4 stroke vs 2 stroke ?????

FishFreak · 12-26-2005, 10:49 AM

I've been shopping for used boats... 2000 or later and found one that seems to fit all my criteria perfectly except the engine is a 2 stroke.
I just sold my last boat that had Yamaha 4 strokes for the main and kicker and LOVED them. Quiet, great fuel efficiency and never any repair issues.
This 2002 boat has a 200 hp Yamaha 2 stroke. The owner claims the newer 2 strokes are as efficient and quiet as the 4 strokes....
I'm no mechanic and technical replies will probably be over my head but what your gut impression of this opinion???
Is a low hour 2002 Yamaha 200hp 2 stroke going to be as good an overall engine as a comprable 4 stroke?
Thanks for your help !!!

Okie · 12-26-2005, 11:35 AM

My gut feeling is if the price is right, buy it. My idea is that it should be about 50 per cent less than what a new one would cost to make it worth while. Anyway your looking for a bargan and you'll need a kicker engine for trolling and that could be a 4 stroke engine. It's your deceision.
Good Luck;

mitch184 · 12-26-2005, 11:42 AM

bottom line. It's gonna be louder, less efficient, but it's going to be lighter and most likely faster. with a 200 fourstroke you're looking at around 12-13 gph at 5000. With a 2 stroke vmax hdpi 200 you're looking at somewhere between 15-18 gph. These can vary but go onto yamahas website and look at their performance bulletins. These numbers don't make a drastic impact to the weekend warrior, but if you are serious about the addiction, it adds up quick. These are all for props so you can guesstimate how they would change for a jet. They also list the 4 stroke 115 jet you can compare against to the prop model.

1pump · 12-27-2005, 02:10 AM

There's a big difference between the HPDI 2-strokes and the EFI 2-strokes. The HPDI are supposed to be cleaner and more efficient, but they cost a lot more to fix if they fail.

Nalu · 12-29-2005, 12:38 PM

This is assuming it is a HPDI not conventional EFI.

The 200hp Yamaha HPDI is about as bomb proof an engine as is on the market. Fuel economy is about 15% less than a comparabel 4 stroke.

Quieter than conventional 2-strokes, but not as quiet as a 4. Still will have residual "smoke" smell that a 4 stroke does not have.

Long term cost analysis has shown that the HPDI 2 Stoke is almost identical to the 4 stroke in total cost to own over the life of the motor.

Resale will be less.

Buying a used boat it would be a push. If you plan on only keeping the boat a short time, then there will be a penalty for resale. For actual use, it would be fine.

I re-powered my boat with two new 200 HPDI's this year after LOTS of research. Not that they are better than 4 strokes, but they did fit my needs better, and I am comfortable that they are quality motors.