Recommendation for 50 HP 4 cycle Out Board Motor

[raycarlson]

yes the 60 will more closely get you to the exagerated claims macgregor makes about the performance of the M with 50 HP.with 50HP you'll never tow a skier or see 20mph.alot of people are going to 90HP or more just so they can have a 20mph cruise speed without having to keep your motor wound out to 6000rpm.I went with a 50hp based on macgregor adds, biggest mistake i could have made.

[mastreb]

I am curious, why is the E-TEC 60 being referenced in the trend rather than an E-TEC 50. Is there something special about the 60 over the 50?

Yes, ten more hp they are the same hardware with only ECC differences I believe, so the 60 is more bang for the buck. It gets my up to an honest 20mph/17 knots. Last week I was doing 16.5 GPS with full ballast, 500# of kit, and myself and son aboard. Great motor.

[seahouse]

My personal recommendation for a 4 cycle is that you not buy one. The reason I say that is that you also stated that you are replacing your present engine so as to get a clean-running engine, so your priority is the environment. Unless there are recent products to the market that I am unaware of (it's quite possible, I stopped researching when I made my decision months ago) the 2-cycle E-tec is the word.

-B.

[ROAD Soldier]

If your are not looking to spend a lot of money buy any used 50HP 4 Cycle motor that has the lowest amount of hours on it. Apples to apples they are all the same in quality except maybe the Honda is just slightly more robust because it is based on their auto engines. If you can wait, just hang around a while for the next person to get a 90HP outboard, and buy their 50.

[Captain Kimo]

i wouldnt waste any money yet,rumors can be expensive,until you read headlines in a vegas paper or see lead stories on evening news that NPS is turning away two-strokers at meade boatramps it is just a RUMOR.there is tens of thousands of boats in the meade area powered by 2-strokes, not to mention several hundred marina owned houseboats all powered by dual 150 yamaha 2-strokes.50 thousand angry boaters twittering their congressman can change national park service policy overnight.

Here is the URL of the announcement : http://www.nps.gov/lake/parkmgmt/twostroke.htm Only PWC 2 cycle will be banned after December 31, 2012.

Reading between the lines, a ban on ALL old 2 cycle outboards on Lake Mead is coming. The E-TEC 60 looks like the best alternative with its fuel injection system.

[Catigale]

Additional info - looks like Lake Powell will also be on the banned list shortly...from the link

Where else can I use my PWC if I can’t use it on Lake Mead or Lake Mohave?

Not at Lake Powell. The same rule will go into effect for PWC's at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Glen Canyon NRA currently doesn't intend to extend the carbureted two-stroke ban to all boats.

[argonaut]

Especially in the 50hp class... Anything But a Honda.
My as-bought outboard was the biggest time and money waster I've ever owned.
Finally replaced it, best improvement I've made to the boat.
The Yamaha is dependable, easy to find parts for, easy to find mechanics for, and requires no pampering.

Unlimited $ I would have gone Evinrude... made in N America, fewer moving parts than a 4 stroke, can be hand started, and high output alternator.
Local Florida police boat ran the crap out of one daily for 6 years in saltwater.
Bass fishermen I know love 'em too.

Also heard good stuff about Suzis but no firsthand experience.

[opie]

I have a Honda BF50A and it gets me where I want to go. I would buy another if I needed a used motor replacement and the price was right. I do the maintenance.
If I wanted a new motor, I would go for a Yamaha only because 95% of the outboards around my boating area are Yamahas.

[Ixneigh]

I think running the exaust through the water is more detrimental then the oil. Dont know how else one would do it.
Both my four stroke and my etec put out plenty of exaust.
My Honda lawnmower is about the least smoky small engine I've used recently.

Perhaps these lakes will eventually insist on electric motors in the distant future.
Seems to be the trend.

Ixneigh

[aya16]

Wanting to stay in the 50hp range and comply with emission closer's on lots of lakes in this country, the best power to weight engine as well as completely green short of an electric motor. The etec 60 is the over all winner in my book. It emits less pollution than any 4 stroke outboard, the 60hp is the same as the 50hp, so theres a bonus of 10 hp, which the mac can use.

All lakes banning the 2 stroke motor do and will in the future allow the etec, as well as the optimax merc. Why? because the laws are not to ban a particular type of engine, only to lower emissions dumped into the lake. All older 2 strokes are very polluting, not the new ones, in fact 4 strokes cannot compete in the emission department with the new direct inject 2 stroke. Any one that says etec 2 stroke will be banned are very misinformed. Look at lake Tahoe, the most restricted lake in the country, their own lake police use the etec on their boats. The etec, as well as other direct injected 2 strokes are allowed on the lake.

All lakes that are trying to have cleaner water, are not banning per say the 2 stroke, they are banning gross polluters, that would be older 2 strokes, that includes pwc that run a 2 stroke non direct injection motor. You can kind of see their point, as most of the water we enjoy on the lakes, is drinking water.

4 strokes are ok, but there's a reason 2 stroke outboards have ruled the day for 90 years, they are cheap to make, have more power and torque, they weigh a lot less, and are superior to the 4 stroke for recreational activity's. The 2 stroke was killed because of pollution and political reason's not because the 4 stroke was better. Now we have 2 strokes that run cleaner than the best 4 stroke's.

If we have an open mind, weigh the advantage's of each motor, do some research, as macgregor did, the etec 60 is the best motor for the job on the mac, hands down, untill you get into higher hp than mac wants us to put on our boats. Those that bought 4 strokes, are going to be a little biased.

I believe there was some thread about best, worse 4 strokes on this board somewhere, I believe the honda came in last, the merc big foot first and the suz 50 came in second, none of those would be able to compete with the etec 60. Just a fact. Weight, hp, torque, gas mileage, pollution, the etec is better.

we shouldn't buy a 6 thousand dollar motor based on emotion, we need facts to make an informed decision. If we use emotion than we are stuck with our decision. This is a very critical decision when you are talking about the 50hp class, those that over powered have a lot more options, but sticking with the 50hp range there is only one choice better than all the other choice for optimal performance, sorry but that's the etec 60....
Mike

[Catigale]

A one size engine or one brand approach doesn't fit all of the wide arenas in which macs are used.

Buyers should think about how they want to use the boat before sizing or branding the motor.

The way I use my Mac now, for example, if I had to repower, I would probably go 15-20 HP range for performance in 99% of use, and best resale value.

[aya16]

The og poster said he wanted something in the 50hp, and was afraid of a ban from a 2 stroke, so wanted a 4 stroke. The recommendation I wrote above is perfect for his needs, without having to worry about being restricted in the waters he wants to use the boat.

For sure someone wants a smaller engine, there are other choices, as well as, like me, I chose a larger than 50hp for my needs. Many different needs, wants play apart in buying the proper engine, but why buy a mac if all someone would want is a 15hp motor? there are lots of good sail boats out there that wont do the high speed thing the mac does, for that kind of thing.

Many have bought the mac and wished they went with another engine, me included. Sadly I believed the claims of the 50hp performing just fine on our mac's, but the sad truth is none of the 50's will perform correctly as stated by macgregor. Zero nada none, the 60 etec, little power house it is, will come the closest, still not 22mph though. The best option for the mac is to have it powered by a 70hp or above, and I think above is best, a 90hp.

Again some may want to run a 15hp on their mac, but whats the point of buying the mac for that. There's a guy in marina del rey that bought a new mac, powered it with a 15 and couldn't fight the swell, and wind in Catalina, from what I heard he had some damage to the boat. I know for a fact he sports a new etec 60 now.

Cat, the etec 60 is not much bigger, size wise to a 4 stroke 15hp engine, knowing that, why would anyone want to put a 15hp or 20 on a mac? The 15- 20hp 4 strokes are monsters, and you have no reserve power for anything, that 60 etec will do just as well as those engines, yet do it at 1/3 throttle, yet will be almost the same size. Better yet they have electric start, trim and tilt, and the throttle is right at the helm.

But someone asks a question, like above, what 4 stroke 50 would be best, and one reason a 4 stroke, was the lakes banning the 2 strokes. I only answered the question, no axe to grind, no preference personally, just facts of what would be best, in my opinion for him. I don't own an etec, doesn't mean I don't know them....
When I had the suz 50 4 stroke many many macs blew past me with that etec 60, Im doing 14 tops without ballast, and they scream past me at 17-18mph. I have seen how dependable they are, as well as how dinky they look on the mac. Their motor's looks half the size of my suz 50, sound great, and do a great job on the mac. But there will be people that want a four stroke on their mac, when they get them, and load the boat up with their items, most will regret the purchase, no matter what brand. I did...
Mike

[Catigale]

As someone who has sent a week on anchor in a 26 foot space with 6 teenagers...I can attest that the Mac has many unique attributes outside of power boating

Larger engines come with a 1000 dollar user install/ reinstall tax that has to be paid on each and every transfer that kills the resale value of engines pdq.

A 20 HP suffers no such tax, and can even be put on another boat if you like with one helping hand.

[mastreb]

I definitely see the value in using a 15..20hp motor on Macs. If you don't care about speed _and_ you live in an area where you won't be caught in 6 knot currents, you've got a few advantages:

0) It costs 1/3 the price and you can easily mount it yourself without an engine hoist.
1) The engine doesn't devalue by 50% the moment you bolt it on. It will literally retain 80% of its value when combined with the price of the hull for the life of the boat.
2) You can't accidentally overpower the boat while motoring if someone falls on the throttle. I've already had the admiral push the throttle to WOT while I was doing 5knots when she turned around while managing kids. We were boards down, and let me tell you the Mac gets squirrelly as hull with the CB down at 11 knots. Very dangerous. The worst thing about the ETEC is the enormous stock throttle.
3) A number of Mac new owners are not looking for the powerboat aspect--they're looking for a trailer sailor only, and will not value the larger motor. I didn't--the only reason I went with it was because I didn't want to mount my own motor and Factory Sales didn't mount anything else.

Everyone has their own preferences and priorities. That's why every Mac eventually becomes unique.

Matt

[Catigale]

4..fuel economy

5 ability to service by removing engine and bring to shop of choice without trailering boat

Fuel injection has reached Down into the 20-25 HP line in some mfg too.