OptiMax vs 4-Stroke @ 90HP

[TheChad]

Hey all,<br /><br />I am in the market for my first boat, I going to be getting a 90HP engine, but i am drawn between the OptiMax and the 4-Stroke.<br /><br />Comming from California where some Drinking water lakes have outlawed the use of ANY 2-stroke engine, making only 4-stroke engines legal to run on those lakes, I have been worried about buying any engine of 2-stroke technology at all.<br /><br />However i now live in Illinois, and i haven't seen/heard anything about lakes in the central united states completely outlawing 2-stroke technology engines.<br /><br />I can however see the lakes outlawing 'Dirty 2-strokes', which is why i have decided to purchase either the OptiMax or the 4-Stroke.<br /><br />Many people on this message board have expressed that 4-Strokes lag on take off, and are slower at top end, as well as being heavier and requireing more maintaince..<br /><br />Now from the research i have done, the 4-stroke is only 11 LBS heavier then the OptiMax, so I don't see a big weight difference there. Mercury and other engine manufacturers claim the 4-Strokes have LESS maintaince.<br /><br />So i thought i would ask some of you both who own OptiMax's, 4-Strokes, or maybe Both!<br /><br />So please share your experiences and help me make that oh so hard choice to make..<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />-TheChad

 

[butlp]

Re: OptiMax vs 4-Stroke @ 90HP

TheChad,<br />I own both, a 2002 Mercury 50 hp 4 stroke Bigfoot on my pontoon and a 2005 115 hp Optimax on my new 17 foot ski boat.<br /><br />They are both great motors, bearing in mind I only have about 5 hours on the Optimax, but they have both run flawlessly.<br /><br />The 4 stroke is perfect for a pontoon or fishing boat where "Hole Shot" and top end are not important. They are quite, idle all day without missing a beat and are economical on gas. This being said, I am pleasantly surprised how quite the Optimax is and it too will idle smoothly and seems to be good on gas. As I'm still in the first 10 hours of operation the computer is still giving the motor extra oil, however it was only visible for the first hour and now there is no smoke at start up or low speed. You can smell the 2 stroke if trawling with a trailing wind but its a hundred times better than my last 90 Yamaha.<br /><br />In conclusion, I don't think you will go wrong with either motor and if your boat will take it get the 115 Optimax as it's the same size/weight as the 90 hp.<br />Many here are hot on the 90 E-Tec and on paper it looks great, but in my area there was no good dealer support and the 115 hp is not due until later this year. I have yet to see one in real life so it is hard to compare if it as good or better than the Mercury.

 

[TheChad]

Re: OptiMax vs 4-Stroke @ 90HP

That's another question i have been wondering...<br /><br />The 90HP and the 115 HP are the same size and weight, What's different?<br /><br />It would seam the 90HP could be upgraded to a 115HP by doing whatever is different on the 115HP to the 90HP.<br /><br />What 'looks better on paper' about the E-tech vs the OptiMax?<br /><br /><br />P.S. Do you, or anyone reading this post know what type of valves the 2005 Mercury 4-Stroke's have? If they are using Shim or Hydrolic valve's then that gets rid of one of the biggest concerns with 4-strokes that people have... Constant valve adjustments.<br /><br />-TheChad