# 4-Stroke vs. 2-Stroke



## rhood (Sep 4, 2013)

I need some advise regarding 4-Stroke vs. 2-Stroke. I am looking at an 18.5' Aluminum fishing boat. Fishing for us is typically an equal split between inland [bass/walleye/panfish] and big lake trolling. The dealer has 2 identical boats, 1 has a 115 4-Stroke Merc, and other has a 150 Merc OptiMax. I'm a bit leary that the 115 will be under powered, but will probably troll better? My understanding is the 150 Optimax is a 2-Stroke, but past [1980s] history has taught me that 2-strokes don't troll down well and tend to load up and get smokey. Ideal situation would be to go Optimax and add a kicker, but the extra 3k isn't in the budget right now.
Thoughts?


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## sovaa4307 (Dec 11, 2012)

from what i've heard, the newer 2 strokes don't load up nearly as bad as they used to, especially with a quality oil... one of the boats i fish has an 80's evinrude which loads up if we are slow trolling after 5hrs or so. Just pick up the pace or drag a bucket are the options or hit neutral and clear it out. So that being said i'd go with the 2 strk and if need be get a set of trolling bags....cheaper than the kicker.


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## Matt V (Dec 8, 2004)

If you are buying new, I would price it out with a Merc 150 4 stroke. If you are limited to the 150 opti and the 115 four stroke, I would go with the 115. There are a ton of 18' boats out there with 115's that do just fine. It would probably run in the low 40's with the 115 and upper 40's with the 150.


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## antlers (Nov 16, 2012)

I have a 4 stroke Yamaha 115 on my 18' aluminum fishing boat. I love it. Quiet (to the point you can barely hear it) and it'll troll all day. Doesn't smoke, smell or burn any oil either. Also it'll do 40-42 mph depending on load. I know it isn't the Merc you are looking at but it'll be similar I would think. I've never had good luck with two strokes. I would never go back to one. It does troll a little fast but a set of bags slows me right down.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Spent plenty of time on boats running Optimax and E-Tec motors. Never noticed an issue trolling.

It's better to have more power and not need it than wish you had it.


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## BroNat (Jan 16, 2015)

I'd vote for the 4 stroke unseen. Then I'd look at the weight of each motor. If the 4-S is significantly heavier - like more than 50 lb, I might go with the 2S. Fifty or 100 pounds on the stern of an 18 footer will make a big difference in ride in choppy water. And there's not much chance to go 40+ MPH on Lake Michigan, most days.


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## Steiny (May 30, 2011)

I swapped pontoon boats last summer and went from a 90HP Evinrude E-Tech 2 stroke for a new 115HP Yamaha 4 stroke.

The 4 stroke starts and runs better and quieter, but I think the 90 2 stroke got the boat planed out quicker and had a little more top end speed and power. Go with the biggest 4 stroke your boat can handle, because they don't have the same power as a 2 stroke.


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## SullysSteelies (Oct 18, 2009)

If you're looking at brand new stuff make sure the dealer is setting the boat up with the New 2.1L Mercury 115 hp. You will not be disappointed with that engine for power. There's a video of it outperforming the 125 Mercury Optimax. Your fuel consumption trolling and running will be lower with the four stroke, and it's actually a bit simpler of an engine. The 2.1L Mercury 115 hp weighs 359 lbs while the Opti weighs 431 lbs. You're talking about a big V6 block with 6 fuel injectors, an air compressor, multiple complicated fuel pumps, etc. The 115 is a single overhead cam which reduces the number of moving parts and simplifies things while lightening up the engine. 

My vote would be the 115 hp Four Stroke IF AND ONLY IF the dealer is offering the new 2.1L!

I know you're not buying anything from me (I only sell outboards anyway), but feel free to give me a call if you have specific questions. I'm the sales manager at Van's Sport Center in Grand Rapids, just ask for Tom in sales. I'm always happy to help out members on the site when possible with deals AND professional advice.


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## rhood (Sep 4, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback SullysSteelies. I called the dealer on this and they offered to put the 150 4-Stroke on instead of the OptiMax, same cost. Would you recommend taking that offer?
BTW-I have used Van's many times over the years for parts/service and can highly recommend Van's to other readers!!


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## SullysSteelies (Oct 18, 2009)

Absolutely! Take them up on that offer. The four stroke actually books a couple hundred dollars more. That 150 Opti is only available in the PRO XS model, which would have a little higher output on the top end....BUT you'll be much happier with the fuel savings and dependability of the Mercury 150 hp four stroke! 

Let us know how it does when you get the boat delivered!!! You're going to be a happy man! 

Thanks for the kind words, we appreciate the positive feedback. We don't advertise or do crazy big booths at the shows, but we've been a presence in Grand Rapids for about 50 years and we continue to try to offer the best service and products available while standing behind what we do. Thanks again!


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## ebijack (Apr 20, 2009)

When questions like this are asked a lot has to do with how the boat will be loaded. Do YOU like HP and Torque. There is always mis-information given about the differences between 2 stroke vs 4 stroke. A carbureted engine will burn more fuel than an injection engine. Period. 2 or 4 stroke. 2 strokes produce power in 2 complete strokes, 4 strokes take 4 complete strokes hence 2 stroke/4 stroke. 
Would you prefer to add oil to a 2 or 3 gallon tank when required, and unless your a charter boat or fishing tourney's that won't be before each trip. Or do oil changes once or twice a year. 
As far as fumes, with the newer 2 stroke oils, there isn't much. Sure you don't smell the carbon monoxide from a 4 stroke, but it is still there. ( and no converter to help reduce CO2 like vehicles, think about it)
There is a weight difference, and yes it makes a difference in most cases.
If you really want to know actual information about the differences between both engines, PM me as I do have a long back round in engine development in both 2 and 4 strokes. Not just hear say.


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## sullyxlh (Oct 28, 2004)

ebijack said:


> ...
> There is a weight difference, and yes it makes a difference in most cases.
> If you really want to know actual information about the differences between both engines, PM me as I do have a long back round in engine development in both 2 and 4 strokes. Not just hear say.


My bottom line is power to weight ratio

With technology the way it is how long before we see 2 stroke weight & power in a 4 stroke? Will we ever?..

I want to upgrade but just can't convince myself at this point to give up the power of my 2 for the weight of a 4...


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

After decades of having two strokes from the 50's through the 2000's I got my first four strokes in 2008. Never looking back. Never going to have a 2 stroke again. I Like the extra room to store things where there is normally an oil tank. Smaller 4 strokes are so quiet and clean burning, much less economical and better cold starts.


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## KalamazooKid (Jun 20, 2005)

They still sell 2 strokes?!?!?


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## storman (Mar 12, 2008)

sullyxlh said:


> My bottom line is power to weight ratio
> 
> With technology the way it is how long before we see 2 stroke weight & power in a 4 stroke? Will we ever?..
> 
> I want to upgrade but just can't convince myself at this point to give up the power of my 2 for the weight of a 4...


The new inline 4 cylinder 200hp Yamaha is lighter than my 200 optimax I believe. It also has fewer moving parts so there info states. I love my optimax its been a great motor with only typical maintenance not one trip to shop since new in 2001. We bought a pontoon for the wife in 08 with a 50hp Yamaha and that thing runs awesome you have to look out back of the boat to see if its pissing water at idle to know for sure its running. If I have to repower or get a new walleye boat it will have a Yamaha and I was on the never have a four stroke band wagon myself.


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## walleyebum (Jan 2, 2011)

I have the mercury 150 fourstroke on my Lund 1875 pro v. I absolutely love this motor.


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## rhood (Sep 4, 2013)

What is you thoughts on the E-TEC 150hp? 
Dealer has a 2014 with the E-TEC on a 18.5' fish and ski.
Pricing for this package is $4,000 less than the new package with 115 4-Stroke.


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## tubejig (Jan 21, 2002)

I have a boat on order and Iam going with an etec. They are giving a 7 year warranty right now.


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## SullysSteelies (Oct 18, 2009)

The E-TEC is a phenomenal piece of engineering. In a state like Michigan with a variety of fishing seasons it's an awesome thing to be able to winterize it for a month or two, run it for a couple days, and winterize it again. The auto-storage takes 4 minutes to do (max) and can be done as much as you'd like. It turns our ridiculous weather into a non-issue here in the midwest because you can get your boat out for a one day trip in the middle of January and not have to worry about re-winterizing it or ruining the fresh oil you just changed in the crankcase. 

Besides that...the performance of the E-TEC will destroy a four stroke, especially in that 150 hp. It's actually putting out 165 hp...the standard 150 E-TEC is the same exact engine and tuning as the 150 HO. It's a little fact that they don't throw out at you at most dealerships. The product has been solid for well over 5-6 years now without having to do any major changes. Putting a 7 year warranty on a product is ballsy for a company to do, unless they believe that their product will hold up. 

I love the calls I get after customers repower with a new E-TEC...it's priceless to hear their response!


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

I would go with the 150 four stroke Merc. After getting burned once by Evinrude/Johnson I would never buy another one.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

SullysSteelies said:


> Besides that...the performance of the E-TEC will destroy a four stroke, especially in that 150 hp.


Not true. On Clam Lake (Antrim County) I ran my Ranger 1860 VS with a Yammy F150 against an 1860 with an Etec. I have a T8 kicker on the back and he didn't. He smoked me out of the hole. I passed him at around 3/8 of a mile. At one mile I had a 16-20 boat length lead.Would have been even more if I wasn't carrying all that baggage in the back.


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## DoubleJay (Aug 9, 2009)

ebijack said:


> When questions like this are asked a lot has to do with how the boat will be loaded. Do YOU like HP and Torque. There is always mis-information given about the differences between 2 stroke vs 4 stroke. A carbureted engine will burn more fuel than an injection engine. Period. 2 or 4 stroke. 2 strokes produce power in 2 complete strokes, 4 strokes take 4 complete strokes hence 2 stroke/4 stroke.
> Would you prefer to add oil to a 2 or 3 gallon tank when required, and unless your a charter boat or fishing tourney's that won't be before each trip. Or do oil changes once or twice a year.
> As far as fumes, with the newer 2 stroke oils, there isn't much. Sure you don't smell the carbon monoxide from a 4 stroke, but it is still there. ( and no converter to help reduce CO2 like vehicles, think about it)
> There is a weight difference, and yes it makes a difference in most cases.
> If you really want to know actual information about the differences between both engines, PM me as I do have a long back round in engine development in both 2 and 4 strokes. Not just hear say.


Good post, Tom, thanks!

Jay


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## ebijack (Apr 20, 2009)

Thanks Jay.

For those really interested. Just note: As far as getting a boat on plane, taking the 2 vs 4 stroke out of the picture. Boat loading, engine set height and propping determines your hole shot and top end. No prop gives you both best top end and hole shot, you can only adjust at which end you prefer to have more performance by your prop choice. Adding in hyd. jack plates tweaks that more.


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## SullysSteelies (Oct 18, 2009)

ESOX said:


> Not true. On Clam Lake (Antrim County) I ran my Ranger 1860 VS with a Yammy F150 against an 1860 with an Etec. I have a T8 kicker on the back and he didn't. He smoked me out of the hole. I passed him at around 3/8 of a mile. At one mile I had a 16-20 boat length lead.Would have been even more if I wasn't carrying all that baggage in the back.


Interesting...In all honesty he must have had a non-ideal setup for propping and such to lose on the top end like that if it was the 150 hp E-TEC. Year of engine could come into play as I'm not sure when they started putting the 150 hp E-TEC out that runs 165 hp. The new 150 hp Etec motor puts out 165 hp if running the proper RPMs, etc. The Yamaha is heavier and only outputs 150 hp. It's never apples to apples unless you take the time to set up a legit comparison getting both boats to perform at their optimal potential.


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## Matt V (Dec 8, 2004)

If you look at the performance reports off of Evinrudes website, the 150 HO on a Ranger 1850 Reata tops out at 44.2 mph. According to the Yamaha performance report, the F150 on a Ranger 1860 tops out at 51.1 mph. The Etec is slightly faster on plane, 4.77 seconds vs 4.8 for the Yamaha. There was a pretty good thread on walleye central for a while where owners would post the speeds of their boats, most of the guys running F150's seemed to be faster than the 150 and 175 Etec'son 18' boats.


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## jeffryg (Dec 4, 2003)

rhood said:


> What is you thoughts on the E-TEC 150hp?
> Dealer has a 2014 with the E-TEC on a 18.5' fish and ski.
> Pricing for this package is $4,000 less than the new package with 115 4-Stroke.


Bought one new (150hp E-TEC) in 2012. Not a huge sample size (3 seasons) but it's been a great motor so far. As someone mentioned, the winterizing feature is really nice. Takes just a few minutes and can be done at the ramp.

PS: Previous boat had a Yamaha 225hp 4 stroke on it. Also an excellent motor; nothing beyond normal maintenance (maybe a part recall) in seven boating seasons. I don't miss changing the oil though (done twice a year)!


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## RIGHT ANGLE BACK (Aug 23, 2007)

Check this one out

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7I00cZUE0[/ame]


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## tubejig (Jan 21, 2002)

That video is pretty skewed. I have never had a yamaha and my next one will have an etec, but the yamaha was probably over propped to make video. Yea, the etec has much better lower end but not to that extreme. It would be very easy to screw on 21 or 23 pitch prop and throw it on the 4 stroke and load up a 17 on the etec. That would probably give those results. 

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## brigeton (Feb 12, 2004)

tubejig said:


> That video is pretty skewed. I have never had a yamaha and my next one will have an etec, but the yamaha was probably over propped to make video. Yea, the etec has much better lower end but not to that extreme. It would be very easy to screw on 21 or 23 pitch prop and throw it on the 4 stroke and load up a 17 on the etec. That would probably give those results.
> 
> Sent from my GT-P5210 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


I thought the same when watching the e-tec vs. mercury commercial. You can believe little of what you see or is said in commercials. Especially political commercials.


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## SullysSteelies (Oct 18, 2009)

You guys would actually be very surprised in the performance difference between the two stroke and four stroke. The E-TEC just magnifies the performance increase because there's no hesitation in the carburetor being that it's direct inject. 

The difference in torque between the 2 and 4 stroke comes from the 2 stroke making RPMs much quicker than a four stroke. That 150 hp E-TEC actually puts out 165 hp (yes, even though it's not an H.O. it still puts out 165 hp). So all things equal and the Yamaha being propped correctly, the E-TEC is still going to hit 150 hp at a lower RPM range (probably 4500 RPM) while the Yamaha has to wind up to 6000 RPM to make its 150 hp. Even if both motors get the chance to hit their full RPMs and achieve max HP, the E-TEC still has more balls in the end. 

I have the opportunity to run both engines working in the marine industry and there are simply applications where the two stroke is the best option, and with the E-TEC it's hard to find an application where it can't be seen as the best option. Believe me though, I still run into customers who are better suited for their HP needs and situation where a four stroke will make them happier.


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## rhood (Sep 4, 2013)

Thanks for all the feedback. I went with the E-TEC 150. Sully, the dealer told me that it is set up with XD-50 and that I may want to eventually change that to 100 for less oit consumption, but it would require reprogramming? Obviously that is something I would bring to your shop to do, if you recomend that change.


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## SullysSteelies (Oct 18, 2009)

Good choice on the 150 E-TEC, you'll love that engine plus their promo right now is unreal!

I'm really not sure why the dealer wouldn't have just taken the couple of minutes to prep the motor on XD100. If they hook it up to the laptop to prime the oil system it's only a couple more clicks to program it for XD100...

Definitely use XD 100 Oil in that engine. The E-TEC will use significantly less oil when running XD100, in fact, per 50 hours of run time the 150 will use 2.55 gal of XD50 and only 1.9 gal of XD100...over the long haul it will save you a lot to go with the full synthetic. It ends up about 12 hours more of run time on XD100 when using the 1.8 gal oil tank. There will probably be a half hour charge to plug it into the computer and get it switched over, but like I said, worth it in the long run.

Besides, XD100 is what they're formulated and engineered to run on.


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