Four-stroke motors

[HerbB]

I am considering replacing my old 1987 48 HP Evenrude with a new 50 HP and am debating between getting a new four-stroke or another 2 cycle. I mostly want a new motor because my old one is just like all the Evenrudes of that time, its hard to start and doesn't idle down well.

I know Merc has a nice four-stroke and it seems like a good one. Are there other good four-stroke motors out there that anyone would recommend? Also, are the four-strokes as fast out of the hole as a 2 cycle?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Herb

[VMS]

I don't run a 4 stroke, but I do know one thing...your rig will weigh more. I debated the 2 stroke vs 4 stroke when I bought mine, and couldn't justify the extra expense of the 4 (my preference as well since I needed a low profile motor (Johnson 50 2 stroke 2 cyl). I have ridden with others who have the 4 stroke and they are definitely nice!! His hole shot is not great because he is under-powered (50 hp on a boat rated to 135) but it works for him.

As for your idling problem, I had the same problem with mine (99 model..same engine as yours though...I think). Would not idle well, and I had trouble keeping it running while trying to load it. I happened to check the timing and it was quite a ways off. Made the adjustments, and she has been purring ever since. My guess is mine went bad from a long road trip with 40 miles of rough dirt roads to knock things out of place.

something to think about as well.

Steve

[Lance P]

I have heard good things about the Yamaha and Merc 4 strokes. A friend of mine has a Merc 9.9 HP 4 stroke on his Ranger. He said last year his front trolling motor died while he was fishing. He fired up his 4 stroke, and just backed his boat out of the area he was fishing every so often. He said the DNR stopped by to check his license, and he talked to them for about 15 minutes before they asked if his engine was running? The engine is very quite. I would recommend if you have the money to go with the 4 stroke. They burn less fuel, and are much quiter than 2 stroke engines.

Lance

[Dan Klis]

Hi,

Last year I bought a 115 hp Yamaha Fuel Injected Four-Stroke for my Skeeter. I LOVE IT. And would recommend Yamaha to anyone. I cut my gas consumption by 4 to 5 gallons per day. As far as the weight difference, it really is no big deal.

Also many of the resorts on LOTW run four-strokes on there rentals. There must be some reason for this?

Dan

[Waterwolf]

Herb,
First I MUST speak in defense of my 4-stroke. The times that you were with me, and it didn't want to start, were due to my cranking battery, and had nothing to do with the motor itself.
On my last trip out this year, the battery finally shut down on me. It wouldn't even run my graph or gps. I pulled it out and hooked up one of my trolling motor batteries and the motor ran like a top! (So if you haven't gotten my Christmas present yet, a new cranking battery would do very nicely. Oh wait, you already got me the jumper cables. Thank you, by the way.) I used to have pretty much the same rig as you do, 16 foot Lund with 40 Evinrude. I thought that the Evinrude was a great motor, until I got my Merc.
GO WITH THE 4-STROKE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!
The difference in fuel consumption is staggering, especially with the 50 horse. Plus NO OIL CONSUMPTION! I'm not sure what your Evinrude weighs, but my Merc. weighs 225 pounds, and I think the hole shot with my Pro Angler is pretty good. Any more questions, feel free to give me a call.
(320) 656-1646
Happy Holidays to you and your family,:)
Paul

* My Merc 50 4-stroke is actually made by Yamaha. The powerhead is Yamaha and the lower unit is Merc.
Don't know if they're still made this way or not.
Have a good one!
The Wolf

[Sponge Bob]

Anyone tried the Honda 4-stroke? Was thinking myself about leaning to a 4 this spring = Honda sems to be a pretty good seller here....alot of bay boats use them as well as freshwater....:)

[RK]

Hi Herb,
I got a new 4-stroke last year, and I'll never go back to 2-strokes...

4-strokes are quiet, easy on gas, no fumes, and start with a flick of the key (I have an Evinrude from the same are as yours, by the way - so I feel your pain there...) even in cold weather.

Most of the 4-strokes on the market are pretty solid. Personally I have a Suzuki, and I love the thing. One nice thing about Suzuki-they have fuel injection on their mid-size models (anything above 30 hp is FI). Unless it's changed, Merc and Yamaha only offer it on larger models. Fuel inject really helps low-end torque and hole shot. The one admitted drawback with Suzuki is the dealer network. Where I'm at (Twin Cities) there are 3 Suzuki dealers within 70 miles, but depending on where you are at, it might be hard to find one close by. If that's the case, go Yamaha or Merc...

If you want to stick with Evinrude, the Evinrude 4-strokes are built by Suzuki. What their model line will be like this year after the buyout of OMC I'm not 100% sure, but I'm sure there will be 4-strokes in the mix.

As far as the weight goes, it's not as significant a difference as it's made out to be, IMHO. A Suzuki 50 4-stroke weighs 243 lbs. A Merc 2-stroke 50 weighs 200. So there is a weight difference, but not the hundred-plus pounds it's often played as...

Cheers,
RK

[The Handyman]

My 2-stroke 70 Johnson weights in at #249 and a 4-stroke 70 Johnson was #468.I went with the 2-er because of the weight.I can troll all day aat 1.1 and not have any problems.You will see more and more people buying 2-er`s cause 2006 they will not be available.Just one guys opinion!

[HerbB]

Paul, Just so you know, your Merc is the reason I was thinking about getting a four-stroke in the first place. That motor of yours purrs like a kitten and starts so nice.:) I knew the battery was the problem and it was nothing a set of jumper cables or a new battery couldn't fix. No big deal. Thanks for the input and for having me along in your boat last summer. Next summer lets hit a metro lake in my boat and maybe I can guide you to a "monster" 24 incher like I did for the Captain this fall.:)
Happy Holidays to you and your family too.

Thanks to everyone else for all your input. Lots of things I didn't know. Thanks much.

Merry Christmas all.

[Todd Williamson]

I have run Honda four-strokes for 8 years now. From what I have seen is that they all seem to be pretty decent. I would not be afraid of any brand, but I would lean toward Honda since they are the only manufacturer that has only ever made a four-stroke(since 1976) making them the pioneers in the four-stroke game. These motors are bullet proof and well worth the money.

Todd Williamson

[nxtwrldrcd]

Last spring I bought a Merc 60 4-stroke and it performed flawlessly. It always started effortlessly, was smooth and quiet, and barely used any gas. My boat weighs 750lbs dry and the hole shot was decent enough. She tops out in the mid 30’s and can troll as slow as 1.5 mph. The 50 & 60 Mercs have all the same specs so the extra 10hp might be worth it to you. They weigh somewhere under 250lbs.
It seems something was wrong with the rocker arm something another and the whole motor was recalled. It is in the shop now getting replaced with the 2002 model that has EFI. So, I can’t complain about that. I just hope it’s done by spring like they said it would be. I am nervous that it won’t be. I’ll just have to wait before I start raising heck.
Have fun

[RK]

You sure you have the weight right on the 70 4-stroke? If that's correct, it's 50+ lbs heavier than my 115 4-stroke....

RK

[MN_Moose]

I run a Honda 130 on my 19' Alumacraft. I love the motor. Granted it is not the fastest or lightest but all in all I love it.
The 130 Honda is 500lbs. a 125 Merc. 2 cycle is 347 lbs. for fifty horse power models, a Merc 2 cyc. is 199 lbs. a Merc 4 cyc. is 236 lbs. a Honda 4 cyc is 203 lbs. Weght is not an issue.
Hole shot will be o.k. Who races a 50 h.p. motor? You will love the quiet operation and trolling.

[fishinfool]

4 stroke verse 2 hmm i bought a 9.9 nissan and love it make a great quiet kicker motor, the the monet does a fine job.Check out their site you may be sirprized on the cost differences.

[Rubes]

You won't go wrong with a Honda motor. I love mine. Quiet, fuel efficient, will start and run flawless no matter how cold or wet the weather. Easy to maintain. Won't be the fastest, but you will have a great motor.

[Dave Q]

I moved from a 40 2st. to a 50 4st. two seasons ago. I ask many questions here and of dealer's. Some opinions were close, some were not !! This is what I found to be true: The small weight diff. is NOTHING, I go 4 to 6 mph. FASTER. 2 persons verses 3 made a BIG diff. with the 40, it makes NO DIFF. with the 50 4st. I LOVE my Yamaha !!!!!! Buy a 4st.!!!

[Hoginator]

Get the 4. I have a 90 honda on a Lund MR. Pike and love it. The money you save on gas will pay off. I really never used to troll but now that i can talk without screaming is great. you can put a cup of coffey on the motor and troll and it wont vibrate off. I went with honda because they are the founders i belive. the others are still catching up, and they may have by now. I heard Yamaha is really good. Envenrudes i know have problems.

"Catch a Babe, Throw a Hoginator"

[RandyAtPAMM]

4-Stroke all the way. Hole shot may not be quite as good - but fuel economy, quietness, smoothness, less polution is all better.

We just finished reviewing a Suzuki and loved it (we bought it), and before that it was a Honda. You can't lose with either of these two. My Merc experience is not great... We have also had terrible luck with their corporate office.

Randy
www.pikeandmuskie.com

[kmon]

HerbB, let me be another to chime in with the "go with the 4 stroke". I have a merc 25 4 stroke from the second year they built them, and other than a problem with starting in neutral, I've done nothing but save on gas, never had to mix oil, and, of course, enjoyed the quiet ride.
Even at full tilt you can talk to your boat partner and while trolling all I get is a slight fooot fooot sound. Very easy to take.
I went out to buy a honda 4, but the merc was 1500 bucks cheaper, don't know if that's still the case.
Plus it'll make you a better fisherman, clear up your hang nail and give you whiter teeth. Enjoy.