175hp which engine etec, opti, suz or ? And how much

[HUMBER P4VWL]

For a 6.3 Humber ocean pro. Which is better and why?

Anyone got current prices?

I believe opti is loudest/torque but unreliable I've found

Etec quieter but any problems other than I believe more £

Suz? I know nothing?

Any other ideas?

[Mollers]

Do you want loud/old technology, heavy/gutless or an Etec?

[martini]

Originally Posted by Mollers

or an Etec...)

...thats turns itself off whenever it gets a bit bumpy

Merc are doing a special at the mo, free earplugs with any O/B over 150hp

[Mollers]

Is that a bad thing?

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Cmon guys, serious answers.

Are suz heavy and gutless then?

How much more than opts are execs?

Do they break down?

[BogMonster]

How are you buying the engine?

When I was speccing my Osprey, Roy told me that a DF150 would cost me about £1000 more than the Etec 150 because he was a dealer for Etec and not for Suz, so could buy the Etec option at a better price. I'd guess if you are buying the engine from Humber, who I think are Suz agents but not sure if they are Evinrude agents, the situation might be reversed. Or maybe you are buying and rigging yourself in which case you may not get a discount on anything?

I don't know what dealer discounts are like on engines but I guess they are at least 10% and probably more so that could make a big difference to price.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

How are you buying the engine?

When I was speccing my Osprey, Roy told me that a DF150 would cost me about £1000 more than the Etec 150 because he was a dealer for Etec and not for Suz, so could buy the Etec option at a better price. I'd guess if you are buying the engine from Humber, who I think are Suz agents but not sure if they are Evinrude agents, the situation might be reversed. Or maybe you are buying and rigging yourself in which case you may not get a discount on anything?

I don't know what dealer discounts are like on engines but I guess they are at least 10% and probably more so that could make a big difference to price.

Or, you could decide which 175 you want and then track down the best deal. Autumn is a good time to buy. Dealers/importers will be keen to offload any 2010 stock before the 2011 gear arrives.

[martini]

All outboards break down, I don't think you can say one more than another. Ask anyone and they'll just give you their opinion based on whatever they've overheard in the yacht club bar.

Googling "etec fault" gets 12,500 results, "optimax fault" gets 15,600, thats as good a consumer survey as you'll get

But factor in units sold then maybe the Optimax is more reliable

If you're going to fork out that kind of money you really need to do your homework, look at your local Merc dealer and Evinrude dealer, how do they compare? Warranty also important, Etec's is much longer I believe. What's the best deal you can get on both? Plenty of info on fuel and oil consumption here, something often overlooked, for every £25 I spend on fuel (78p/l here) I spend £10 on oil

Lots to think about aside from the reliability question which can't really be answered

[GJ0KYZ]

I've had a 225 ETec for two years and it' never missed a beat. I came back in a F5/6 from the bay of MSM the other day; that's 50nm on and off the throttle and the engine was 100% tip top. They don't burn much oil and the fuel economy on my boat is 1.5 litres per mile; sometimes a little less depending on load. A 175hp will use much less, obviously. I woulds recommend ETecs on their reliability if nothing else. Having said that, my next boat will have a diesel jet drive.

[willk]

FWIW, Redbay use mostly Suzi for 4-stroke installs, but Etecs for 2-stroke by preference, not Optis.

Frankly, I think the whole brand thing is a balls. Look at the deals you can get, the weights of the lump that you want and the service situation.

After that, any engine can fail. Those that are used and serviced regularly, less so.

Again, FWIW, my Etecs are 2004 models and have about 430 hours on. I've had them for three seasons and my only issue has been a totally dead EMM (brain) on one engine. That's OK.