Mercury 115 Optimax or Etec

[Big Bobber]

I am looking at the E-tec 115, Merc Optimax 115 or Merc 4 Stroke 115. Putting the motor on a 17'8" boat with 1-6 passengers. Do some trolling, no tubing or skies. Any comments as to your experience is appreciated.

Thanks

[delmuts]

I can only state on the etec. I run that motor on a 2006 1750 Ranger reata. With 4 people, it will pick it self up and move with no problem. I think it ran about 30 on GPS, but not certain.

[delcecchi]

I am looking at the E-tec 115, Merc Optimax 115 or Merc 4 Stroke 115. Putting the motor on a 17'8" boat with 1-6 passengers. Do some trolling, no tubing or skies. Any comments as to your experience is appreciated.

Thanks

Why those motors and not Yamaha or Suzuki or Honda?

What is boat rated at?

[Big Bobber]

No reputable dealers for those motors anywhere close. Rated for 125.

[delcecchi]

In that case I would go with the merc 115 4stroke. My personal preference is 4strokes.

Order soon. Couple years ago, I considered buying one in late spring, like memorial day. Guy said maybe he could get one in august.

[Northlander]

In that size motor I would get the E-tec over the Opti. Quiter and the 115 E-tecs have been good. Much better than their 225 and ups.

[acroman]

I am with del for the only reason I prefer 4 strokes over 2 strokes (even with the super low emission 2 stokes I still can't stand the exhaust fumes) but in todays boat motor world I don't think you can go wrong with any motor from any manufacture.

[mwal]

I owned a 1999 Princecraft 178 with a 2007 115 E-tec and 1999 15hp 4 stroke until 2012. It was 17 ft 8 inch side console 29 gal fuel tank front and rear live well. It would get about 37 mph on gps with one live well full and 2 people full gas tank. It was a very deep v heavy boat. The 115 would troll down to 2.1 mph. I used the kicker in conjunction with 24 volt minnkota bow mount to troll. In 2012 I switched to a Stratos 186xt with a 2012 115 Etec as I was very pleased with the previous E-tec performance and fuel economy. I found my self bass fishing mostly and rarely trolled or traveled to Canada or to large lakes anymore so I switched boats. This 115 E-tec has been keeping me happy as well. I think Most motors are decent and also base my decision on my Dealer and service.

Mwal

[Drail1313]

Have the 115 4-stroke on my tracker 175 combo. Great motor, but it does not troll slow enough for me. 2.1mph on GPS. Like to go slower some times. Do not want to add a troll plate on or use a sock. There is a gauge you can add to drop the rpms down but cost a little too much for me right now. My2Cents

[delcecchi]

Have the 115 4-stroke on my tracker 175 combo. Great motor, but it does not troll slow enough for me. 2.1mph on GPS. Like to go slower some times. Do not want to add a troll plate on or use a sock. There is a gauge you can add to drop the rpms down but cost a little too much for me right now. My2Cents

How much slower do you want to go?

You could put the bow mount in the water, that would make some difference. Or use a 5 gallon bucket instead of a sock. Two really cheap solutions.

[BoxMN]

You could put the bow mount in the water,

We do that, and turn the motor sideways, with our 150efi 2 stroke and it works pretty decent if needed.

[Drail1313]

Like to run down to 1.6 to 1.8mph I know that is not much slower then the 2.1 mph now.

That is what my old boat could get down to and the smaller cranks that I use work better at the slower speed. (I have trolled at the slower speed for like 15 years with the same lures and lakes and have found it WORKS). I have a bow mount, but I have a walk thru boat now and for me it is more comfortable to sit in the captains seat. Easier to troll from, drink beer, watch graph, talk to others, etc.

thinking of mounting a plastic plate of some kind onto the bow-mount motor to slow it down that way. Make it so I can take it on and off easy.

[Borch]

I have the 115 option my 1890 warrior. Gets down to 2.0-2.1 mph and when I need to go slower I drop down my vantage on the transom and then adjust to whatever speed I need. The opti is louder than the 4 strokes but others who brought up the fume issue haven't been around them much. I see very little difference and I use both the opti and yammy 4 strokes during the season. At idle speeds the 4 strokes are quitter.

Both are excellent motors. Just different technologies.

[jjz]

Drail,

Do you have a S.S. prop? When I got my S.S. 13 in to replace my 17 in AL trolling speed dropped .5 mph and top speed/rpm did not change.

[acroman]

Yes I have been around the newer 2 strokes and yes they still produce annoying fumes. Yes they produce much less than the older two strokes but they still are "2 strokes" which means they burn oil with the fuel. The only why to eliminate this is to burn no oil with the fuel. Oh that is a 4 stroke.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

I was in the market for a new motor for my Alumacraft several years ago and looked around at what was available. Outboard motor brands are like trucks, some like Fords, some like Chevy's, Dodge's, Toyota's etc. I have owned Mercury motors because I like and trust my dealer. However, I did check out Evinrude and decided to stay with Mercury. The next issue I had was 2 stroke Opti or the 4-stroke. Talked with my dealer and he was middle of the road-either would be good. I believe the Opti was a little cheaper but not much.

I bought the Mercury 115 Optimax (NEW) and I am very satisfied with it. It trolls a little faster than I like but there are ways around that issue. It's easier on gas and oil than my previous motors and I really don't notice an issue with fumes. We don't pull skiers or tubes anymore but the 115 would do it. I have 2 adult sons who grew up using my boat and truck (by themselves) and I don't even want to know what they did with the boat and motor when I wasn't around but the motor held up despite them. LOL!!!

Newer boat motors are like newer cars and trucks. Computer, fuel injected and a lot of other stuff I know nothing about.

I think it is good to look into different brands of engines but I think it is equally important to look into the service the dealer is able to provide.

Weigh all the options, make your decision and then pull the trigger.

Mike

[Big Bobber]

Do you find the Opti to be noisy?

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

Not nearly as noisy as previous motors. I have a buddy who has a 115 4 stroke (Mercury) and I can't tell which one is quieter at idle. They both make some noise under power. What I like about the fuel injected motors is NO CHOKE. Haven't flooded one in years!!!

The Opti weighs less than the 4 stroke but I really don't notice a difference in power although I think the Opti is quicker out of the hole. Big deal, I am just going to another fishing spot.

Mike

[Groms]

You're nuts

Truly, will all do respect I love the Opti. Until last fall, I had been running an Opti since 2008 - great out of the hole and great on gas mileage. I've spent a great deal of time next to all motors (my opti happened to be a tiller).

Prior to 2008, I ran a four stroke mercury. I've gone back to a four stroke now again, this time a Yamaha. Opti isn't quieter, or smoother, or a more pleasant experience from a sound perspective. Find another reason to buy an opti - noise isn't it....however, its a great engine and a blast to drive.

[Big Bobber]

Is the ability to dial down the RPM's hype or a valuable tool?

[Groms]

should add: I did do a lot of slow trolling with my Opti (lead core trolling at 2 mph on Mille Lacs and Lake of the woods). Last spring and summer I ran into a significant amount of issues with the engine running at idle speeds without killing. I ran all the mercury gas treatments/maintenance so that wasn't the issue; I took care of the motor as long as I owned it.

**Even Mercury** recommended that I was pulling too many low rpm hours on my opti (around 600 hrs, a little more half of which was idle speed/trolling speed). If you are going to put hours on your gas engine, my recommendation is one of the following: a four stroke engine or a two stroke big engine (for high rpm) with a four stroke kicker. If you don't need low rpm hours, the opti is a great option.

Again, opti is a great engine. I have two small kids, do a lot of trolling, enjoy a slow boat ride at idle speeds with my wife, and love to get to my spot as fast as can be if fishing tourneys. I also work my a** off. Therefore, I have Limited time to be on the water so reliability is absolutely #1 with me above all else (I need to be on the water when I say so, not when my outboard says so). For me, Yamaha is my choice - its a huge investment so I have done my homework.

The opti is a screamer and efficient on gas. I do like the engine, just not the right choice for me. Hope this helps.

[Groms]

I loved the feature of getting down to low rpms. My opti was a 150...great feature to idle down and it works well....for a while .... Again, when I got to high hours (around 600 hrs total) with trolling I ran into reliability issues due to the amount of time I leveraged that feature.

PM me if you want I love the opti, truly. The good stuff is there - its a great motor. Don't buy it for trolling and don't buy it for noise reasons.

[Big Bobber]

I spend 2 weeks at the lake each June. I put approx 200 miles on the boat in those 2 weeks and due a fair amount of trolling. If I make the purchase I will be hanging an 80lb Terrova on the front.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

I don't have the ability adjust the rpm's other than the throttle position. I can't remember what Mercury calls that but I figured it wasn't worth the extra money at the time. I have considered purchasing a 9.9 pro kicker but I haven't "pulled the trigger" on that item yet. Last time I checked it would be about $3200 dealer installed with electric tilt and trim etc. I did buy a new Minnkota I Pilot 24 volt last year and really like it for some trolling situations when there isn't a lot of wind.

[Drail1313]

Big Bobber,

I can not answer that, but wish I had that control to find out. Also wish I had the money to try different props. that might be the something I try this summer if I can scrap up some cash.