2 or 4 Cycle Boat Motors

[Crestliner36]

I'm looking at buying new boat and having questions about these to motors, what are your opinions on each? Thanks
[signature]

[DKStroutfitter]

It's rumored that 2 stroke motors will be banned some day. If you are going new, I would go 4 stroke.
[signature]

[PACKFAN]

Some places already are in various states.
[signature]

[icejunkie]

4 stroke they are the cream of the crop so to say ,quite , no oil mixing , less mess , cleaner .
[signature]

[Quicky]

The new 2 strokes are claimed to produce the same or less pollutants as 4 strokes. The 2 strokes are lighter than their equal hp counterpart as well. The newer 2 strokes also don't require mixing since they are direct injection. There is an auxiliary oil tank that needs to be installed if you go with the 2 stroke. There is more low end torque on the 4 strokes, but better power to weight ratios with 2 strokes. I also understand that starting a 2 stroke on a cold fall or early spring morning is easier with the 2 strokes as well, but have not verified that. Plus you have the benefit of the wonderful smell of a 2 stroke on a cold morning... Nothing better in my opinion.
[signature]

[Tjet]

Depends on if you are looking for a portable or not,two strokes are lighter and if you are ok mixing oil with your gas, I was always a two stroke fan, the new ones hardly use any oil in the mix, However the four strokes are quieter and idle lower for trolling, so there are advantages to both, just depends on what matters most to you, I now run a Yamaha 150 and 8 hp four strokes on my boat but I never take the troller off so the extra weight doesn't matter to me and I really like not having to yell over the noise,
[signature]

[berryhunter]

I have had both in my history of boats. If price is not an issue, I say 4 stroke all the way. I do miss that sweet smell of 2 stroke exhaust that gets you blood pumping, but that is all I miss. 4 strokes are heavy, so if its a portable motor that you will be lifting alot, be prepared.
[signature]

[gambler209]

from an engine stand point a 2 stroke has less moving parts as opposed to a 4 stroke yes there is oil consum. but you still have to change the oil and filter on a 4 st im having a hard time with 4 strokes a far as longevity ,, all that mass spinning at 5 grand it cant last my vote would be for a 2 stroke
[signature]

[SkunkedAgain]

My vote would be four stroke, it's so much nicer to be around. Way cheaper to put fuel in after the purchase, the plugs don't foul, I think they are way more durable, but they aren't as fast hp to hp. My 2 strokes are older and I have to mix oil and that is such a pain. That reason alone is enough to sell me, but the efficiency of my four stroke has to be over ten times that of the two stroke. I get 3 trips off 2.5 gallons of fuel on the four, where I'll burn 7-8 gallons a day on my 2 stroke to do the same fishing day. Hope this helps. J
[signature]

[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I'm in the process of buying a new ThunderJet with a 150 drive motor and a 9.9 kicker. After discussing the differences of 2 vs 4 stroke, I'm going with the 4-stroke Mercury for both motors.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]My last boat (Tracker Targa DeepV16) had a Mercury 75 Optimax 2-stroke that ran like a dream for 11 seasons. In 2005, there was a distinct advantage of the 2-stroke over the 4-stroke. Now, the weight and price difference has all but disappeared, so 4-stroke it is for this new purchase.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]The larger motors usually don't come off and go on very much, so weight isn't a major consideration. For the smaller motors (say 25 hp or under), the motors weight might be a consideration. As to efficiency and motor noise, I don't believe there is any divantage of major concern either way.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]But if you plan to travel to fish, 2-strokes are being banned in more and more areas, so you should keep that in mind.[/#800000][/font]
[signature]

[MasterDaad]

The only advantages of 2-stroke is power-weight and price per hp.

If either of those are your primary concern, go 2-stoke.

Frankly, I'd go four if I were buying a new motor and I do have weight concerns on my boat. I'd gladly sacrifice a few MPH for four stroke quiet convenience.
[signature]

[fish_hntr]

I personally would go with the Evinrude E-tec(2-stroke direct-injection) for the main motor and a Mercury 4 stroke for the kicker/trolling motor. Oh, and make sure you only run ethanol-free gas in the boat from new, you can find your nearest pump here [url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT"]http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/url]
[signature]

[Wyo307]

I went from a two stroke to a four stroke last season and man what a difference! I have the new merc 150 and a 9.9 pro kicker and both of them are super quiet and just sip gas. The 150 has really surprised me on how powerful it really is. My boat explodes out of the hole and has a great top end. You can also have a nice conversation with the person in the passenger seat while cruising at 30mph for an hour down Lake Powell to good hope bay. For me after owning both there is no way that I would go back to a two stroke. I should also mention that the maintenance on these has been significantly improved recently. An oil change on these is easier and cleaner than doing one on my pickup.


[signature]

[SBennett]

Time will tell if 4's will hold up as well as 2's in the long run.
There are still 2's from the 60's being ran daily all over the world.
A boat motor does not have the luxury of using a transmission such as an automobile or motorcycle uses to keep the rpm's down.
Modern 2's use less fuel than 4's but 4's are generally quieter.
My '16 175 Pro XS is louder than my '13 Mercury 150 Four Stroke but is much more fun to drive, but that being said, I like the Opti 'growl'.
Pick your poison, it's going to cost you either way and you only live once!
[signature]

[Outfishing13]

My vote would be for a 4 stroke. I have a 2005 Yamaha F40. Pull start and tiller handle. Starts with one pull most of the time, in cold or hot weather. I have had it on the water in 25 to 90+ degree weather. Very reliable and quite. With a troll plate on it, I don't need a little trolling motor. And it is a gas sipper. If I just troll most of the day, I might use a gallon or two of gas.
[signature]

[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][#000000][quote fish_hntr]Oh, and make sure you only run ethanol-free gas in the boat from new, you can find your nearest pump here [/#000000][url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/quote]I"][url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/quote]I"][font "Comic Sans MS"][/font][/url][font "Comic Sans MS"][url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT"]http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/url] [/quote][/font][/#800000][/font]
I[/url] can't speak for any other motor brand other than Mercury. My last motor was a Mercury 75 Optimax (2-stroke) that I ran on ethanol for 11 fishing seasons and put over 900 hours on it. Murcury told me in 2005 when I bought it that it was safe to burn ethanol in all their motors at that time. The same is true today.
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I will agre that it is best to use ethanol free gas in small engines such as quads, snowmobiles, weed whackers, lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc. But my new boat will be run on 87 octane ethanol from day one. Mercury outboards have been using ethanol proof components in their products for years. I would be very surprised if the same isn't true of the other Mfg of outboards. But that is just me.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I'm waiting to hear back from ThunderJet about the components they put in their boats to get the fuel from the gas tank to the motor but would assume they are ethanol friendly/approved as well. If I hear differently about that, I will report back here.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]If your boat motor is more than a dozen or more years old, then ethanol free gas is a good idea. If your buying a new Mercury motor, the added cost of ethanol free gas would be an unneeded expense that could be better used to buy more do dads for the boat and new fishing gear. [][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"]
[/font][/#800000][/font]
[signature]

[fish_hntr]

[quote dubob][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][#000000][quote fish_hntr]Oh, and make sure you only run ethanol-free gas in the boat from new, you can find your nearest pump here [/#000000][url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/quote]I"][url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/quote]I"][font "Comic Sans MS"][/font][/url][font "Comic Sans MS"][url "http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT"]http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=UT[/url] [/quote][/font][/#800000][/font]
I can't speak for any other motor brand other than Mercury. My last motor was a Mercury 75 Optimax (2-stroke) that I ran on ethanol for 11 fishing seasons and put over 900 hours on it. Murcury told me in 2005 when I bought it that it was safe to burn ethanol in all their motors at that time. The same is true today.
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I will agre that it is best to use ethanol free gas in small engines such as quads, snowmobiles, weed whackers, lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc. But my new boat will be run on 87 octane ethanol from day one. Mercury outboards have been using ethanol proof components in their products for years. I would be very surprised if the same isn't true of the other Mfg of outboards. But that is just me.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I'm waiting to hear back from ThunderJet about the components they put in their boats to get the fuel from the gas tank to the motor but would assume they are ethanol friendly/approved as well. If I hear differently about that, I will report back here.[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]
[/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]If your boat motor is more than a dozen or more years old, then ethanol free gas is a good idea. If your buying a new Mercury motor, the added cost of ethanol free gas would be an unneeded expense that could be better used to buy more do dads for the boat and new fishing gear. [][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"]
[/font][/#800000][/font][/quote]

You would be an exception to the rule and have been lucky, as the majority of issues with even the newer boat motors is due to ethanol.

If the few extra bucks it takes to run ethanol-free gas is a deciding factor then I would likely find a cheaper hobby, our boat has an 80 gallon tank and will run nothing but ethanol-free in it. I never even winterize it or drain the carb and starts up just fine first trip of the year and every trip thereafter. I'm just glad that they have added 2 more gas stations locally that carry it.
[signature]

[wiperhunter2]

I agree with you about that. When I bought my 2003 used 90 HP johnson a few year back, I did not use ethanol-free gas. I started having problems with it spitting and spuddering, so I started running ethanol-free gas and the problem went away without doing anything else to the motor. I won't use any other gas, the little extra money it cost to use ethanol-free gas, it's money well spent, IMO. I also run Sea-foam in every tank of gas and I know that helps too but I've done that since I bought my first boat.
As far as what Engine to buy, I'd go with a 4 stroke, if I had the money, that being said my boat has a oil injected 2 stroke and it is a good running machine.
[signature]

[fsh4fun05]

I think it really depends on what you want. I have had a two stroke motor for the last ummm 16 years and it's never stopped me from fishing anywhere. I put a brand new 225 Pro XS on the boat and it has a three star California emission rating. It sips fuel and oil and is much quieter than my old carbed motor.
She loves to go fast too [].
I looked at the four strokes and the extra weight is what I didn't like about them. Everything else was awesome. My style of fishing a two stroke is what worked best for me.
[signature]