lakeliving
Well-Known Member
Well.... just kidding, I was just referring to the engine!! But I use to date a girl that really liked fast cars though....
Evinrude Etec
- Thread starter skipperbill
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BulldogsCadillac
Just some guy
Crap! I knew it was too good to be true, oh well, guess I'll have to earn it the old fashioned way! Haha
I completely agree with this as we have same boat and motor. Ours is the fastest and best looking boat on the lake. I have lots of fun blowing away runabouts with my pontoon. The look on there face is priceless.
Angela & Michael
Well-Known Member
I believe they're all good. My preference is my American made (Wisconsin...my home state) E Tec. It's whatever floats (power) your boat! 
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I hear mid powered mercurys are cheaper and made in china...I have a Honda and its been great but I think they are on the lower end of the power compared to similar size other brands..I've never heard a bad thing about Yamaha and just got one on the new pontoon...I have 2 evinrudes as well..I think they are at the top of the power comparisons...people who don't buy etecs because they arnt 4 stroke are misinformed and these engines are not like the old 2 strokes...they don't buy them for the wrong reasons
Nautical
Well-Known Member
After reading about and drinking some of Evinrude's "Kool-Aid" I would love to get an ETEC but it seems that if I want a new Bennington I'm going to end up with a Yamaha whether I like it or not. I could go to another dealer and buy one with an ETEC but it seems that at least two of the dealerships I called reacted to the name ETEC like a vampire scorned by a cross or holy water. There is an Evinrude dealer in the area but there's NO way I'm going to put up with being bounced between the Bennington dealer and the Evinrude dealer when I need warranty work. It would be way too easy for one to blame the other or to refuse to touch the other part of the boat.
Lake Norman does not appear to be too Evinrude friendly except for the Ranger Bass boats. It's too bad because if even 1/4 of what I read is true, it's a phenomenal engine.
I did find it odd that on the "build your pontoon" feature on this site there was no option for anything from Evinrude yet on Evinrude's site they mention working with Bennington. Lots of politics it seems (and I HATE politics).
Lake Norman does not appear to be too Evinrude friendly except for the Ranger Bass boats. It's too bad because if even 1/4 of what I read is true, it's a phenomenal engine.
I did find it odd that on the "build your pontoon" feature on this site there was no option for anything from Evinrude yet on Evinrude's site they mention working with Bennington. Lots of politics it seems (and I HATE politics).
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Ben & Suzy
Well-Known Member
We have a wide array of friends that we boat with and there's numerous engines of each brand represented. Most seem completely satisfied with their choice of engine brand / model. A few wish that they had bought more horsepower though (suprise, suprise)!
I have my personal preferences depending on the application, but the truth is.........they're all great engines. I would have no reservations about buying an Etec 250 HO.
I have my personal preferences depending on the application, but the truth is.........they're all great engines. I would have no reservations about buying an Etec 250 HO.
kaydano
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In my opinion, picking a motor brand is pretty much splitting hairs. Which I'm all for, and am often accused of. But what I'm saying is if there isn't an obvious and lopsided overabundance of opinion for or against one brand with respect to reliability and performance, then they are all close enough that you are splitting hairs and its time to shift your thinking to other "softer" things like who you want to have work on it, not getting bounced between dealers when there's a problem like Nautical says, price, etc. The answers to those kinds of questions are very "local" in nature and you can't get those answers on a forum unless you find a local forum member. You might consider forgetting about brand completely for a while and focus on what you want for "after the sale" service.
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TomS
Well-Known Member
The Etec HO is certainly a great motor on pontoons, just as the big Merc, Yamaha, and Honda's are. You'll find many Manitou's with these on them, owners very happy with performance, reliability, service, etc.
That being said, long ago I brow beat my local Harris dealer to try a Honda when they were just coming out, because I just had to have the latest and greatest. He was also the only boat dealer on the lake and we didn't trailer. Since he wasn't their dealer, I ended up buying the Honda somewhere else and bringing it to him in a crate. He rigged it, swearing the whole way. Ultimately I like the engine a lot, but the first 2-3 years of even routine service was a nightmare with him, constant tension every time I questioned anything. He eventually picked up the line and became one of the biggest dealers in the area, selling them exclusively and even dropping Evinrude. After that lesson I would never buy the boat and engine separately unless I was prepared to trailer a lot and/or do the service myself. Unfortunately anything beyond basic services often requires a factory computer and tools to get them done correctly and maintain warranty. YMMV.
That being said, long ago I brow beat my local Harris dealer to try a Honda when they were just coming out, because I just had to have the latest and greatest. He was also the only boat dealer on the lake and we didn't trailer. Since he wasn't their dealer, I ended up buying the Honda somewhere else and bringing it to him in a crate. He rigged it, swearing the whole way. Ultimately I like the engine a lot, but the first 2-3 years of even routine service was a nightmare with him, constant tension every time I questioned anything. He eventually picked up the line and became one of the biggest dealers in the area, selling them exclusively and even dropping Evinrude. After that lesson I would never buy the boat and engine separately unless I was prepared to trailer a lot and/or do the service myself. Unfortunately anything beyond basic services often requires a factory computer and tools to get them done correctly and maintain warranty. YMMV.
Bamaman
Well-Known Member
My dealer sells Yamaha, Mercury and Suzuki outboards, which are all just fine on pontoons. He obtains the boats and engines at the same time through Bennington as a way to save money. He could get the boats rigged for specific brands, but simply cannot order the engines as cheaply as the OEM's sell the engines to Bennington.
Though my dealer is thoroughly sold on Yamaha motors, he's started ordering more Benningtons with Mercury motors. I think it was manufacturing politics pushing him to support them as a company more. I don't see any Suzuki's on his Benningtons, even though they'd also be a fine barge pusher with their larger propellers.
I talked to a local Mercury dealer about dropping Merc.'s on boats not factory rigged. He shys away from this practice, as he prefers to just drop the engines on the boat. He had never fully rigged a Verado motor on a repower, even.
As far as Manitou and BRP: A very large dealer told me when ordered Manitou tritoons at Fall Order Writing in the past, Manitou gave them the more expensive H.O. 150 hp ETEC motor for the price of the regular 150 hp and a $700 option package for free. They were also selling the middle toon in floor storage for about 50% of regular price.
I'm sure the ETEC is good. But they just don't have the parts and service that a bunch of Yamaha/Mercury dealers can provide.
Though my dealer is thoroughly sold on Yamaha motors, he's started ordering more Benningtons with Mercury motors. I think it was manufacturing politics pushing him to support them as a company more. I don't see any Suzuki's on his Benningtons, even though they'd also be a fine barge pusher with their larger propellers.
I talked to a local Mercury dealer about dropping Merc.'s on boats not factory rigged. He shys away from this practice, as he prefers to just drop the engines on the boat. He had never fully rigged a Verado motor on a repower, even.
As far as Manitou and BRP: A very large dealer told me when ordered Manitou tritoons at Fall Order Writing in the past, Manitou gave them the more expensive H.O. 150 hp ETEC motor for the price of the regular 150 hp and a $700 option package for free. They were also selling the middle toon in floor storage for about 50% of regular price.
I'm sure the ETEC is good. But they just don't have the parts and service that a bunch of Yamaha/Mercury dealers can provide.
lakeliving
Well-Known Member
Before we bought our first boat we checked out all the brands and we heard nothing but great things about yamaha. That and dealers servicing in the area made it a no brainer for us. I know the YouTube etec vids make them look awesome.