HPDI vs ETEC

[Sinclair]

Guys,

I know this has probally been discussed before. I have a 91 GW Sailfish w/ twin Johnny's. I'm now ready to repower. Spoke with GW today and the 4strokes are out of the race. So now I have narrowed it down to either the HPDI's or the ETEC's. Twin 200's. Any suggestions???

I welcome the pro's & con's of both.

Thanks for your help!!

Sinclair

 

[capt chris]

I know you didn't mention them, but what about Mercury Optimax? I've owned a 200HP since 2002 and have been very satisifed with the reliability, fuel economy, smartcraft system. I think they are worth considering.

 

[Finest Kind]

The title of this post "HPDI vs ETEC" reminded me of this...

My friend has an 87 Trophy Pro which he repowered with brand new 200 HP Yami HPDI's in the 2006 season.
One calm day this past summer we met out on the Ocean and had a "drag race"...both boats had 2 people on them and both of us had full fuel tanks and canvas on. We were 30 feet apart facing the same direction. We both started from idle speed in forward and at the count of 3 we both nailed the throttles forward... and my ETECs' left the HPDI's in the dust!....err...mist!

Now it could be my fiberglass floatation bracket had something to do with it, allowing me to get up on plane faster, or maybe my 4 blade props vs his 3 blades were also a factor, but bottom line is the Etecs moved the same boat and similar weights up out of the water quicker and pulled away from the Yamis MUCH faster.

My motors are also MUCH quieter than his, smoke less, get better fuel efficiency and burn less oil. Also I have a 7 year warranty vs his 4? or 5.
Plus the white motors look better on a Grady than the blue.

That said, I still like his boat with the Yamis too, and would be happy to own either product.

 

[wrobinson]

I don't have any experience with the HDPI, but my dad bought an e-tec and it has been in the shop more than it has been in the water.

Can't you put lead in the storage under the V-Berth and get a four stroke?

 

[gradyfish22]

I had a 200 HPDI on our seafarer and loved it. Honestly you cannot go wrong with either engine they are both great. I have been on boats with both engines and if the E-Tec's were around when we repowered with the HPDI I probably would have gone that route. Yamaha has always been very reliable and the HPDI 200's have been one of the best engines they have ever built. E-Tec's are also awesome. Less maintenance, great warranty and overall great design. It really comes down to personal pref. Go with which ever company you feel more comfortable with and have had more/better experience with in the past. Usually boaters have a preference or chose to switch brands do to bad experiences. Also side note..Grady stopped installing Merc's... I'm not a big fan either, have been on too many which have broken down. Not to say they are bad engines, I just have had bad experiences with them. I know there are many who love them, but when faced to an HPDI or an E-Tec, I would not choose the Merc.

 

[Sinclair]

What is the advantage of adding weight under the v-berth?? The 4 strokes are approx. 200lbs heavier than a 2 stroke. I dont see an advantage of adding 200 lbs to the bow of the vessel.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Guys, thanks for all of the imput.

Sinclair

 

[gradyfish22]

Adding weight forward will not allow you to add a 4- stroke. I am a naval architect, yes this might actually raise the stern roughly 1/4 of what it went down from the added weight of the four stoke, but it will also have negative effects. It will make it harder to get on plane, will cause the bow to want to dive when riding waves and will make the bow sit lower. Ballast should never be added, unless by a professional in the industry with experience doing so. Adding weight is a bad idea!!!

 

[jehines3]

Here is my friends 94 272 sailfish after going to Honda 4's in 2002.

http://www.compositeyacht.biz/GradyWhiteProject.html

I know I won't even consider 4's on my repower. It cost him about $6k, but man those Honda's are nice, quiet, and fuel friendly..jh

 

[jehines3]

Oh yeah, the Merc is the lightest, the E-tec is in the middle and the HPDI the heaviest. The E-tec will save you 15lbs per motor over the yami. My neighbor has an etec and loves it. Winterize on the lift in 2 minutes, WOT out of the box, no scheduled maintenance for 3 years. His was in the shop for a ECM problem in the first few hours though, been fine ever since.

Where is the boat located, I can give a few shop recomendations. jh

EDIT: You should save a bundle by reusing your throttles, props, cables, and tachs. My neighbors new E-tec uses the same tach as my 1996 Johnny. He could have selected fancier, but his was a repower too. jh

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Those e-tec's looked good to me also in the begining, but a couple of people from my marina had and still have problems with them.What exactly is, i don't know, but in the middle of the season they were both out of the water for a month or so.They were not happy campers.I'm not bashing e-tec's or evinrude, but this is what i noticed.

 

[wrobinson]

I have heard of ballast being added to overcome weight issues by manufacturers in the past, so I thought it might be a solution in a re-power.

If you have to go with the two strokes I'd make sure they come from a dealer with a good service department. Some folks don't seem to have any problems, and then some engines just seem to have repetitive issues.



Good Luck.

 

[Grog]

The ETEC's might save some money by reusing the controls but they might be getting sloppy in their old age anyway.

Another thing to consider is which dealer do you feel more comfortable with. If something happens you want to be taken care of.

One engine you might to be able to look into is the 4 cyl Verado. They weigh roughly 500 pounds so are about 25 pounds more than the HPDI. I'm not all that comfortable with an engine that size making 200 HP but it's an option.

 

[LarryO]

Why mix oil when you don't have to in a cylinder ? Secondly, I don't know how it affects you Big Boys but the 150 Yami on my 204 puts my old 89
Johnson 200 to shame. Gas is halved, weight's the same but most important the ride in chop is 100 % better. Old controls did not have to be replaced.

 

[Sinclair]

Thanks guys for all of the help.

My first choice is a Honda 200 4 stroke. I have had some experience with these motors and I love them.

It looks like now with the weight issue, I'm undecided between the HPDI and the ETEC's.

I'll keep everyone informed as I venture thru the repower.

Thanks again.

Sinclair

 

[Flying Fish]

Sinclair: I have a 20-ft GW (Overnighter) and I put a 150 HPDI on it last year. I'm completely delighted with the motor. I've heard almost nothing but good about the 150/200 HPDI (same block, same weight) except that they are heavy; they weight about the same as the Yamaha 150HP 4-stroke.

I've heard mostly good about the ETEC too. I considered it seriously before going with the HPDI, based on (1) price; the HPDI was about $4,000 less installed than the ETEC, in part because it was a leftover but brand-new 2004; and (2) the dealer for the HPDI has a solid reputation and has treated me well the past 18 years and is 1/2 mile from where I keep my boat, and the mechanics where I keep my boat are trained on HPDIs, but not ETECs.

FF

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Many problem's with repowers is in the installation of them. No matter what brand you choose make sure your dealer knows what he is doing. Its sad to say but in the marine industry outboard OEM's will sign up anyone that will sign on the bottom line. Sales always wins over service. With that said OEM's will let you know who there better dealers are when it comes to service. Go to there web site and do a dealer search. For Evinrude ETEC product you want a dealer that has the certified tech pic next to the dealership info. Yamaha you want to choose the one that has the 5 star ratting. I believe Mercury calls there good dealer Platinum dealerships. By going ith one of these dealers you know you are dealing with a dealership that spends time and money in there service business also. A boat that is not rigged right can make a good engine look bad.

Also I think it was lennyo that stated why mix the oil. The evinrude etec does not mix the gas and oil. Gas it put into the top of the cylinder and oil is put in at ports along the engine block. No gas is running thru the block, just oil.

 

[RUMBLEFISH]

Forget the hype of etec or hpdi since both motors have a good reputation. With the amount of money you will spend service is going to be very important from a good local dealer. :wink:

 

[Sinclair]

BB,

Thanks for the advise. I'm talking with Joe currently, for a quote/price.

Sinclair

 

[B-Faithful]

Sorry, I have to say it. If you are getting twins you gotta look harder at the OptiMax. It is arguably the best DFI on the market and with twins you can get DTS (digital throttle and shift). DTS gives you auto syncronization and the smoothest throttle and shift you can imagine. DTS is huge when it comes to twins..

Besides with the Opti you get:

1. Over 11 years on the market. bugs have been worked out and the technology is past the "update" phase
2. Oil and parts are available just about anywhere
3. Strong dealer network incase you have issues or just need or want service and/or travel a lot
4. Argueably the most fuel efficient motor with the best performance on the market
5. Options like DTS, Smartcraft, top knotch prop selection
6. JD Powers award winner for DFI's
7. Can get competitive pricing on them
8. Black motors look good on any boat

Downsides are
1. Louder and not quite as refined as the etecs or 4 strokes
2. resale may not be as good as some other motors due to reputation from the early years.

I am biased as I have an 04 DTS 225 OptiMax that has been flawless for me. I love its performance and economy (even that over a friends boat identical to mine just powered with a yamadog F225). I just wish my motor was a little quieter as some other new technology motors.
Good luck!

 

[B-Faithful]

Here is more on DTS:
http://northamerica.mercurymarine.com/o ... on/dts.php