Opti Max 150 vs. Yamaha 4 Stroke 150

[alexbballa]

which is better and why?

[ebijack]

use the search feature here. you'll have plenty of reading to do and it will still come down to personnal preference.

[boat nut]

The optimax will be louder, and on most boats, faster.

[1shooter]

The optimax will be louder, and on most boats, faster.

Yes the optimax will be louder and it is a little faster out of the hole and top end. But keep in mind it is not that much difference.

I have experience with both and think they are both excellant motors.

I own the 150 opti but would prefer the quietness of the 4 stroke. If they are simliar price I would get the 4stroke.

[AllenW]

Only rode in a boat with the Opti, but I own a F150, the opti did seem to have a bit better hole shot, but the F150 was a by far quieter motor, both seem to do the job well, but I'll suffer with a second or two longer to get to plane to be able to hear the wife complaining I'm going to fast...:)

The dreaded maintenance a 4 stroke has takes me about a hour max, once a year..pretty minor in my book considering I no longer buy 2 cycle oil.

I'm thinking time to plane has a lot to do with the driver and tilt settings also, my 185 Tourney sport gets up to plane pretty quick if I have the motor set right.

Al

[shoal angler]

I have this same set up with a tournament sport and a 150 yammie and was wondering what your top soeed is? Mine seems to be 47-48 mph on gps with 2 people and a normal load including a 9.9 kicker.

[REW]

I always chuckle a bit when folks compare speed and power of 2 stroke engines and 4 stroke engines.

Power is power is power.
1 hp made from a 2 cyle engine = 1 hp made from a 4 cycle engine.

If you have 150 prop shaft hp made from a 2 cycle engine, you will have exactly the same power as if you have 150 hp made from a 4 cycle engine.

Having said that - you can find lots of motors with a 150 hp rating that may perform very differently on different boats.

Several reasons:

1. Just because you have a 150 hp sticker on the motor does not guarentee that you have 150 hp shaft hp on that particular engine.
You may have hp that ranges somewhere between 140 hp and 160 hp.
Possibly a bit more and possibly a bit less.

2. Gear ratios -
Some engines have a high gear ratio, some have a low gear ratio.
The gear ratio does not affect shaft hp, but it can make a very big difference as to what the best prop is for a particular rig.

3. Engine rpm, verses hp.
As stated earlier, 150 2 cycle hp = 140 4 cycle hp.
However, one 2 cycle engine may develop this hp at 5000 rpm and one 4 cycle engine may develop this hp at 6000 rpm.
Nothing wrong with either engine - just a different rating.

I think that in virtually every case - if you have the absolute best prop for the given engine you are running, and find that one engine performs faster than another - I suspect that you will find that the faster engine actually develops more prop shaft hp.

So, it simply goes back to the buyer to be sure that he gets what he wants. If in doubt - always ask for a test run on a particular boat and motor before buying such a rig. Just to get a good feel for the reality of the particular combination.

Also, be aware the for most overall fishing boats, the absolute top speed is really not the most important part of the equation. About the only time that absolute top speed is truley relevant for fisherman is for the tournament fisherman, where he needs to beat a weigh in time, or get to a spot first to fish it first.
Many things are typically more important - .i.e. hole shot to work big water, smooth idle, good midrange, good power transitions, and for many folks today -- --- noise levels at all rpm levels. Also, don't discount the ease of starting.

Take care
REW

[TomP.]

Power is power is power.
1 hp made from a 2 cyle engine = 1 hp made from a 4 cycle engine.

Yes this is basicaly true. Power curve and torque make the difference between 2 and 4 stroke engines. They both produce the same HP but run different. Most 4 strokes are not good on low end, unless specifaclly proped for it, then top end is lost. Load down your boat and take off that is where the 2 stroke shines. Getting heavy boat up on plane in skinny water 2 stroke all the way. There are the exceptions turbo charged 4 strokes like the Verado. now that sucker can get out of the hole. Darn near as good as my Opti.

[Justfishing]

The real question is what are the pros and cons of each engine and which one would be better for you. I would say both are good, dependable motors.

HP is HP but that is not the whole story. The torque curve will be different for the 2 motors and for many people torque is not know or understood. Some engines develop high torque at low RPM's and others have a more gradual build up of torque. If having the strongest hole shot and is important then an engine that develops torque at low rpm's will be better. Having more cubic inches usually improves low end torque too. If you like to run near max speed/rpm's and save on gas then you should look at which one burns less fuel at the top end.

You hear people claim that this motor does this or that but really you should look at what you want and need. So what if someone else is a couple of miles and hour faster and you dont drive fast.

[Shep]

HP is HP, but power is not always all about HP as stated above. The torque that is produced in a 2 stroke at lower RPM's is what gets the boat out of the hole. And there is a noticable difference between the 150 Opti, and the 150 4 strokes.

And even with equally rated motors, the Opti will have better performance throuout the RPM range than the 150 Yamaha 4 stroke. It's just a bit louder, though.

[DSLARS]

How about a Verado 150. 2 stroke performance with 4 stroke quietness?

[toytowr]

I have seen alot of E-tec comparisons on the internet (usually in their favor), where do they figure into the equation?

[staylor]

...because unlike an automobile, an outboard does not have a transmission with multiple gears ratios to select- it just has one ratio that is fixed, and engines are propped for flat out speeds at max rated rpm. The present day 4 strokes are much lighter than the first ones that showed up on the market- and these were so heavy that you needed a 175 4 stroke to get the same top end as a 150 2 stroke. Today, the 4s are tuned for high rpms to try to gain horsepower, and keep weight low, but this kills torque. Also consider that a 3 liter 2 stroke fires all 3 liters of its displacement every revolution. A 3 liter 4 stroke only fires 1.5 liters per revolution, and therefore takes a big hit in its available torque under load, since both engines run roughly the same combustion pressures with the avaiable gas we have today. That being said, the 4 strokes are much easier to set up for low emissions and in the long run this may doom the 2 stroke. If they could come up with a 4 stroke outboard with even a 2 speed transmission built into the lower unit and keep the weight competitive, then the 2 strokes will be dead meat. Right now, I'll stick with my Opti, because I need the hole shot and it has more top end than an equivalent 4 stroke since it weighs a bit less. I'm 60 years old so I don't hear any noise difference.
Doug

[jon lee petimore]

i have a buddy that runs an optimax 150 h.p. great hole shot, lots of power a little noisey. we fished in some big chop so we where back trolling and could smell the fumes. plus it he couldn't get it to troll down very good. other than that, we fished 3 days and the gas needle barly moved. very good on gas. i have a 90 h.p. yamaha 4 str. and love it. jumps out of the hole in under 5 secounds. i have a 16 pitch s.s. prop on it. very quiet and it back trolls very slow. i had it banging up against some waves backtrolling and the speed was .05 m.p.h. (caught fish that day). my thoughts are that once you have a 4 str. you'll never fish without one. jmo

[Nightie]

After having a four stroke for years and enjoying the quietness,turn the key once.. start ability I don't know why anybody would want a two stroke. NO-Smoke ...None
I rode alot this pass season in a buddies 2090 Warrior /200 HP Suzuki four stroke.
Not very many tillers or wheeles passed us out of the hole.

I saw one 175 opti that had a how big is your tiller sticker on it and watched a 150 yami 4-stroke run right passed it. The yami blew it out of the hole too.
Rode in Sketter with an older 2- stroke 225 yami and couldn't believe the noise compared to anothers with a 250 yami four stroke. 58 GPS top end loaded for the 4-stroke --2050 boat size.
In a race from big Point to Garrison on mille lacs. We beat the two stroke to Mickey "D"'s [17 miles]
We were craving egg mcmuffings. Tough night after pre-fishing.

Watch and have riden in 150 suzki 4-stroke Big Block ..yarcraft tiller just amazed about that hole shot.
Top end 51 GPS Yami 150m top end 53 . Not bad for tillers.

Your money but would you buy in comparison a carburater vs. fuel injection. it's 2008 new is better.

I know they are all injected.

[cc-rider]

The "power is power" statement needs a bit of clarification.

It is true that horsepower is all equal. A 150 HP 2 or 4 stroke should in the end get you the exact same HP at the shaft and therefore, the same top end.

However, torque is not the same for 2 vs 4 stroke. 2 stroke will always out torque the 4 stroke in equivalent size engines (same HP rating and displacement). But, the old saying of "there is no replacement for displacement" also holds true here. If you have 2 engines that are 150 HP, but the 4 stroke has a much larger displacement, then it MIGHT out-torque the 2 stroke. The bad news is that I don't really know of any scenarios like this in the outboard world. They exist in the snowmobile, dirtbike and ATV world though.

Heres how I always explain it....the max horsepower rating is for top speed only. The torque is for everything else. Holeshot, acceleration, cruise, etc.

You can research this until your blue in the face (trust me, I did it). Here's the only appreciable differences:
2 Stroke = more torque, louder
4 Stroke = less torque, quieter

If you can decide which of those characteristics are most important for you...then you have your choice.

[Watchdog]

Nightie, you better have your son correct your spelling and grammer.......

[guest]

I wonder if Nightie is medicated....

[Roddy]

I would suggest you ride in a boat with both motors. I have a very good friend that has a Reatta 1850 with a 150 merc opti. The boat has head snapping torque. With that said, I would take a four stroke over the opti. numerous times we have tried to pull crank baits and have had to deal with fumes. A lot of opti owners will say they do not get fumes. I question this statement as does my buddy. His dealer talked him into the opti over the F 150. He wishes he would have purchased the F150. As a four stroke owner, I can say I will gladly give up the 2-3 mph for the quiteness and fumeless performance of my my fourstroke vs, the opti. If you are set on a 2 stroke, I would look at the E-Techs. From what i have obeserved, they produce much less noise and fumes.

[1shooter]

My father in law and I both have a 1850 crestliner. Mine has a 150 optimax and his a 150 4stroke yamaha.

We have the same size props. I'm a little faster out of the hole and 2-3mph faster. If the motors were the same price I would go for the quiet 4 stroke. I would even pay a little more.

Don't get me wrong I like my opti but it would sure be nice to have the quietness of the 4 stroke.

My ideal motor would be the Verado.