Are small 4-strokes any good?

[Bob_VT]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

thats a load of crap theres no way in this world that a 4 stroke can be lighter then a old style 2 stroke NO WAY!! and if you don't believe me go to there sites then go to the old OMC site and compare weight you must work for the one of them jap company's heres a graph i made that compares weight.all the weights were taken from the official websites.not to mention all the more power a 2 stroke has

While you post your fancy chart and continue to bash everything you do not agree with .........

Post the weights of the Johnson 4 strokes too. examples 9.9 hp = 105 lbs and a 25 hp =168 lbs. Your chart is far too bias.

You can not compare outboards based strictly on weight when you obviously compare 4 strokes to 2 strokes.


Stating that a 2 stroke has more power is wrong. Physics! How can brand x 25 hp be more powerful than brand y 25 hp? Many years ago Mercury sold outboards based on prop shaft hp and other outboards were based on flywheel hp.

HP is measured in many ways.


Back to the topic! You can add DYNOMAT to the cover of the outboard and quiet it a bit or go 4 stroke. I would image that a wood raft could be adopted to create a cover to cut back on sound deciblels cheaper than any new outboard.

 

[pwiseman]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

While you post your fancy chart and continue to bash everything you do not agree with .........

Post the weights of the Johnson 4 strokes too. examples 9.9 hp = 105 lbs and a 25 hp =168 lbs. Your chart is far too bias.

You can not compare outboards based strictly on weight when you obviously compare 4 strokes to 2 strokes.


Stating that a 2 stroke has more power is wrong. Physics! How can brand x 25 hp be more powerful than brand y 25 hp? Many years ago Mercury sold outboards based on prop shaft hp and other outboards were based on flywheel hp.

HP is measured in many ways.


Back to the topic! You can add DYNOMAT to the cover of the outboard and quiet it a bit or go 4 stroke. I would image that a wood raft could be adopted to create a cover to cut back on sound deciblels cheaper than any new outboard.

Not sure how many boat makers are doing this, but my 2006 Lund says this on the back. Rated for max of 40 HP and designed for a motor weight of 265 lbs or less. Not a problem to find a 40 HP motor under 265 lbs in 2 or 4 stroke. When you drop down to your basic bench model fishing boats, it is not so easy to run max rated power in 4 stroke and stay balanced.

Say you are looking at a 14 foot boat that weighs 300 lbs and is rated for max HP of 25. I can tell you for a fact that 160 lbs of motor is too much for the boat, but 100 is pretty doable. I would say it makes sense to look at the 100 lbs (or so) and see what motor options are out there. 20 HP Honda would be a decent choice, 25 Merc Classic might also be a good choice. Realistically 15 HP is enough for the boat, so you have some choices in 2 and 4 stroke models that would work well. 25 HP 4 stoke in my opinion would be a mistake because you jump to far in weight for the extra 5 HP that you don't really need. At the end of the day, you have to decide what is important in your choice. Do you want to go fast, do you want cheap as possible, do you want quite, do you want something you can get fixed in 1 or 2 days etc. I don't think reliability is a decision factor as you can get that in 2 or 4 stroke engines.

Personally, I think a 14' aluminum boat with 15" transom is a great vessel, but not what I want for everyday use. When I get that thing out, I would be looking to go in shallow water where there may be hazzards lurking. Last thing I want to do is mash up a brand new motor. I am going with something cheap, but reliable. My choice would be 15 OMC as I can find parts fast and fix it myself. If I really mash it up, I can get another one for cheap and go through it and have a reliable motor without breaking the bank. If I was not worried about hazzards and it was my primary boat, I would probably look at the 4 strokes as good choice.

Clearly not a case where 4 stroke is better than 2 stoke for all situations and vice versa. Not sure why some people are so extreme in opinions because circumstances create a lot of gray area in making the right motor choice. This is particulary true in the small HP range.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

Since 1988 hp is measured at the prop at WOT to determine an engines rated hp. So, they are all equal in theory at WOT or at least within the % of slop that the law allows. If you factor different props you will see a difference in useable thrust at WOT. Also, 2-stroke engines are more powerful than 4-strokes at lower RPM's as they develop their hp differently, hence, the general rule that 4-strokes are crappy on hole shot compared to a 2-stroke of equal hp.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

How much holeshot do you figure a wooden raft needs?

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

Depends on how close you are to going over the waterfall when you try to the engine

 

[Evinrude Boater]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

WOW! I never thought I would generate such a discussion with my question. I can tell you my brother-in-law bought a 1999 Evinrude 9.9 4-stroke. He likes the quietness and the electric start and says it has more power than his 9.9 Mercury 2-stroke. He doesn't like the over 100lb weight when carrying it out to his raft. I couldn't believe it weighs almost half of my 75hp. Sounds like the 4-stroke fit the bill for his application.
I think it depends what your application is when choosing a motor. For some reason the 2-stroke lawn mower never really took off. Lawn-Boy tried but they too sell 4-strokes.

 

[pwiseman]

Re: Are small 4-strokes any good?

WOW! I never thought I would generate such a discussion with my question. I can tell you my brother-in-law bought a 1999 Evinrude 9.9 4-stroke. He likes the quietness and the electric start and says it has more power than his 9.9 Mercury 2-stroke. He doesn't like the over 100lb weight when carrying it out to his raft. I couldn't believe it weighs almost half of my 75hp. Sounds like the 4-stroke fit the bill for his application.
I think it depends what your application is when choosing a motor. For some reason the 2-stroke lawn mower never really took off. Lawn-Boy tried but they too sell 4-strokes.

Yep, it depends is often the answer. Had a college prof that named "it depends" Bob's Law.