E-Tec as Tiller?

[Empty Well]

I am interested in E-Tecs, but want one as a tiller. I just had a dealer who sells both 4-strokes and E-Tecs advise a 4-Stroke for tilling. He said that e-tecs to not troll for hours well at low RPM's nor do they trol as slow as a 4-stroke. Does anyone have any insight on this.

[bassNspear]

i would agree as well. The 4 strokes are going to get down and troll slower, there not as loud as the etec, and your going to have better hours out of the motor being its a 4 stroke, plus if you ever want to back troll, you dont smell all the fuel like you would a two stroke.

[PerchJerker]

A lot depends on the size of the motor.

"Big" Optis (and I assume big Etecs) will idle and troll slower than a comparable 4-stroke. "Small" Optis and 4-strokes will essentially be the same. So ...... what is "big"?

Generally speaking I prefer DFI 2-strokes over 4-strokes, but I think it's more important to match your motor to your boat. For me, what seems to make the most sense is that if I was buying a tiller boat I would probably go 4-stroke up to about 60 HP and maybe all the way up to 90 HP --- but once I got to 90 or 115 HP I'd probably go Opti.

[Empty Well]

I am looking at a 60HP on a 16' Lund. I am particularily interested in the Yamaha as far as 4-stroke goes due to the RMP switch allowing adjustment down to 450-500 RPM. This is a tough decision.

[PerchJerker]

I think the 60 yam with the rmp switch would be perfect for that boat. Given the boat you're looking at, I assume there's no kicker, and you'll be using the 60 a lot for trolling and for backtrolling. A 4-stroke is probably the best choice IMO. You might get a little more speed and power out of a DFI 2-stroke like Opti or E-Tec, but that's spliting hairs and given the boat and HP you're looking at the 4-stroke is probably a better overall choice. Especially with the RMP.

BTW, how are you looking at a Lund with E-Tecs and Yamahas? Are you paying a premium to not put a Merc on a Lund? If so, I'd recommend you rethink what you're doing????

[ZEEK1223]

my neighbor has a 16ft lund alaskan with a 6ohp yahmaha four stroke. The rpm control is a very nice feature for trolling

[marine_man]

I agree with Perchjerker - if you can swing the Yamaha on a Lund I would be hard pressed not to go with a 60 hp yamaha with the VTS - it will give you the most flexibility or the best shot at flexibility when it comes to trolling speed.

LMITOUT has a 90 hp tiller with VTS on it and had some input in another thread:

60 4 Stroke Merc or Yamaha?

marine_man

[Empty Well]

The lund dealer deals in Mercs, Evinrude, Honda & Yamahas. They can put any engine I want on the Lund.

[polarsusd81]

No they can't. Lund is a Brunswick owned company, as well as Mercury, and they have exclusive contracts to hang Mercs off the back of every new Lund. If you want anything other than a Merc, you pretty much have to buy the Merc, and sell it yourself, and pay for the rigging and prep to hang a different motor on the transom. It is a point of much debate, and it will only get worse in the next couple months as more and more are looking for new boats. If Brunswick were to find out about a dealer selling Lunds with something other than a Merc, the dealer might not be getting any more Lunds.

They might have the other makes, but the contract they have just wont allow them to do it without a premium. They can hang those motors on most of the other boats in their lot, but not the Lunds.

[marine_man]

primetime49 posted in another thread:

 Originally Posted By: primetime49

We simply take the Mercury in trade as a person has only that choice and rerig ignition ,gauge harneses,shift box etc,

Its getting quite common for some people to still get the kind of power they want on a boat,and on the tiller models its very low hour switch out.It is not a major obstacle on steering boats either.

The franchised dealers for lund and crestliner cant legally do this as it sorta blows the contract agreement they sign to be a Brunswick dealer,but we are not a Brunswick dealer.

So it sounds like it's still possible if you find the right dealer.

marine_man

[Empty Well]

Well, I'm hoping I luck out and get to choose my engine.

[EricD]

 Originally Posted By: polarsusd81

No they can't. Lund is a Brunswick owned company, as well as Mercury, and they have exclusive contracts to hang Mercs off the back of every new Lund. If you want anything other than a Merc, you pretty much have to buy the Merc, and sell it yourself, and pay for the rigging and prep to hang a different motor on the transom. It is a point of much debate, and it will only get worse in the next couple months as more and more are looking for new boats. If Brunswick were to find out about a dealer selling Lunds with something other than a Merc, the dealer might not be getting any more Lunds.

They might have the other makes, but the contract they have just wont allow them to do it without a premium. They can hang those motors on most of the other boats in their lot, but not the Lunds.

The lund dealer I've talked to says they send them out the door with Hondas too, I believe.

[menomax]

I know that some of you guys read BWB (Bass and Walleye Boats Mag.) In there you will alot of insight on motors and boats your looking for.

[Note from admin: Please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you.]

If your looking for a new rig, I highly recommend checking out the reviews. Anyway, I don't think you can go wrong with almost any outboard, I love yamaha, don't really care too much for Merc, but then you will will find 10 guys that go the other way. Good luck.

[menomax]

Polarsus81--

It really depends on your dealer. Many dealers buy their boats pre rigged with what ever brand of outboard. With Lund they come pre-rigged with Merc. Most dealer that are big enough will purchase the boat and then re-rig it with any motor you want. Dan's Southside, Hallbergs, Frankies, to name a few.

[polarsusd81]

I understand that some do it, but the point is that you will be paying a premium when you go away from what is in the contracts. Switching a tiller is a hole lot easier than switching a remote boat. I am all for the Yammy tiller with the VTS, great for fishing.

[marine_man]

 Originally Posted By: polarsusd81

the point is that you will be paying a premium when you go away from what is in the contracts

Absolutely correct here, and a good point to make. If you decide you want a Yamaha it will cost you more than the Merc (regardless of the cost of the motor) since the dealer will have to re-rig your boat to match the brand of motor you're hanging on the back. A tiller is quite a bit cheaper - since the harnesses are shorter and easier to get at. A console boat will cost more due to the added length of harness, time to remove & replace it, control box, throttle & shift cable, etc.

marine_man

[Empty Well]

I inked the deal. I did not pay any more for the Yamaha than I would have for a Merc. Sounds like Merc will be adding a forward shift and RPM control in 09'. Maybe they will be more strict once they improve their motor. Thanks for all the advice.

[rodmaker]

A salesperson I have been in contact @ Frankies said that the e-techs troll down very nice up to a 115 hp. (a little less that 2mph with a 115). The bigger tiller 150 does not get down that slow.