New Mercury 150 - very impressed

[gotchiguy]

Just had a 2 minute go with a brand new fourstroke merc 150 having seen it around the port over the last few days. Initial impressions are how small it is physically compared to Yamahas or Suzukis of the same output...the darth vader cowl also looks "cool".

Absolutely silent when moving around the port, and still hardly audible even when you open it up. I don't know what the weight specs are but I would certainly go for one of these over an Opti based on what I have experienced. Still not sure it's better than an etec though

[cgf10]

Interesting - How does it do weight wise compared to others ?

[Channel Ribs]

http://www.rib.net/forum/f36/all-new...ury-44078.html

[Searider]

Originally Posted by cgf10

Interesting - How does it do weight wise compared to others ?

205kg

Same as a 200 Etec small block.

My 150 Opti is 186kg

[gotchiguy]

Long shaft 200 smallblock is only 190kg...

IMHO I think along with the standard 250 they are the best engines in the etec range

[Turbodiesel]

Fantastic engine!!! See attachment for engine weights.

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by Turbodiesel

Fantastic engine!!! See attachment for engine weights.

Interesting that all of them are better than the Opti at 495lbs... but way off the etec at 418

[MattD]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

Interesting that all of them are better than the Opti at 495lbs... but way off the etec at 418

A newbie question so don't take this the wrong way, but is that sort of weight difference really important?

I get power to weight ratios and that but my little SIB with 20hp only seems to go about 1mph slower per person. Surely if you have a gert big engine like that with those sorts of weights the differences in that chart would have little impact on performance? If not what tends to drive the need to save such relatively small amounts of weight, does it have a significant impact somewhere else like towing or is it a hobby specifc benchmark?

Watched the video on it and if I could even dream of owning one I'd be more interested in the ease of mantaince features than the weight of its peers.

Cheers Matt

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by MattD

I get power to weight ratios and that but my little SIB with 20hp only seems to go about 1mph slower per person. Surely if you have a gert big engine like that with those sorts of weights the differences in that chart would have little impact on performance?

Power and speed isn't everything, power to weight ratio, though important isn't everything either. The reason your SIB only goes 1mph slower as you add a person is due to the efficiency of the plane..If you keep adding people then there will come a point where if you add one more person then the boat will not plane and so that one person will drop you 5 or 6mph and make you use alot more fuel than without them.

I see from your profile that you have a tohatsu, I am going to imagine it is a two stroke for arguements sake, therefore pretty light. If you were to swap that engine for a four stroke (or any much heavier outboard), for example a honda, of the same power then the number of people you had to put onboard before the boat wouldn't plane would be reduced. The weight difference between the two engines would not be the weight of a whole new person: the reason why it falls off the plane sooner is because the weight is at the back, just where you don't want it to be when trying to plane..

It is the same with these larger engines, and becomes even more complex when dealing with rough conditions. The weight of my hull dry, is "supposedly" around 600kg, with the engine being 230kg ish, it is a significant proportion of the total weight, and anything we can do to reduce that will reap major rewards. Not just in the performance stakes, but more importantly in the handling and "feel" of the boat.

My last boat was a 4.2m rib, but it had a very heavy fourstroke 50hp on the back and so it was very rear-heavy and this caused a very unpleasant ride in choppy conditions, reducing the weight of that engine would have had massive consequences, infact another member on here specifically decided to go for a 40hp two stroke engine over the 50 from the same manufacturer because the weight difference was so large that the extra power would not only have been offset by the increased weight, but the handling would have been ruined too!

But I'm probably spouting bollocks again...

Edit:

Originally Posted by MattD

If not what tends to drive the need to save such relatively small amounts of weight, does it have a significant impact somewhere else like towing or is it a hobby specifc benchmark?

Reducing weight is always a good thing, car manufacturers nowadays are constantly trying to shed weight from the bloated machines they now churn out. Light weight means better fuel consumption, better acceleration and better top speed. And you can have all these things combined with the fuel consumption, low noise and smoothness so often associated with a fourstroke...in a two stroke...only with Evinrude Etec

[willk]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

But I'm probably sprouting bollocks again...

That was your excuse two seasons ago. I'm sure you mean "spouting" this time.

MattD, if you insist on asking Gotchi insightful and penetrating questions which encourage him to respond at such lengths, I fear that I'm going to be compelled to do something terrible. No, really, I think I would...

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by willk

That was your excuse two seasons ago. I'm sure you mean "spouting" this time.

[willk]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

Reducing weight is always a good thing, car manufacturers nowadays are constantly trying to shed weight from the bloated machines they now churn out. Light weight means better fuel consumption, better acceleration and better top speed. And you can have all these things combined with the fuel consumption, low noise and smoothness so often associated with a fourstroke...in a two stroke...only with Evinrude Etec

A vote there then for weight reduction and lower noise.

Does that mean that "I.T.R." will be any lighter or quieter this season?

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by willk

Does that mean that "I.T.R." will be any lighter or quieter this season?

I think ITR and her associated "personages" have been much quieter this year!?

Sproutation has occurred, I concur.

The etec on the other hand...sounds like a flipping diesel generator at idle

[MattD]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

Power and speed isn't everything, power to weight ratio, though important isn't everything either. The reason your SIB only goes 1mph slower as you add a person is due to the efficiency of the plane..If you keep adding people then there will come a point where if you add one more person then the boat will not plane and so that one person will drop you 5 or 6mph and make you use alot more fuel than without them.

I see from your profile that you have a tohatsu, I am going to imagine it is a two stroke for arguements sake, therefore pretty light. If you were to swap that engine for a four stroke (or any much heavier outboard), for example a honda, of the same power then the number of people you had to put onboard before the boat wouldn't plane would be reduced. The weight difference between the two engines would not be the weight of a whole new person: the reason why it falls off the plane sooner is because the weight is at the back, just where you don't want it to be when trying to plane..

It is the same with these larger engines, and becomes even more complex when dealing with rough conditions. The weight of my hull dry, is "supposedly" around 600kg, with the engine being 230kg ish, it is a significant proportion of the total weight, and anything we can do to reduce that will reap major rewards. Not just in the performance stakes, but more importantly in the handling and "feel" of the boat.

My last boat was a 4.2m rib, but it had a very heavy fourstroke 50hp on the back and so it was very rear-heavy and this caused a very unpleasant ride in choppy conditions, reducing the weight of that engine would have had massive consequences, infact another member on here specifically decided to go for a 40hp two stroke engine over the 50 from the same manufacturer because the weight difference was so large that the extra power would not only have been offset by the increased weight, but the handling would have been ruined too!

But I'm probably sprouting bollocks again...

Edit:



Reducing weight is always a good thing, car manufacturers nowadays are constantly trying to shed weight from the bloated machines they now churn out. Light weight means better fuel consumption, better acceleration and better top speed. And you can have all these things combined with the fuel consumption, low noise and smoothness so often associated with a fourstroke...in a two stroke...only with Evinrude Etec

Thanks for the info. For the record I have a four stroke but it doesn't have any impact on what you have explained. I have often asked people to move further towards the front of the boat when travelling at fairly low speeds in speed restricted areas because the balance of the boat was stopping it planing when it could and increasing the wake (not good on rivers) or they cause it to fall off the plane by moving towards the back. I never made the connection to the effect having bigger engine would have.

btw are Tohatsu TLDI engines any good? I'm assuming they are similar to the the Etec in concept?

[willk]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

I think ITR and her associated "personages" have been much quieter this year!?

I always enjoyed Gotchimum. I felt that she addressed the core issues without any embellishment or verbal embroidery...

[boristhebold]

Originally Posted by Turbodiesel

Fantastic engine!!! See attachment for engine weights.

I love the way the chart has been done, great bit of marketing work, makes you think the others are much heavier due to chart and how humans visualise. If chart had been done from 0 to 500 the difference in the weights would not look so extreme.

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by MattD

btw are Tohatsu TLDI engines any good? I'm assuming they are similar to the the Etec in concept?

Yes and yes. And the Optimax of course, they are direct injected two strokes although compared to the opti and to a greater extent the Etec, they are falling behind a little in the fuel consumption stakes and only go up to 115hp. Still good engines though, think I've been out on a 50 a few times.

Originally Posted by willk

I always enjoyed Gotchimum. I felt that she addressed the core issues without any embellishment or verbal embroidery...

I don't think Gotchimum can spell embroidery..

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

Interesting that all of them are better than the Opti at 495lbs...

150 Opti?

[MattD]

Originally Posted by willk

That was your excuse two seasons ago. I'm sure you mean "spouting" this time.

MattD, if you insist on asking Gotchi insightful and penetrating questions which encourage him to respond at such lengths, I fear that I'm going to be compelled to do something terrible. No, really, I think I would...

I'm confused... hope I haven't said something wrong?

Originally Posted by boristhebold

I love the way the chart has been done, great bit of marketing work, makes you think the others are much heavier due to chart and how humans visualise. If chart had been done from 0 to 500 the difference in the weights would not look so extreme.

I was reminded of doing GCSE maths for the first time in god knows how many years when I saw that chart... Must have been about 15 when I spent a whole lesson on mis-leading graphs.. of which that is most definitely one.

It's the noise that bothers me with 2 strokes and the service schedule of the TLDI looks a nightmare, the 40HP one is listed in my service booklet... first one after 10 hours!

[gotchiguy]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

150 Opti?

You're right...150 only 431lbs... my mistake..