wmk0002 said:
I think if I bought new I would go with a 4 stroke. I'm a hug fan of 2 strokes as they are easy to work on, however, I'm not sure these modern 2-strokes are that much simpler than the 4-strokes thanks to current epa regulations.
I haven't messed with a Tohatsu much, but the ETEC is way more complicated than any carbureted 4 stroke. Of course now most of the 4 strokes are EFI, yamaha still stuck in the 90's with their carburetor (up to 25hp anyway, the 30 and up are EFI).
And I'll say it once more. I used to be that die-hard 2 stroke guy. Nothing sweeter than firing up an outboard in the morning and drowning in your own smoke until the motor was warmed up. In 2008, or thereabouts, I ran across a steal of a rig, 1542 Grumman, trailer, seats, battery, trolling motor but it had a 2000 model Yamaha 25 4 stroke on it. Wasn't sure about the motor, but I'd worked on a few of them so I had some familiarity with them. I also at that time had a 25hp 2 stroke (twin carb) Yamaha left over from a previous boat setup, figured I'd just store the motor until I needed money or whatever. Anyway, I got the 4 stroke up and running, headed to the lake on the coldest day of the year, about 8 degrees outside and thin ice on the surface of the water. Ran it anyway. Actually I was TICKLED with it's extremely stable idle. I was impressed with it's torque and responsiveness. And best of all, how quiet it idles and how much fuel it doesn't use. A week or so later, I went back to the same lake but with a little better weather, with the 2 stroke mounted on the same boat just for giggles. After I could see through the smoke and get over having to pull the choke for a minute or so to keep it running, I ran it across the lake. To my surprise, it ran exactly the same speed, 28.6 mph. Exactly the same as the 4 stroke, with the same prop. I ran it back and forth about an hour and used up an easy 4 gallons. The 4 stroke motor, I haven't been able to use up a 3 gal tank on a single trip and I've run it pretty hard on one particular river.
I ended up selling the 2 stroke 25, just didn't need it anymore after using the 4 stroke motor for about 6 months or so. And thus far, I've grown to love it; and basically forgot about the 2 stroke motor other than the hotrods (3 cylinder 25 Yamaha and the Suzuki DT25).
Now as someone who's had to work on them, I've worked on way more 2 stroke stuff than 4 stroke motors. Part of that is because 4 strokes didn't start getting popular until the late 90's, so before that there were millions of 2 stroke motors out there. By the numbers, naturally, I'm going to see more 2 strokes in teh shop. But, of those, I see way more carburetor repairs, engine rebuilds, linkage adjustments, replacing of worn parts on the 2 stroke stuff. Rarely do I see a 4 stroke outboard in the shop, but keep in mind we're dealing with under 100 hp stuff. I don't do much with the bigger motors (150+)
The 4 stroke stuff is here to stay. There's going to be a few manufacturers who will continue to build the 2 cycle motors to please the die hards. I think sooner or later, even those will fall to the way side as the 4 stroke stuff gets better and better. It's becoming apparent already by comparing the ETEC 25 to the other 25's; there is really no huge advantage to the ETEC in weight, price, or simplicity. Just like the diesel pickup trucks. Used to be that they were the way to go. Then right around 2004-ish, things changed. Now, a few years later, they are "ruined" by DEF and soot filters....costs so much to maintain one that the average Joe can't afford it. $200 for an oil change in some cases, fuel costs more, repairs a LOT more once the warranty is up, and all this stuff adds up to one thing: Once the warranty is up, the resale value drops to basically nothing because sooner or later people will learn that they are wastes of money in almost every aspect.
I don't know, I'm anxious to see what Yamaha's got up their sleeve for the new smaller motors, 25hp and under. A redesign is coming I keep hearing.