2 stroke vs 4 stroke?

dohboy

Active Member
It should be an obvious to go for 4 stroke, but some good deals here in alberta on new 2 stokes. I am looking at a 15hp for my 14 ft aluminum.
Any thoughts would be great, I know a bunch of lodges run the 2 strokes up here , and they are lighter by almost 30lbs in the 15hp
 
Well the price of gas ain't everything-if you are talking small motors and short distances-2 stroke gives you more power for the weight-if we are talking a small aluminium boat and toting the motor is in the cards I would certainly consider a 2 stroke-easier and cheaper to fix.
 
It should be an obvious to go for 4 stroke, but some good deals here in alberta on new 2 stokes. I am looking at a 15hp for my 14 ft aluminum.
Any thoughts would be great, I know a bunch of lodges run the 2 strokes up here , and they are lighter by almost 30lbs in the 15hp

if you go with a 2 stroke,be aware of the fumes,,you need good ventalation,,i prefer a 4 stroke
 
To paraphrase Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now: There's NOTHING like the smell of a two stroke in the morning....

Fumes? What fumes. How can you smell fumes when the throttle is twisted full-over until your knuckles are white and your hair's flapping in the breeze and you're skipping over the waves like a flat rock?

two strokes. gotta love 'em. I have a basement full of 'em.
 
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if you go with a 2 stroke,be aware of the fumes,,you need good ventalation,,i prefer a 4 stroke

Now that's funny right there, good one rook:D
 
So, the four stroke has no exhaust? What does it run on? So it produces clean air? I have some ocean front property in Utah for sale would you like a lot?
:) :) :)

if you go with a 2 stroke,be aware of the fumes,,you need good ventalation,,i prefer a 4 stroke
 
When you are putting along on a really calm day and the breeze is pushing the two-stroke kicker exhaust fumes into your boat,and your two stroke happens to be just burning a tiny bit too much oil.......

That's when it can be obnoxious.

I can stomach it...but the wife was ready to part with lunch.

I run fourstroke now........but for ages I ran a two stroke main and kicker.

Had the fume thing happen on quite a few days over the years.

I still wish though that they would make engines under 8 horse with TWO cylinders.

All the old small-horse two strokes with two cylinders were better than the fourstroke single cylinders they have now in that horsepower class.

Fourstrokes under 8 horse with a single cylinder are crap.
 
still thinking, i would hope the fumes on new 2stroke would be better than one from the 80's, and the idea of being able to work on them easier is nice as well, but the 4 strokes are good motors as well
 
Don't forget the weight difference. 2 strokes are lighter and also nobody has mentioned easier to transport-you have to be careful how you transport a 4 stroke. Not so cut and dried as most people think-depends on how, where and when you are using them and do you have to take it off and put it on for every trip.
 
They are both good dohboy, you just have to match your needs.
 
I run a 2 stroke 150 hp Yamaha main, with a 4 stroke 8 hp Yamaha kicker. Terrific combination with great power and low cost maintenance on the main, and low fuel cost and low cost maintenance on the kicker.
 
Every time I do this maneuver I thank the Lord for making 2-stroke outboards




Without a 2-stroke I could never do this:

 
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Every time I do this maneuver I thank the Lord for making 2-stroke outboards




Without a 2-stroke I could never do this:

Don't thank God, thank Joseph Day

Joseph Day (1855 in London – 1946) is a little-known[SUP][1][/SUP] English engineer who developed the extremely widely used crankcase-compression two-stroke petrol engine,[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] as used for small engines from lawnmowers to mopeds and small motorcycles.
He trained as an engineer at the Crystal Palace School of Engineering at Crystal Palace in London, began work at Stothert & Pitt in Bath, and in 1889 designed the crankcase-compression two-stroke engine as it is widely known today (in contrast to the two-stroke engine designed by Dugald Clark), the Valve-less Two-Stroke Engine. In 1878 he started his own business, an iron foundry making cranes, mortar mills and compressors amongst other things.
He advertised a new design of “valveless air compressor” which he made on licence from the patentee, Edmund Edwards. By 1889, he was working on an engine design which would not infringe the patents that Otto had on the four-stroke,[SUP][3][/SUP] and that he eventually called the Valveless Two-Stroke Engine. In fact there were two flap valves in Joseph Day’s original design, one in the inlet port, where you would probably find a reed valve on a modern two stroke, and one in the crown of the piston, because he did not come up with the idea of the transfer ports until a couple of years later. He made about 250 of these first two-port motors, fitting them to small generating sets, which won a prize at the International Electrical Exhibition in 1892
 
I have a four stroke Honda 20 on my 14 foot tinny. It's not like a two stroke for oomph, for sure. However It's quiet, no smoke and amazing on fuel. I really like it.

It's permanently affixed to my boat, I'm thankful for that, it's heavy. If I was toting it around by hand, I'd likely go two stroke just for the weight issue.

As for the power difference for a 14 foot tinny, 4 stroke vs. 2 stroke, I find the 2's are better coming out of the hole but once you're up plane? The power issue is gone IMO.
 
It should be an obvious to go for 4 stroke, but some good deals here in alberta on new 2 stokes. I am looking at a 15hp for my 14 ft aluminum.
Any thoughts would be great, I know a bunch of lodges run the 2 strokes up here , and they are lighter by almost 30lbs in the 15hp

IMO if you are using your 15hp for getting from spot to spot, then using an electric motor to troll I would get a 2 stroke. If you dont run an electric, and plan to only have 1 motor, get a 4 stroke.

kunni
 
i guess the issue is... i will be taking motor on and off just about every day i decide to try my luck as i will be at different lakes every time i go out/or no where to moore the thing for extended periods

i like the lighter weight of a 2 stroke but the quietness and less fumes of a 4 stroke, hmmm what to do
 
Further to kunni's comment, my 4 stroke Honda idles right down to nothing too, I'm real pleased with that, it's nice when lake fishing. I have a 9.9, 2 stroke evinrude that can't idle down like the Honda 20 can do.

But as you say, there's the weight issue.

Tough one. LOL.
 
If your 2-stroke won't idle down like your 4-stroke, it's a tuning issue, not a fundamental difference in the two technologies.

Hey finaddict: now I know I should be genuflecting in front of Joseph Day, not the Bearded Dude.

Thanks for setting me straight. My mission in life is to learn one new thing each day. Today I learned about Joseph Day. Thanks for that!
 
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If your 2-stroke won't idle down like your 4-stroke, it's a tuning issue, not a fundamental difference in the two technologies.

Hey finaddict: now I know I should be genuflecting in front of Joseph Day, not the Bearded Dude.

My mission in life is to learn one new thing each day. Today I learned about Joseph Day. Thanks for that!
 
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