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Mercury outboard


Nova

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On my new tiller boat do I go with a 4 stroke or an optimax for the main motor and why?

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It depends what size you are looking at, but I would go with a four stroke. You can troll down pretty decent even with a bigger one. I don't know if I've ever seen an Opti on a tiller boat?

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I am looking at a 1890 Warrior with a 115 hp Merc and they offer both opti and 4 stroke from what I understand. I am leaning toward the 4 stroke because of cleaner air when back trolling, but they say the fuel economy in the opti is as good as the 4 stroke and you don't loose top end. Thanks for the input Willy.

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Yah, if it's speed your looking for I would go with the opti. I'm sure they both use about the same fuel. The four strokes are quiter and run cleaner and will be better for backtrolling. My uncle runs a yammy 115 tiller that is a four stroke and he can troll down with it pretty good if he has to. I'm sure with a nice rig like that you would put a vantage on back though so it wouldn't matter as much.

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I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD SAY THAT THEY GET THE SAME FUEL ECONOMY BUT I THINK THE OPTI'S DO FAIRLY WELL. THE FIGURE THAT I HAVE HEARD IS THAT THEY ARE 40% MORE EFFICENT THAN A 2 STROKE. I HAVE A 200 OPTI AND IT DOES GOOD. THE FOUR STROKES ARE A LITTLE QUIETER BUT IF YOU ARE COMPARING 2 NEW MOTORS I THINK THE OPTI WON'T BE MUCH LOUDER. I WOULD GO WITH THE OPTI JUST FOR THE FACT THAT YOU WILL HAVE LESS WEIGHT HANGING BACK THERE.

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Four stroke all the way. My uncle had a Merc on his 177, but then switched to a Honda. I love running the Honda. Quiet and no fumes. My guess is backtrolling on Mille Lacs is going to take the big motor most of the time, so I would much rather have the 4 stroke.

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Ditto, Four stroke all day long! I just got a Yamaha 150 HP 4 stroke that runs soooo sweetly! Clean, Quiet, great gas mileage, great reputation!

I've owned a Mercury 125 HP 2 stroke and all I can say is the four strokes and Yamaha's kick their butt in my humble opinion. The Optimax is a nice upgrade, but it's still a Mercury as far as I'm concerned.

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I also have a yammy 4 stroke and can say that I love it. On Mille Lacs I've backtrolled with it quite a bit. On the rainy this spring I had it running all day long because my battery was dead and it was so quiet and didn't bother anything. Another thing you might look at is the E-Tech from Evinrude. They say it runs like a four stroke but is as good out of the hole and top end as a two stroke. smile.gif

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I would go with the Opti Max. The 2 stroke is going to have a better hole shot. I have a 1890 Warrior with a regular 90 two stroke and I have also driven in similar bosts with a 4 stroke and the 4 strokes don't perform as well on the big glass boats. Especially when getting up on plane.

Also, regarding trolling with the 2 stroke vs. the 4 stroke. Obviously the 4 stroke is going to be quieter. But the opti max is not nearly as loud or smokey as a traditional 2 stroke. Also another misconception is that the 4 strokes troll down better. They are quiter and smoother but they are actually running at a higher RPM than the 2 stroke which means you are trolling faster. A lot of guys call 4 strokes speed trollers.

I would go with the Opti Max for the boat you are going to run. I gave noticed Warrior is putting a lot of Yamaha 4 strokes on their boats so the 4 stokes obviously are a legitimate motor for the Warrior boat. I would also consider the ETEC from Evinrude. Either this fall or next spring etec will have a 115 available. It was premiered at the Mpls Sports Show earlier this month.

I would test drive a boat with both of these motors and see what one you prefer.

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Mille Lacs Guy, thanks for the insight on the motors. How do you like your warrior. Any good or bad you want to share.

Thanks for all the input guys and keep the opinions coming.

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Go with the four stroke. You won't be disappointed. They are quieter, more fuel efficient, and last longer in my opinion.

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I would go the other direction, on a larger boat you would probably use a kicker anyways. Go four there.

I would go 2-stroke; get'r done in half the time grin.gif!

Take care- RR4

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I like the Warrior. Good smooth dry ride. There were some fit and finish issues with screws coming loose etc but those were minor trouble. The new one's are much nicer on the inside but the rod storage isn't as good as some other boats on the market.

As far as the motors go again I will say look hard at a 2 stroke with direct injection. It has all the benefits of a 4 stroke but none of the negatives such as oil changes, hole shot, trolling speed, etc. I probably will be repowering my Warrior with a 90 Evinrude Etech Direct inject 2 stroke. Will be replacing a 90 Horse Merc 2 stroke.

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I owned a Ranger 620 with a 225 opti. I now run a 620 with a Susuki 225 4 stk. I will never buy a big 2 stroke again. I liked the Opti but was always waiting for problems to happen with it. The 4 stroke does much better on gas (like 18%) I know this from long milk runs on lake of the Woods. I lost about 4 mph but Susuki and Ranger are working on a better prop. The price of Optimax oil is realy high (20-25 gal.) And you burn alot. It is also alot more quiet than my opti. In my opinion the 4 strokes out today are much more reliable than the Direct or hi pressure injection 2 strokes.

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All great info guys. The motor will be a tiller so I will be using the main motor(no kicker) when I can't use the electric. I run a 90 4 stroke now and it's quiet and clean air, but sometimes I would like more out of the hole(3-4 guys in the boat) and more speed in tournaments, but I don't want to sacrifice cost to run(fuel and oil) and the quiet. Sounds like the opti still uses quite a bit of oil and isn't as efficient as I thought on gas. After read these posts I am leaning towards 4 stroke again....but still not sure. Thanks again for the input, and keep it coming.

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There is a big difference in the 135 and above Opti Max and the 115 and 90 Opti Max. It's the same principal but the smaller Opti's are much quieter than the larger ones. Also, less vibration etc. If you are looking for a 115 I suggest maybe waiting until fall or next spring and get the 115 Etech. Also, if you are going to get a four stroke get the Suzuki, it's got a torque converter that affords you more hole shot and it also trolls down very nice. I think Merc used to be hooked in with Yamaha's for 4 strokes and the power heads were identical but I don't know if that's the case anymore. Yamaha does make a nice 115 4 stroke that you can get the chip for that allows it to idle down way lower than normal. I think these are only a little over $100 for the chip.

I should also say that a 90 horse motor would preform quite well on this boat. That's what I have. You would hit 38 gps with a good load on board with the 90 Etech. Etech is going to run about $7200-7500. You would also have better trolling performance with the ETECH.

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I would look into that E-tech if you can swing it. They are smaller too and would be easy to handle.(not that the 4 stroke wouldn't) Also, if going with the four stroke, I would second the Yamaha. They are nice machines and I think they are a step above a mercury.

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Quote:

Also, if going with the four stroke, I would second the Yamaha. They are nice machines and I think they are a step above a mercury.


The Yamaha and Mercury 4 strokes are exactly the same Motor other then the Graphics.

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I have a Merc 4 stroke now and my buddy has the yamaha. They are not the same motor. The same powerhead, but very different in other aspects. I will never own a yamaha or suzuki. I am going with Merc or maybe Evinrude Etech. Thanks for the insight gents. grin.gif

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