Evinrude E-Tec

[Vinny Chase]

Anyone have experience with an '05 200 hp E-tec HO? Don't really have any specific questions, but I am possibly looking into purchasing a boat with this motor and I have never heard good things about Evinrudes.

Thanks!

[Way2slow]

That's because, like everything else, 1,000,000 people don't get in here and brag about how good their motor is. You only hear from the handful that had a problem and the 1,000,000 that has never owned one but read about the few that had a problem. Then they get on the net and repeat all the problems they read about like those were problems they had.

No body on the face of the earth makes a product that does not have a percent of failure rate. Several years ago (back when these new powerheads were still in their growing stage) I was at one of the major B.A.S.S. Tournaments and the Yamaha factory trailer ran out of HDPI powerheads, the Mercury trailer went though at least a dozen Opti-Max's and the Evinrude E-tec guy's used five.

I guess you can gather, I'm a little partial to the e-tec's and if I was in the market for another motor, it would be an e-tec.

[Flukeman]

I have that motor, but from 06. I love my motor and have had no problems. All companies have problems and a lot of those problems occur when you get above 200hp. On my boat type (Stratos 294) you can run mid 70's all day, hole shot is awesome, and it is super quiet.

If it is a 2005 ask to see the maintenance records, there should be two sets from the 3-yr intervals. Also have a certified E-tec mechanic look at it for you.

[Fishing Rhino]

One thing you always need to keep in mind when someone has a major gripe about an outboard, auto, or whatever for that matter, many times the source of the problem is owner abuse, failing to properly maintain their piece of equipment. Always take consumer gripes with a very large grain of salt, unless there is a factory recall, or some other indication of abnormally high failure rates.

Improper break in (when required), not allowing for a proper warmup before nailing the throttle, etc, can account for premature failure of components. Churning over mudflats or shallows can take a toll on water pump impellers.

If any make was truly "junk" they would not last long in the marketplace. There are too many reliable products for the junk to survive.

[Tpayneful]

I have a 2009 200HP HO Etec and I love it. It starts on the first try, is quiet, purrs like a kitten, has a quick hole shot, is really fast and gets good gas mileage. I ended up picking the motor first then finding a boat that I liked that offered the engine. I would not hesitate to get another one.

[Vinny Chase]

Thanks for all of the insight guys - I feel a lot better about going forward with this boat.

[tentimesover]

2005 was a changeover year for Evinrude. I've got a 05 200HP HO that's not E-tec. Just check to be sure you're getting what you're expecting. The 05 HO has been a great motor for me with my Stratos 295 XLPro and I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Bass Dude]

The only thing bad I've heard about the E-Tec is that if something does go wrong, they tend to be more expensive than other motors to get repaired. The reason for this is that there is special equipment that is needed to diagnose and repair these.

And ALWAYS have it repaired by a licensed E-TEC facility.

[youngbassman]

we have an 04 225 ho and really have had no major problems with it. We have blown the lower unit gears and thats about it. i mean other then the spark plugs that we change every year. has not really gave us any problems at all and pushes the boat to a little over 72