Really Confused Need Help?

[iberfoptic]

Hi i'm practically ready to have a 6.5m-6.75m rib made for me can you please give me some advice on the correct engine hp to go for i'm thinking the 150hp yamaha or Mercury can you please tell me would this be ample power as i want to keep the cost down but also make sure i still get the grin factor and performance from the correct engine selection thanks....

[kerny]

Originally Posted by iberfoptic

Hi i'm practically ready to have a 6.5m-6.75m rib made for me can you please give me some advice on the correct engine hp to go for i'm thinking the 150hp yamaha or Mercury can you please tell me would this be ample power as i want to keep the cost down but also make sure i still get the grin factor and performance from the correct engine selection thanks....

If you want "Grin Factor" go for an Etec

[iberfoptic]

Have to consider dealer service centres near me as i live in N.Ireland so thats why my preference is for yamaha/Mercury

[C2 RIBS]

Originally Posted by iberfoptic

Hi i'm practically ready to have a 6.5m-6.75m rib made for me can you please give me some advice on the correct engine hp to go for i'm thinking the 150hp yamaha or Mercury can you please tell me would this be ample power as i want to keep the cost down but also make sure i still get the grin factor and performance from the correct engine selection thanks....

We have run three 650-655s on Yamaha 150 s and they have been great, good power and fuel use. Would be good to know weight of the RIB you are thinking of having built also for others to compare.

[iberfoptic]

Originally Posted by C2 RIBS

We have run three 650-655s on Yamaha 150 s and they have been great, good power and fuel use. Would be good to know weight of the RIB you are thinking of having built also for others to compare.

Sorry Should Have Mentioned The Boat is A Osprey Viper Max as far as weight not sure maybe you could help

[C2 RIBS]

Looking at their web site http://www.ospreyribs.com/ribs/osprey-spec-viper.pdf the weights shown will easily work with a 150 hp

[Poly]

Originally Posted by iberfoptic

Have to consider dealer service centres near me as i live in N.Ireland so thats why my preference is for yamaha/Mercury

Its a good reason for choosing, BUT are you aware the Etec shouldn't need to see a dealer in the first three years (and I presume every 3yrs after that). There is at least 1 Etec dealer in NI (although I realise the roads in NI can mean something that looks close is several hours away) - in fact I think all the main manufacturers have representatives in NI.

[iberfoptic]

Originally Posted by Poly

Its a good reason for choosing, BUT are you aware the Etec shouldn't need to see a dealer in the first three years (and I presume every 3yrs after that). There is at least 1 Etec dealer in NI (although I realise the roads in NI can mean something that looks close is several hours away) - in fact I think all the main manufacturers have representatives in NI.

Yes your right about the roads! lol however would you feel the 150hp Yamaha would be fine in terms of performance etc in i increased the size of the rib to 6.75m to give me more room between the second set of jockey seats and rear bench cheers

[Poly]

I'd be asking Osprey for their opinion - they should know their boats as well as anyone, but 25 cm shouldn't be material unless 150HP was marginal power (which I don;t think it is).

[iberfoptic]

Originally Posted by Poly

I'd be asking Osprey for their opinion - they should know their boats as well as anyone, but 25 cm shouldn't be material unless 150HP was marginal power (which I don;t think it is).

Yes your probably right although i would like to know what i'm talking about because sometimes your budget can be blown out of proportion if you can't remain disciplined and appear to know what your talking about!lol

[Hightower]

Most people on here with 6.5m or larger Vipermax's have 200hp power plants, one person that had a 6.5m with a 150hp is Chris, look him up in the member pages and PM him, he's a really helpful guy.

[Ribochet]

Originally Posted by iberfoptic

Have to consider dealer service centres near me as i live in N.Ireland so thats why my preference is for yamaha/Mercury

Tonys Marine Services in Coleraine are an authorised service centre for Yamaha, Honda, Mercury, Mariner, Mercruiser, Suzuki, Johnson, Evinrude and Volvo Penta.

[Ian M]

E-tec = lightest weight. Go for the max HP that you can, whether limited by budget or transom rating. If you are going for a new engine, and spending all that money, ask yourself what is the difference in purchase and running costs. I did

[Tim&Linda]

I have to agree put a 200 e tec,, fuel is good , weight is brilliant . read a while ago testing 6 engines all 200 . Google e tech 200 vs Yamaha yamaha and you will clearly see why ,The e tech is much faster out the blocks , clunking noise and vibration on Yamaha . and for not touching it for three yrs that means allot for any boat owner , and trust me on the sound that e tech make it,s a huge grin factor as you know by know we never go smaller we always want bigger

[Cypman]

Have you considered the Suzuki 175, it is the same block as their 150 and is a torquey and relatively light engine. There do appear to be deals to be had as well.

[clydeoutboards]

mmm from what I have seen the etec devalues the most, i have not seen a commercial company buy one, use 2 stroke technology which lets face it if it was that good we would all be driving to 2 stroke cars, drink more fuel, require you to buy separate oil, need to be installed by an etec service center unlike the yams/ honda, suzuki etc oh and as someone said the other day. you would not drive a car for 3 years without a service on a motorway buy you are expected to drive an outboard on the sea without a regular service! Oh and heck the prices of the 3rd service ooch !!!!!

Dont get me wrong what I wrote above is 100 bias and is the other side side of the story to the etec argument as I am a great believer in knowing the good and the bad before I part with my money.

Every engine has pro's and cons and it is very personal what you like and what you can live with.

Oh one last small thing. Etec owners talk about acceleration and though I am not a huge fan of test results this is true but shockingly by less than 10% in all the reviews I have seen. My other point on this is how much time do you intent accelerating has hard as you can compared to cruising? i.e. if you use your boat like i use mine hard acceleration is around 2 minutes for every 4 hours so for me the 12 seconds I save in accelerating is not a big thing.

However for others who are towing toys for 6 hours a day it is a big plus point.

Dave

[Poly]

Originally Posted by clydeoutboards

mmm from what I have seen the etec devalues the most, i have not seen a commercial company buy one,

whilst I understand that what the commercial guys use is a good indicator of long term reliability I'm not sure its directly relevant to a leisure user - however I guess you'll need to change your sales pitch: e.g. QuinQuari : Quinquari cabin RIB

use 2 stroke technology which lets face it if it was that good we would all be driving to 2 stroke cars,

well that assumes that the requirements for a car engine and a boat engine are the same - rarely was 'hole shot' been a priority on the road. I'm not saying one is better than the other but your analogy is perhaps a little wrong.

drink more fuel, require you to buy separate oil,

I thought the fuel consumption was broadly similar. Has anyone done a head-to-head on same boat / load / conditions? The oil only needs filling every 300 miles or so and you are still going to need to check the sump level regularly on a 4 stroke and replace the oil as part of its servicing

need to be installed by an etec service center unlike the yams/ honda, suzuki etc

but do you not all require (or at least imply) that warranty depends on the regular services being at approved centres?

oh and as someone said the other day. you would not drive a car for 3 years without a service on a motorway buy you are expected to drive an outboard on the sea without a regular service!

well I'd flip that round and say you wouldn't expect to service your car every 100 hours.

Oh and heck the prices of the 3rd service ooch !!!!!

I've not checked them out - but is that after 9 years? How much does an another outboard (used 50-100 hours a year like most leisure users) run up over that time in service, winterisation charges etc.

Dont get me wrong what I wrote above is 100 bias

indeed, personally I find it off putting when a salesman goes beyond telling you the truth about a product and starts to put knock the competition. Of course the BRP reps will do the same - but I'd buy my engine from someone who was honest with me rather than saying what was needed to get the sale, or I'd end up making my own mind up and buying from the cheapest on-line place.

My other point on this is how much time do you intent accelerating has hard as you can compared to cruising? i.e. if you use your boat like i use mine hard acceleration is around 2 minutes for every 4 hours so for me the 12 seconds I save in accelerating is not a big thing.

ribs in rough water respond best to regular changes or throttle - its not like setting a car on cruise control. If on the other hand its flat calm you many not be concerned, and set the throttle and go.

[Ian M]

Originally Posted by clydeoutboards

mmm from what I have seen the etec devalues the most, i have not seen a commercial company buy one, use 2 stroke technology which lets face it if it was that good we would all be driving to 2 stroke cars, drink more fuel, require you to buy separate oil, need to be installed by an etec service center unlike the yams/ honda, suzuki etc oh and as someone said the other day. you would not drive a car for 3 years without a service on a motorway buy you are expected to drive an outboard on the sea without a regular service! Oh and heck the prices of the 3rd service ooch !!!!!

Dont get me wrong what I wrote above is 100 bias and is the other side side of the story to the etec argument as I am a great believer in knowing the good and the bad before I part with my money.

Every engine has pro's and cons and it is very personal what you like and what you can live with.

Oh one last small thing. Etec owners talk about acceleration and though I am not a huge fan of test results this is true but shockingly by less than 10% in all the reviews I have seen. My other point on this is how much time do you intent accelerating has hard as you can compared to cruising? i.e. if you use your boat like i use mine hard acceleration is around 2 minutes for every 4 hours so for me the 12 seconds I save in accelerating is not a big thing.

However for others who are towing toys for 6 hours a day it is a big plus point.

Dave

Dave,
I accept that you are just trying to put the other side of the argument, but some of the points that you make a questionable to say the least, and with less informed people rather than your hardcore RIB user (ie RIBNET junkie) reading this I cannot leave some of your assertions unchallenged. First off, unlike yourself, I have no vested interest in boosting sales of brand X or brand Y. Granted I am a user of an E-tec, but if I can see a good reason to change to brand Y, such as low weight, or better acceleration, then my next boat may go with that brand.
I have driven RIBs with many different makes of engine, and in the main they are all good, with the differences being in the detail. Why aren't 2 strokes used by Ford, Vauxhall etc.? I cannot answer for them, but suspect that customer preconceptions may have something to do with it, some of us can still remember Wartburgs!
Drink more fuel, er not too sure about that, reviews that I have seen put it very close, and caveat such results with the way in which the engine is used, ie percentage full throttle, percentage trolling etc.
Do you charge less than £140 for each and every annual service on the four stroke engines of around 200hp that you supply, because that is what you would need to better for what I have just been charged for the 3 year service. Not too much "ouch" in my book, although I would freely admit that it is enough.
And please don't get me wrong, I am just putting the other view to yours, as I do not believe the e-tec 2 smoke is as bad as you and others make out, oh, and mine doesn't.............. smoke that is
No I do not go around accelerating like an idiot all day, but it is nice to know that it is there if I need it. If parting with my hard earned, why would I want to buy something with inferior performance particularly if I am giving my offspring some fun on a ringo

[gotchiguy]

I think we are forgetting here what the first rule of buying an outboard motor is: LOCAL servicing agent.

iberfoptic has local Mercury and Yamaha servicing agents. Out of those two brands the best option is the Mercury Optimax 200 IMO. Which has the bonus of not being expensive. Granted it is the same weight as my engine which is I think 40kg heavier than an etec 200 but compared to Verado or Yam 4/ it is a no brainer.

£16,500 RRP for an etec 200, I think an Optimax will be around 4k less than that. Not sure what rigging that includes though.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by gotchiguy

I think we are forgetting here what the first rule of buying an outboard motor is: LOCAL servicing agent.

iberfoptic has local Mercury and Yamaha servicing agents. Out of those two brands the best option is the Mercury Optimax 200 IMO. Which has the bonus of not being expensive.

Aye, certainly if the various complicated problems people have had with their optimaxes on here are representative* then you would want your dealer local - and the added bonus is when its in the workshop its not burning fuel!




* In fairness I should note that ALL outboards can have problems - I just seem to recall a lot of expensive compessor type issues with the Optimax. Interestingly despite their being lots of Yam 4strokes around (e.g. on all the Ribeyes) I can't recall any major failures being reported...