engine because their boat would not plane at lower speeds. The dealer also said in rougher seas you would have to be moving faster and taking a beating [with a DF90].

What is the maximum weight rating for the transom on a Montauk 17?

The Suzuki dealer said they would relocate the battery from the stern to under the center console.

Is the difference in weight between the two engines 23-lbs plus and the weight of one quart of oil?

Do the power ranges of the Suzuki work well with an old Montauk 17?

The Suzuki is $2,600 less on the total installation.

I will be using the MONTAUK 17 for fishing in the ocean with four adults, and for family tubing and boating.

jimh
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby jimh » Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:18 pm

I don’t think this is the best time to buy a legacy E-TEC 90. It has been a great engine and many classic MONTAUK 17 boats use them, but I suspect that model is close to end-of-production. I suspect it will be replaced with a second generation or G2 new model.

Go back to the Evinrude dealer, and ask him about a new 90-HP model in development.

Price matching is hard to do because there usually is not an exact one-to-one correlation with included accessories or warranties.

Moving the battery to the console is very often done on the MONTAUK 17 to compensate for heavier engines.

There really is no maximum transom weight for the older MONTAUK 17 boats published by Boston Whaler. Boston Whaler did not publish a specification like that until the MONTAUK 17 was no longer in production. In a 2002 catalogue for the classic 17-foot hull they published a maximum transom weight specification, but I think it was a misprint and was intended for the then-new 170 MONTAUK hull. Read more on this topic at

Maximum Engine Weight
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/002449.html

The SUZUKI engine will always have four quarts of oil. The E-TEC will only have three quarts when you top off the tank.

plumber
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby plumber » Mon Mar 09, 2020 7:23 am

Thank you for the information. How will the Suzuki 90 hp perform on the 1977 Montauk?

jimh
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby jimh » Mon Mar 09, 2020 8:06 am

Return to your dealer. Ask the dealer for contact information from those customers who took off the DF90 and bought an E-TEC 90. Get first-hand remarks from those former DF 90 owners.

Generally the Evinrude E-TEC engines have more mid-RPM-range power than four-stroke-power-cycle engines of the same rated horsepower, producing the advantages the dealer described to you.

Most four-stroke-power-cycle outboard engines must be able to accelerate under load to their maximum engine speed in order to deliver their maximum horsepower. The E-TEC will generally have a wider range of engine speeds at which it can deliver its rated horsepower.

The E-TEC also requires less maintenance and has a very useful self-winterizing function to prepare itself for long periods of non-use.

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Phil T
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby Phil T » Mon Mar 09, 2020 8:45 am

Honestly, what did you expect a Evinrude (or Suzuki) dealer to say about which brand would work best? They are sales people.

As for not considering the E-TEC 90hp, I say pish posh to that advice. I would avoid installing any manufacturer's brand newly designed engine in its first year of production.

The E-TEC 90hp has been installed on hundreds of 16/17 hulls (includes Montauk) and their owners have been very happy. Additionally Suzuki produces very good outboard engines. Do a search of the archives here. There are 1130 results on "E-TEC Montauk"
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=site%3Acontinuouswave.com&q=e-tec+montauk&btnG=Google+Search

Shop dealer, service department, brand and price, in that order.

Full disclosure, I have owned two boats powered by Yamaha and will be re-powering my 3rd boat this spring with an E-TEC 90.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

biggiefl
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby biggiefl » Mon Mar 09, 2020 11:33 am

The older DF90's were around 420lbs dry. I had a DF70 on my Montauk which was 359 dry. She did roughly 38+mph and was a very good fit for that hull. I replaced a 90hp Yamaha 2 stroke which only did 41mph. My friend Len had a Montauk with a 90 etec(2008? model) and we were not impressed with performance as it did about 41mph and was much louder at slower speeds than my 70hp. These are real numbers, I think you will do fine with both. Would not be surprised if the DF90 was a bit faster but the etec will have a better holeshot which does not usually matter as most people do not floor it out of the hole very often.

I have owned Suzukis since 1981 and not one has even been to a dealer for repair. I have owned 3 Suzuki 4 strokes and all were flawless in my opinion. For $2600 savings which is probably around 25% would be a no brainer for me. Move the battery no matter what engine you chose.
On my 24th Whaler. Currently in the stable: 86 18' Outrage, 81 13' Sport(original owner), 87 11' Sport, 69 Squall(for sale cheap).

plumber
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby plumber » Mon Mar 09, 2020 6:17 pm

Thank you for the advice. I am new to this site. The Montauk 17 has been in my family since 1985 it was my dad's he gave it to me. It needs a lot of TLC.

jimh
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby jimh » Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:04 am

The three-cylinder E-TEC engine was the first model. It came out c.2003, and it is a wonderful design. The difference between the 75 and 90 power output is probably less than 15-HP, that is, the 75 probably makes a bit more than rated and the 90 probably makes a bit less than rated. The excellent initial design is likely why this series is still in production without a major revision. But engineers like to make machines better, so I would not be surprised if Evinrude has a plan for an update. If they didn’t show anything at the Miami International Boat Show this winter, then there probably won’t be a new model this year.

Having owned an E-TEC myself for 11 years, I am very happy with the engine. The lack of oil sump draining, oil filter replacement, oil level checking, and proper disposal of dirty oil and dirty filter every year is a great advantage of the E-TEC. My E-TEC uses the XD100 oil, which burns very cleanly and produces no exhaust smoke.

jimh
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby jimh » Thu Mar 12, 2020 11:16 am

The power rating for an E-TEC 90 as listed in EPA certification testing has varied with the production epoch. Below is a table I compiled based on data taken from EPA documents collected by another E-TEC owner.

EPA Rating in kW converted to HP for E-TEC 90 by year of certification
Years--->  Horsepower
2004 - 2006 90
2007 - 2011 87.5
2012 84.5
2013 85.8
2014, 2015 84.5
2016 81.8
2017 83.1
2019 88.7


Based on the above, one can only speculate about a reason for the variations. Changes in emission regulations may have been an influence. Also, in c.2008 and after a new fuel injector came into use, which may have affected the ratings. Also, the total Evinrude outboard product mix may have been a factor. Selling lots of 300-HP engines might have necessitated altering the emission of other models in order to keep the total family reduction of emissions in compliance. Meeting federal regulations is a complex problem for a marine spark-ignition engine maker. Sales of more G2 engines, which are super clean in emissions, could also be a factor.


Some anecdotal reports have mentioned the 75-HP version was often only 2-MPH slower than the 90-HP version in some anecdotal testing with various hulls, perhaps in those years when the 90 rated engine output was down in the certified test data.

It looks like by 2019 the 90-HP was back to being a 88.7-HP engine from a dip in output power a few years earlier.

Denny 47
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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby Denny 47 » Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:33 am

I put a Evinrude E-TEC 90 on my [1989] Montauk [17] in 2016 after the original Mercury 100 lost one of its four cylinders. I’ve just done the three-year maintenance on the E-TEC 90, and I am really pleased with the engine. The weight convinced me to go with the E-TEC. The E-TEC 90 has run flawlessly.

The first time I ran the E-TEC 90, I took the advice of the mechanic who installed it. He said run it like you stole it. With that in mind, I punched the engine and promptly blew out $70 of tackle off the back end of the boat.

I troll with the E-TEC for salmon on the Columbia river and on the Oregon coast. The E-TEC 90 has good top end and is steady at the low end. I couldn’t give you the specifics on a comparison between this E-TEC 90 engine and Mercury/Yamaha/Suzuki engines, but, after three years with this E-TEC 90 engine and over 300-hours, I’m very happy with theE-TEC 90 and the dealer, in Portland, Oregon.

If you’re interested in a new E-TEC, I saw their latest ad where they’re offering seven years of warranty.

As far as waiting for a newly designed E-TEC, I’d wait a couple of years to let them fix the inevitable undiscovered flaws in their design. Either way, good luck putting a new engine on your Boston Whaler boat. Just make sure that your fishing tackle is secure before you hit the gas.

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Re: Montauk 17: Suzuki DF90 or E-TEC 90

Postby kwik_wurk » Wed Apr 15, 2020 12:39 am

Based on your usage of ocean fishing with four friends and tubing; you’ll want the E-TEC. On the ocean you’ll have full load with crew, ice, gear and likely travel at lower planing speeds. An E-TEC is better suited, propeller choice aside.

As for tubing, either engine is fine. But if you’re doing water skiing or wake boarding, the E-TEC is better suited because it has torque on deep water starts and at the wake boarding midrange speed.

My Montauk has an E-TEC 90. I fish, crab, and waterski. My only complaint is excessive corrosion on the midsection due to sea water not draining very well.