Question---Boat & Motor

[Shine Runner]

I am looking at buying a Lowe Crappie Stinger 175. I am trying to decide on either a Mercury Optimax 75 or the Evinrude Etech 75 or two stroke 75hp. I think the 50 hp options are just not enough motor for this large of a boat. Even though it is 17' 5", it is wider than other 17's. I don't know much about either of the motors. I was hoping folks on here could help me decide because of good or bad experiences. Please post the good, the bad, and the ugly to help me decide. I am looking a spending a good deal of money and want to do it right the 1st time. Thanks for posting.

[Barnacle Bill]

That is a rough choice. They are both good motors but I do agree with you that a 50 would not be enough.

[mrdux]

I have a friend who fished lots of tournaments using an Optimax 225. He had been running an Evinrude on his previous boat. He says there is an unbelievable difference in performance and better fuel economy with the Optimax.

I'm running an 1860 Horizon with a 75 Yamaha. I get good fuel economy when running mid range speeds but still get nearly 50mph when I want to with a full fishing load. Sometimes the bigger motor will actually be more economical in the long run.

[ShilohRed]

I have a E-Tec and like it. Been fishing 4 trips and gauge is still almost sitting on half a tank.
Now its quite, But not as quite as the 4-strokes I have owned. But then again being a 90 Hp tiller. and sitting right by the motor, The noise will be higher then a console.
Also had plenty of power and run it wide open right out of the box. After the preset 10 hours it does not use enough oil to even tell that is using any.
Now as far as motors, There all good. So pick the motor that you like the most and fits your needs best.
One of the big reasons I went with the 90 E-Tec was 100 lbs less weight then the 90 Suzuki and less weight was what I needed.
Now the optimax weights in at 375 lbs and the 75 E-tec is 320. So theres 50 lbs extra if that is an issue for you?
Don't think you will get a bad motor, As both are great motors. Now I am not sure on the Optimax, But the E-TEc everything is set by hooking it up to a PC. So if you need to set the Idle, Its a trip to the dealer.
Good luck with what every motor you buy.
Pete

[Buzz]

Shine,

The best advise I can give is for you to get the best/longest motor warranty that they offer. I can't tell ya the peace of mind you get at day 366 after your purchase knowing you still have several more years of coverage.

Good Luck,
Buzz

[geoman15]

Hey Shine,
I can only give you my experience with my 225 ETEC.

Quiet. At the ramp with my wife launching, you can't even hear it running at idle and even at WOT, you can hold a conversation without raising your voice.

The gas mileage is excellent for the motor size. We can go farther with less gas that with our previous boat with a 120 carbed Rude and that boat was 2 ft shorter.

It starts at turn of the key, first time, everytime due to the computer control. You can have the computer re-mapped when a new software version is release, for free by your dealer, so the new updates take care of anything they have found and fixed in the map.

I am sure the Optis are a good product also, but have no experience with them.

The Etec comes with a three year, full warranty with no limitations. Check for promotions as sometimes the motor companies will add additional coverage to their warranty, sometimes another 3 years.

Would I buy another Etec. Yes. I have been extremely happy with mine.

Good luck on your new boat. It sounds great and definitely get as much engine as you can afford. It will allow you to cruise at lower RPMs and with less stress on the engine.

[Shine Runner]

Thanks for all the advise! I appreciate it. I have been leaning on the Etech but haven't been able to find all the comparisions I needed. Please keep posting opions and facts.....I need all the help I can get.....Thanks again.

[EARL KITCHENS]

I have a PRO CRAPPIE 175 with a Mercury 60HP four stroke. I chose the engine because of the five year warranty. Bass Pro advertises the speed at 36 to 38 mph.. i can get 34 mph most of the time. I think i would be more satisfied with a 75 hp of any kind. My friend has a Pro Crappie 175 with a two stroke 50 hp Johnson that will out run mine out of the hole and run about 33 mph. The fastest i ever caught a fish was about two mph trolling on high.

[WannabeeFishing]

I debated on a Etech 90 vs a Johnson with carbs. I saved $2300 getting the Johnson figuring I could buy a lot of gas for the savings. The engine performs great on my Sea Chaser 175 and gets better gas mileage than I did on the Johnson 55 I replaced. The engine is 3 years old now and I'm beginning to have some hard starting problems, so I wonder if I really saved anything in the long run.

[duckcaller]

e-tec all the way beat engine i have ever had.