spectr17
08-23-2002, 01:56 AM
2 new technologies in motorboats give buyers interesting choices
By Tim Renken Of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
08/22/2002
Buying a new boat or motor has always been exciting. It's even more exciting now with the recreational boat industry in a revolution.
The requirement that boat motors meet national efficiency and emissions standards by 2006 has produced dozens of new engines and lots of excitement. Early on, much of this excitement was of the unhappy type as consumers struggled with the first products of this revolution, Mercury's Omnimax and Outboard Marine's Ficht.
Both contained new fuel-injection technology. Both had major problems and numerous breakdowns. The problems with Ficht were severe enough that they helped kill OMC, one of the oldest and most respected firms in the industry.
Bombardier took over OMC's Johnson and Evinrude lines of outboards and is telling us now that it has worked the bugs out of Ficht. Mercury says it has fixed Omnimax.
If this is true - and only the experience of boaters out on the water will confirm that - new-motor buyers will have an interesting choice between two different technologies, two-stroke with direct fuel injection (DFI) and 4-stroke. It is likely that they will be happy with either one as the differences diminish with the polishing of the technology.
It used to be that 4-stroke outboards were heavier than 2-strokes. Now Suzuki has come out with a 140-horse 4-stroke that weighs less than a Mercury 135 Optimax. All manufacturers are finding ways to lighten their 4-strokes which at present weigh an average of 10 percent more than 2-strokes. Honda's new 4-stroke 225 weighs 600 pounds vs. 540 pounds for Mercury's 2-stroke DFI Optimax 225. But Mercury's three-gallon oil reservoir, filled with 2-stroke oil, weighs 33 pounds. So the difference is only 27 pounds, fairly insignificant even on a bass boat.
It used to be, too, that 4-stroke outboards lacked the fast power surge of 2-strokes. But now Suzuki claims that its 4-strokes match or exceed its 2-strokes in performance. It achieved this, the company said, by using a 2.5 gear ratio, which allows the engines to swing bigger propellers.
Another difference is fuel economy, with 4-strokes going as much as 30 percent farther per gallon. But the new 2-strokes have cut the difference and have at least the potential of cutting it more. The efficiency of 2-stroke outboards has always been equal or better than 4-strokes at top and trolling speeds.
The 2-stroke engine has an inherent advantage over the 4-stroke, firing on every revolution of the crankshaft rather than every other one as 4-strokes do. The 4-stroke is regarded as quieter, but that difference fades in big motors at high rpm's.
The biggest difference between the two remains durability and expected life. The 4-stroke has always been regarded as more dependable. They seem to run forever. That and fuel economy have spurred marine users to embrace 4-stroke outboards in overwhelming numbers.
It is possible, though, that engineering and greater care in manufacturing will eventually make the 2-stroke DFI outboard as durable as the 4-stroke. Only time, years and years, will tell.
By Tim Renken Of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
08/22/2002
Buying a new boat or motor has always been exciting. It's even more exciting now with the recreational boat industry in a revolution.
The requirement that boat motors meet national efficiency and emissions standards by 2006 has produced dozens of new engines and lots of excitement. Early on, much of this excitement was of the unhappy type as consumers struggled with the first products of this revolution, Mercury's Omnimax and Outboard Marine's Ficht.
Both contained new fuel-injection technology. Both had major problems and numerous breakdowns. The problems with Ficht were severe enough that they helped kill OMC, one of the oldest and most respected firms in the industry.
Bombardier took over OMC's Johnson and Evinrude lines of outboards and is telling us now that it has worked the bugs out of Ficht. Mercury says it has fixed Omnimax.
If this is true - and only the experience of boaters out on the water will confirm that - new-motor buyers will have an interesting choice between two different technologies, two-stroke with direct fuel injection (DFI) and 4-stroke. It is likely that they will be happy with either one as the differences diminish with the polishing of the technology.
It used to be that 4-stroke outboards were heavier than 2-strokes. Now Suzuki has come out with a 140-horse 4-stroke that weighs less than a Mercury 135 Optimax. All manufacturers are finding ways to lighten their 4-strokes which at present weigh an average of 10 percent more than 2-strokes. Honda's new 4-stroke 225 weighs 600 pounds vs. 540 pounds for Mercury's 2-stroke DFI Optimax 225. But Mercury's three-gallon oil reservoir, filled with 2-stroke oil, weighs 33 pounds. So the difference is only 27 pounds, fairly insignificant even on a bass boat.
It used to be, too, that 4-stroke outboards lacked the fast power surge of 2-strokes. But now Suzuki claims that its 4-strokes match or exceed its 2-strokes in performance. It achieved this, the company said, by using a 2.5 gear ratio, which allows the engines to swing bigger propellers.
Another difference is fuel economy, with 4-strokes going as much as 30 percent farther per gallon. But the new 2-strokes have cut the difference and have at least the potential of cutting it more. The efficiency of 2-stroke outboards has always been equal or better than 4-strokes at top and trolling speeds.
The 2-stroke engine has an inherent advantage over the 4-stroke, firing on every revolution of the crankshaft rather than every other one as 4-strokes do. The 4-stroke is regarded as quieter, but that difference fades in big motors at high rpm's.
The biggest difference between the two remains durability and expected life. The 4-stroke has always been regarded as more dependable. They seem to run forever. That and fuel economy have spurred marine users to embrace 4-stroke outboards in overwhelming numbers.
It is possible, though, that engineering and greater care in manufacturing will eventually make the 2-stroke DFI outboard as durable as the 4-stroke. Only time, years and years, will tell.