"Calif Bill" wrote in message
nk.net...
"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...
"bill allemann" wrote in message
. com...
Lately, marketing for 2 strokers mentions higher maintenance for 4
strokers.
Any truth to that?
Any opinions on 4 versus 2?
Thanks, Bill
Now, remember that this is strictly my opinion based on the fact that
I've always owned 2 stroke outboards but have been in several 4 stroke
powered boats.
The horsepower to weight ratio is better with a 2 stroke in most
instances, and 2 stroke outboards "rev up" quicker than 4 strokes,
getting you up on plane quicker. The 4 stroke powered boats I've been in
seemed to take forever to get on plane.
While 4 stroke technology is being touted as being more environmentally
friendly, advances in fuel delivery and emission control systems for two
stroke outboards have improved dramatically and new 2 strokes are as
good, if not better than some 4 strokes for emissions.
The same can be said for fuel economy. 4 strokes do give good "milage"
but are no longer superior to new 2 strokes.
4 stroke outboards have more moving parts and require more maintenance
than 2 stroke outboards.
4 stroke outboards are quiet when operating, but I personally found the
noise that they do make to sound mechanical and annoying!
BUT, in defense of 4 stroke motors, if you do a LOT of trolling, 4 stroke
motors will run better at low rpm's without loading up than most 2 stroke
motors and they probably won't smoke as much. Oh wait, if you get a
Mercury Optimax with the Smart Gauges, you can control the rpm's too! Oh
well, so much for that.....
So, is there any significant differences, yes and no. Would I buy a 4
stroke? Maybe the Verado, but that's different, it has a supercharger,
which is high on the "Cool Factor".... Otherwise, I see no real reason
to buy a 4 stroke motor.
But remember, these are just my impressions. Your milage may vary.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com
Why would you say a 2 stroke has less parts and should be more reliable?
***Take a basic two stroke engine and a basic 4 stroke engine totally apart.
Now, see how many parts you have! No where did I bring up the word
reliability!
The new DFI 2 strokes with air pumps, etc, are very complicated beasts.
And the extra parts for a 2 stroke are all new technology.
***Agreed, but they are less complicated than a comparably sized 4 stroke
outboard. I've looked under the "hood" of both and have talked to marine
mechanics who work on them. All that I've talked to would rather work on
the 2 stroke motors.
4 strokes have a
history of about a 100 years of manufacture.
***Oars and paddles have been around even longer, does that make them
better?
I run an inboard and have a 4
stroke Yamaha T-8 as a kicker, the kicker is quieter than the 2 stroke
Mariner it replaced and smells much better.
***You're comparing apples and oranges. What year was the Mariner outboard
in comparison to the Yamaha? How about a real comparison between current
technology 2 and 4 stroke kickers? You might be surprised.
***I'm not saying that 4 stroke motors are junk, what I am saying is that
they're not all they're cracked up to be. If running a 4 stroke motor makes
you happy and it does what it needs to do for you, then GREAT! But while
the 4 stroke proponents had been predicting the demise of the 2 stroke
outboard for many reasons, it just hasn't happened. Many of TODAY'S 2
stroke outboards run cleaner, with less emissions than 4 stroke outboards,
just as economically and faster in the process.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com