LundExplorer, question for you...

[Kylersk]

I was searching the forum for Ficht info and noticed a while back your dad owned a 2000 115 Evinrude ficht. I was wondering what he thought of that motor? I'm looking at purchasing a boat with the same motor and looking for opinions. I've read alot of bad info regarding the Ficht's, but it appears to be only on the V6's? Anyways, if you wouldnt mind sharing any info, I'd greatly appreaciate it.

[LundExplorer]

Kylersk-

He still has that motor. The only thing thing ever went wrong was a bad circuit board. Unfortunately it was me and 7 others in the boat when it died. He got it replaced and has run great ever since.

There were some problems with Fichts a few years before that time. Something to do with carbon buildup and bad powerheads. As I recall they were happening more with the v6's, you are correct. (Maybe if Stick still reads this forum he could share his experience w/ his 150???)

My dad's motor since the circuit board replacement has been great. He did consider repowering with a suzuki or Yamaha, but could not find a dealer who would give a fair trade on his evinrude. I'd seriously consider resale value of the ficht before you buy.

[shamrock7]

As a ex-Evinrude Dealer, I can give you a little advice. The OMC built Ficht had some major issues. The Bombardier built Fichts have no issues other than the bad image given to them by OMC. As stated earlier, there is an issue with dealers wanting to stay clear of them by not offering decent trade values. If you are looking at a new one, you will be fine, if you are looking at anything before 2000, do your research. And its not just limited to the 150's. All Fichts had the same problems, though the 150's seemed to have a higher percentage of failures.

[stick]

I have a 150 Ficht, and experienced the powerhead failure. My ficht is a '97 which is the first year they had it out. This model wasn't part of the major recall, so I thought I was staring at a $5-7K repair bill, however Bombardier covered it. I have always been a big fan of the Ficht for a number of reasons. Quiet (very quiet on a 2-stroke scale), good fuel economy, little to virtually no smoke, etc. I am now a huge fan of Bombardier since they volunteered to take care of me. I really like the E-Tecs, but that's another story. So, my $0.02 is that I'd check into the year of the motor and whether it was part of the recall and had the new powerhead put on. If so, I'd personally feel comfortable with it.

I'm real eager to turn the key on it right now, but I'll have to wait a month. I'm sure we're all eager.

[shamrock7]

To bad all companies do not handle all problems like that. When I was a dealer we always tried to get help with unusual problems, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Glad to hear that you had a good experience.

[guideman]

I owened a 2000 90hp that never made it through a season without a major malfunction. I traded it in on a Yamaha after only 4 years. The company fixed it every time however that wasn't the issue for me. The down time without having my boat on the water was the issue. I had problems with all of the major systems on the motor and after the

3rd season I had had enough. The dealer couldn't even sell the motor, it had to be sold to a junk dealer after only 4 years. I'll never own another Evenrude regardless of how well they stand behind their products. Good intentions won't keep you on the water when you want to go fishing.

"Ace"