Different strokes for boats

Mark Twain once said, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

That same statement could be attributed to the two-cycle outboard motor; they’re far from dead. If anything, they’re improved constantly and will be a mainstay of boating for years to come.

Almost every day I speak with people who ask questions such as: “Aren’t you glad they did away with those old two-stroke outboards?”

They’re always shocked when I reply two-stroke outboards haven’t gone anywhere and are, in fact, better than ever.

The next question is always, “What do you mean?” and it’s often followed with something to the effect of “I thought they had been outlawed by the EPA.”

At this point, they think they have me over a barrel and are surprised when I explain EPA doesn’t regulate technology, but sets emissions standards and then measures to be sure each manufacturer meets or exceeds them.

If an outboard has a two-star or three-star certification seal on its cowling, it’s met the emissions requirements and is good to go. There’s no difference in the requirements by technologies.

While it seems like quite a while ago, it was only back in the mid-1990s when the Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board and European Union began monitoring the emissions of outboard motors and established emissions requirements, similar to those already in place for automobiles, for them.

The rumors were rampant, with many even proclaiming the death of two-cycle engines— nothing could have been farther from the truth.

Outboard designers and engineers had been complacent, but with new mandates looming, they went to work and did one heck of a job. While many outboard manufacturers offer lines of four-stroke outboards, the big three — Mercury, Yamaha and Evinrude — offer lines of rugged, dependable, fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly two-stroke outboards.

Honda always based its reputation on four-stroke outboards, so they stayed with them. Suzuki gradually shifted its line to produce only four-stroke engines.

Bombardier, the parent company of Evinrude Outboards, chose to stay solely with two-stroke outboards and was the first company to receive an award for having superior emissions testing vs. four-stroke outboards and led the way for several waters that had been closed to two-stroke outboards to be reopened to them. In the Evinrude E-TEC line, the range of two-cycle outboards extend from 40 to 300 horsepower, with 25 and 30 horsepower models scheduled for release this fall.

In addition to its fuel injected four stroke and Verado line of super-charged four-stroke engines, Mercury offers OptiMax two-stroke outboards from 75 to 250 horsepower.

Yamaha is one of the leaders in four-stroke outboards, with models ranging to small horsepower to its huge 350-hp V8. The company also offers a wide variety of two-stroke outboards from 8 to 300 horsepower.

Why are two-stroke outboards still in demand?

Notwithstanding the lower initial price benefits of carbureted- and standard fuel-injected versions, concentrate on highly-efficient and refined direct-fuel-injected models — the engines that compare with four-stroke outboards.

Most fishermen cite weight as one of their primary reasons for choosing a two-cycle outboard and is particularly true for bass and flats anglers.

Two cycles are definitely lighter. Check the difference between an E-TEC 200 small-block (2.6-litre, 60-degree block) at 427 pounds and a Mercury Verado six-cylinder 200 at 635 pounds (more than 200 pounds of weight difference with no horsepower gain).

Granted, the examples are extreme, but the weight differences are significant across the entire horsepower range. Most six-cylinder four-cycle outboards average roughly 100 pounds heavier for the same horsepower rating. The heaviest outboard currently made is the Yamaha 350 four-stroke at a little more than 800 pounds. No one makes a 350 two stroke, but the 300-hp two-stroke engines weigh about 525 pounds (more than 275 pounds lighter than a Yamaha 350 four-stroke).

Performance is another outboard feature that ranks high with fishermen. When the first four-stroke outboards were introduced, a standard recommendation was to get a motor rated about 10-percent higher than one would want with a two-stroke. It was common to replace a 200-horsepower two-stroke with a 225-horsepower four-stroke and still not quite get the same speed.

This problem nearly has been solved, but many anglers still say they believe two-stroke performance is slightly better.

Originally the slightly lower performance of four strokes was offset by significantly better fuel economy. However, just as four-stroke engineers worked to improve performance, two-stroke engineers worked to improve fuel consumption deficits. Currently the fuel consumption of two- and four-stroke engines is comparable, and two-stroke economy is even occasionally better in certain applications.

Yep, you read that right. It isn’t the company line, but sometimes even the outboard reps will admit there are situations where DFI two-stroke outboards get better economy than their four-stroke counterparts.

Cost matters to most boaters, particularly when they consider power plants. The initial engine cost and cost of operation give two-stroke engines the edge (they cost less), although some of the higher-performance models approach four-stroke prices, generally they can be purchased for less.

The promise on four strokes is for lower operating costs, but is it really so? Although there’s no two-cycle oil to buy, a complete servicing generally costs $300 to $400 per engine.

Meanwhile, at $20 to $25 dollars per gallon, boaters can purchase a lot of two-cycle oil for that money.

Most of the larger DFI two- cycle engines use about 1 gallon of oil for every 60 gallons of gas. That oil consumption is less when primarily operating at slower speeds and more when primarily operating faster. How many hours can an angler fish while burning 60 gallons of gas?

Add in several thousand dollars of savings on the purchase price and over the lifetime of an outboard, the full cost might be closer than you think. Some feel the scales may even tip to favor the two strokes.

As for emissions. the telltale smoke of two-stroke outboards disappeared when lubrication products improved along with the outboards. Also many synthetic oils and blends are smokeless.

As the public has educated itself to the danger of excess emissions, governing bodies have tightened restrictions. For instance, DFI two-cycle outboards must meet the same certifications as four strokes.

Evinrude advertises its new 300 E-TEC as “the cleanest outboard in the world.” According to CARB and EU testing, E-TEC engines have the lowest measured total emissions and hold an advantage over all four-cycle engines in exhaust carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen. Their claim of no maintenance for three years or 300 hours also gets a lot of consumer attention.

“We are dedicated to making the best outboards in the marketplace and we strongly believe our E-TEC technology is the best choice for fishermen everywhere,” said Glyn Austin of Bombardier Recreational Products, the parent company of Evinrude. “By introducing modern technology into two-cycle outboards, we’ve made them lighter, stronger and cleaner than anyone previously thought possible.

“All the outboards in the Evinrude E-TEC line are certified as surpassing the CARB 3-Star, EPA 2006 and EU 2006 emissions requirements, make top power for their ratings and are incredibly lighter than their four-cycle counterparts. There just isn’t a down side.”

Yamaha has been an innovator in four-cycle outboards and now boasts models to 350 horsepower. However, even while the company continues working to improve its four-cycle outboards, Yamaha works to refine its line of two-cycle DFI outboards. Company spokesmen said they believe both designs have a place and Yamaha strives to produce outboards their customers want.

“We’re committed to giving our customers what they want,“ said David Meeler of Yamaha. “We have some groups that want more out of two-cycle outboards and we’re working toward that goal with them. We also have consumers who are asking for more models and higher-horsepower versions of our performance oriented four-stroke outboards, and we’re working in that direction too.”

At the Miami Boat show in February, Mercury Marine’s already-heralded OptiMax outboard was recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for delivering the highest customer satisfaction in direct-injected outboard engines for the third consecutive year (tied in 2007).

Mercury OptiMax — a leading DFI two-stroke outboard — was recognized as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Two-Stroke Outboard Engines.”

A 2008 study found OptiMax ranked highest for overall satisfaction among two-stroke outboard engine owners. On average, Mercury OptiMax engine owners also reported fewer problems per 100 boats than the competition. In terms of fuel economy, owners again gave the OptiMax top marks.

Evinrude’s E-TEC outboard tied with Mercury for customer satisfaction in 2007 and won the award in 2005.

Yamaha’s DFI two-stroke outboards also have received awards. The most recent were the V Max Series 2 VZ 250 and VZ 300, awarded a Best Buy rating by Consumers Digest.

Many competitive fishermen prefer two-stroke outboards. Check out the transoms of most tournament bass, flats and bay boats and you’ll see OptiMax, V-Max and E-TEC outboards outnumber the four strokes. They’re also well represented on the transoms of high-performance king mackerel machines, even though weight is generally not a critical concern in this arena. But king fishing pros demand the most from their outboards and depend on them for their income. Their choice of engines says a lot for the current crop of two-stroke outboards.

The current crop of DFI two-stroke outboards offers excellent performance, efficiency, are lighter in weight, lower in emissions and generally have a lower retail price.

Two-stroke marine engines are far from dead.

As it was years ago with Mark Twain’s death, that allegation has been greatly exaggerated.