Opinions wanted on a new 2019 115 Etec

The dealer network on the west coast has been not very good at all, never has. Not enough talent in the industry. If your on the mainland theres me and theres Doug over at Lordship. Doug is a stellar mechanic. I would recommend him to anyone. We both have parts with a large used parts mecca. If your on the island your pretty skinny. Paul retired at PY years ago and sold it, then it closed its doors recently after the overseas owner deciced to for whatever reason. up the island you got a few dealers but not sure what talent they have there. Probly better off going Suzuki or yamaha on the island. However there could be some talent there. For all of you running Etecs and need anything were here and not going anywhere, so is Lordship.
Are you a smoker?

On average how many alcohol drinks do you consume in a week?

(a joke about life insurance, to see how long you will live)
 
“I can’t even recall how many stories I have heard people say “My Evinrude has been in the shop for 6 months they can’t figure out what is wrong with it.”

what? I’ve never heard anything like that...for anything..ever

who goes 6 months without their motor? or any part or their boat/car/rv/airplane/toaster...

this thread has drifted..
 
Are you a smoker?

On average how many alcohol drinks do you consume in a week?

(a joke about life insurance, to see how long you will live)


I can say one thing is for sure here. I'm talking about evinrude outboards and the dealer network. Your talking about people dying. The dealer network on the island for evinrude is tiny. That's a fact. No need for name calling whoever you are.


Py was a platinum dealer for many years. And paul was very talented mechanic. Guys started at Woodward's for **** sakes. Lordship was also a platinum dealer which they gave up 2 years ago because BRP kept shoving inventory down their necks. Cascade shut down their line because they couldn't find mechanics that were reliable for long periods of time. It's a struggle to find guys with talent who are marine mechanics. That is a very true statement. Been in this **** a long time. I hope this thread poster can sift through the ******** and get some tips on how to move forward.
 
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What I am getting at is the guy asks for an unbiased opinion and he gets a tonne of feedback from a dealer.

Don’t get me wrong Wescanmarine you seem really honest and a great mechanic! You are only one man and I think for longer term reliability and resale he is probably best to look elsewhere.
 
If its built by a human it will break thats a given. Its amazing that any of this stuff works at all. Its all cool stuff IMO. We work on everything in our shop. As a mechanic I can say from my perspective that Evinrudes have always been a pleasure to work on. They did a lot of things right. I can tell you guys this, if an ETEC rolls in to the shop with a issue and its fixable it can be diagnosed within an hour or less.

We have had Yamahas where its almost impossible to diagnose. Merc 4 strokes since they started building them with the lost foam casting methods after they stopped buying yamaha powerheads are all in all not bad IMO, well there are some issues there too, thats a long conversation and don't even get me started on the Optimax. Hondas absolutely no dealer network here, Suzuki I think are getting better and better with a rising dealer network, early years in the 4 stroke world were not nice. Tohatsu, its a real shame they don't make bigger power. Been asking them please make bigger power since we became a dealer. Great company to deal with.

To those who are worried about running Etecs, we will still be here to help with service and repairs, Same with Lordship. Can't say for Bill howich up island or Parker
 
I bought my etec's used from the dealer. They also sell Yamaha. I have been doing business with these guys since 1985; they were the only outfit in my area who see interested in working on my boat. You gotta have a good dealer to do business with.
 
I have a 2015 115hp etec on my 18' aluminum which I bought new . it's a great motor , lots of power for my boat, very economical, trolls very well. I would highly recommend it, had a 90 hp 4stroke zuke on the boat when I bought it, it too was a good engine but the etec is definitely better and is even more economical, if he goes with an etec I would advise to have it set up for the xd100 oil, it is more expensive but the engine only burns about 1/2 the oil with this set up, you virtually burn no oil when trolling. disappointed to see brp stop making them but am not worried about being able to get it serviced on the lower mainland. good luck with whatever he chooses.
 
I am personally not a fan of 2 strokes period. Etecs have come a long ways since the old smokey 2 stroke days but a 2 stroke is still a 2 stroke.

Anyhow, while I'd rather buy all the other 4 stroke manufactuers before buying an etec, if a new etec was discounted enough I'd buy one. There is a price for everything. If someone was to tell me they wouldn't buy it even at 50% discount I think that's a foolish mentality but everyone has a right to their own opinions. Just because they are going out of business doesn't mean you are going to be left out in the cold. But parts, labor, and time for parts to be found will get tougher as time passes.

The company blaming it on covid is a bunch of bs. Don't think their sales and market share were strong enough to justify the continual investment into the business.
 
I am personally not a fan of 2 strokes period. Etecs have come a long ways since the old smokey 2 stroke days but a 2 stroke is still a 2 stroke.
I was of the same opinion til I looked closely at the etc G2. There is stuff about it I can't figure out such as why it has the lowest emissions of ANY O/B, or how they get the lube oil in all the required places w/o a pressurized lube system like a 4 stroke. The older I get the more trusting I am of people who must know more about this stuff than I do - I am 69. Not having a valve train is a huge advantage as is having 2x the power strokes.
The company blaming it on covid is a bunch of bs
That's for sure.
 
Parker Marine sells both Evinrude and Yamaha. I’ve asked the guys in there what motor they would pick, they say Yamaha every time. Anyone notice that nobody ever talks about how great their Yamaha is? It’s because they are, they don’t need to be defended by fan-boys like Mercury and Evinrude. How many listings for used boats come up and mention a new long block replacement for the Merc outboard. If I had a dime for every one of those I’ve seen.
 
Yamahas in the 150 and up especially the 225 and up get long black replacements all the time. Also the exhaust adapter housings. The castings are thin and get eaten through. The water doesn't drain out properly from the cylinder blocks when tilted up either. Yamaha have their issues just like everything else. Nothing is perfect. Choose your battles. Choose your dealer network.
 
Yamahas in the 150 and up especially the 225 and up get long black replacements all the time. Also the exhaust adapter housings. The castings are thin and get eaten through. The water doesn't drain out properly from the cylinder blocks when tilted up either. Yamaha have their issues just like everything else. Nothing is perfect. Choose your battles. Choose your dealer network.

so what’s your favourite? let me re phrase/ what do you see the least : additional what is the easiest to work on?
 
Im a firm believer in its all equality ******. Same with trucks. I like the chevs myself because they ride nicer. but Ive had them all as well. My shop is indeed full of Evinrudes, not because they are crap, its because I enjoy working with them. They are designed to take apart, interchangeable parts, part numbers easy to read and access, can pull apart gearcases in 3 min flat. Several mechanical reasons why I prefer to work on those machines. However that being said we work on everything in my shop. The rack has all colors of the rainbow. If I really like to work with yamaha machines my shop would be jammed full of those. We just pick and choose our battles. Its all cool stuff, more importantly when choosing an engine make sure you have an honest shop nearby who can provide service and advise. Keep you on the water and not waiting around. Something is always going to break or need service.
 
Im a firm believer in its all equality ******. Same with trucks. I like the chevs myself because they ride nicer. but Ive had them all as well. My shop is indeed full of Evinrudes, not because they are crap, its because I enjoy working with them. They are designed to take apart, interchangeable parts, part numbers easy to read and access, can pull apart gearcases in 3 min flat. Several mechanical reasons why I prefer to work on those machines. However that being said we work on everything in my shop. The rack has all colors of the rainbow. If I really like to work with yamaha machines my shop would be jammed full of those. We just pick and choose our battles. Its all cool stuff, more importantly when choosing an engine make sure you have an honest shop nearby who can provide service and advise. Keep you on the water and not waiting around. Something is always going to break or need service.

lol. chevs are GMs and the most unreliable vehicles in the industry. ive owned two, they both failed with complete loss to both vehicles. never again. now if you had said toyota or newer mazdas that would be different. if your shop is full of evinrudes they would be the ones which fail the most. you cant "pick and chose" to work with one brand -- its whatever fails and the boat owner has to lug them over to your shop to get fixed (unless you actively refuse service to one brand, which it seems you dont). i suspect your definition of all brands are equally ****** based on the failures you have seen in all brands is not representative of how often one brand breaks. my last merc was in the shop for one day (not my fault) during the last 5 years i owned it. my yammy has also been in the shop for one day in the last 2 years ive owned it (my fault). my tohatsu has never been in a shop since ive owned it for a year now.
i suspect if i owned an evinrude it would have been in your shop more than once by now.
 
My mechanic recommended Evinrude as they don’t come into his shop as much as other brands. That’s why he figured they’re likely better. Because he sees more catastrophic failures with other brands. You really seem to have a hate on for Evinrude Zurk. Maybe it’s just you
 
My mechanic recommended Evinrude as they don’t come into his shop as much as other brands. That’s why he figured they’re likely better. Because he sees more catastrophic failures with other brands. You really seem to have a hate on for Evinrude Zurk. Maybe it’s just you
I talked to 3 mechanics that recommended the etecs over others before buying my etec in 2015, 2 of them didn't work for evinrude dealers. that was a few years ago though and it was a tough decision for me at the time, I could of gotten a great deal on a merc but they had just revamped the engine that year.
 
First off my shop is not loaded with customer engines with failures. Been doing this for a very long time. Not going to get into a pissing match I'm only here shedding some light. I have torn apart and rebuilt so many engines I cant even begin to tell you. From all makes and models. If you ask me an honest question and if i know the answer i will give you an honest answer.

I dont have to do what i do. I do it because I love fishing. We do 90 percent sport and commercial fishing boats. We have over 100 engines in my shop pretty much all the time. Guess what? They belong to the shop. They are not customer owned. If I wanted to fill this shop up with mercs then I would. That's that. Now let's get back to helping this guy and get out and stop turning this thread into a swinging pole contest.
 
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