ETec Motor Opinions need to pull trigger or back off boat purchase

[Fireball]

2003 Ranger 521, Fortrex 36LB, trailer , 2011 etec evinrude totally checked out and seviced by an etech dealer , boat needs seats and carpet and some buffing on top deck, motor read out will be available to me $13,000 I see these 2003 rangers going in the low 20's , it is worth it ?

Maybe I'm missing it but you still haven't mentioned what HP the E-TEC is.
Running it slow if it's a V-4 that has a exhaust valve is BAD Very Bad and this valve will not open at RPM's under 4k and will get stuck in the closed position. NOT GOOD.

The E-TEC 2 stroke outboard is a fantastic outboard that will run and run and run on good ethanol free gas. These motors are designed to be run hard and fast. Babying it is generally not a good way to treat this outboard.

But if it's a good one you will blow away all similar hp 4 stroke motors.

[unknown angler]

I ran an E-Tec for ten years before it went South, one thing to consider is you might have service close to home but if you are away from home on a fishing trip and need service you may be out of luck. Merc and Yamaha dealers are everywhere.

[lisa1117]

2003 Ranger 521, Fortrex 36LB, trailer , 2011 etec evinrude totally checked out and seviced by an etech dealer , boat needs seats and carpet and some buffing on top deck, motor read out will be available to me $13,000 I see these 2003 rangers going in the low 20's , it is worth it ?

It's worth it as long as it's in good shape. Seems like a lot of boat for 13k. The Etec will run good until it doesn't. At that point you have a decision to repair, replace, or sell the hull and get a new boat. The insurance estimate for the lower unit on my 08 ETEC was $9800.00. I took the money and ran. One tip would on the older boat is to get declared value insurance. Good luck!

[BigFishSteve]

Easy. If you buy it, you can probably find another buyer later.

[Bryanmc57]

If it’s still running and hasn’t presented the owner any challenges, then those engines seem to last well. Of course be sure you have local service that will deal with the engine.

Getting someone to work on one around here is difficult. Some of the previous dealers won't even look at it if they didn't sell it.

[Schultz]

I love my etec and wouldn't be afraid to get another. Replacement parts are still being produced but the only issue you may have is getting them in a hurry.

[RangrSkipr]

I really hate these threads

In the last 5 years BBC intel has convinced me that my GMC 6.2 and my ETEC probably aren't worth a damn and are going to blow up. Run Away!

All I can say is they are both still running great. Bought the truck new in 19 with absolutely no problems, but yeah, its only got 48K on it so who knows when or if?

I'm the second owner of an 06 ETEC 200HO. I estimate it has around 650 hours on it. I really need to find and purchase a computer interface for this motor if anyone knows what I need to buy. Anyway, the ETEC runs like a like a singer sewing machine and is strong. First crank every season doesn't even make a full rotation before it starts and never misses a lick though-out the season.

I completely understand the maybe concerning maybe justified comments with regards to parts and service availability for these motors but I have had no problems acquiring normal maintenance parts that I address on my own. Having said this I'm prepared to run it until, or if, it ever takes a crap and either sell it and get a newer boat or re-power. TBD. The closest rude shop to me is 50 miles away.

As mentioned above, if anyone has a recommendation for a ETEC computer interface kit to a Mac laptop I would be interested in hearing it. There are just too many on the net for me to understand what I need.

IMG_5511.jpg

[mactlman]

I really hate these threads

In the last 5 years BBC intel has convinced me that my GMC 6.2 and my ETEC probably aren't worth a damn and are going to blow up. Run Away!

All I can say is they are both still running great. Bought the truck new in 19 with absolutely no problems, but yeah, its only got 48K on it so who knows when or if?

I'm the second owner of an 06 ETEC 200HO. I estimate it has around 650 hours on it. I really need to find and purchase a computer interface for this motor if anyone knows what I need to buy. Anyway, the ETEC runs like a like a singer sewing machine and is strong. First crank every season doesn't even make a full rotation before it starts and never misses a lick though-out the season.

I completely understand the maybe concerning maybe justified comments with regards to parts and service availability for these motors but I have had no problems acquiring normal maintenance parts that I address on my own. Having said this I'm prepared to run it until, or if, it ever takes a crap and either sell it and get a newer boat or re-power. TBD. The closest rude shop to me is 50 miles away.

As mentioned above, if anyone has a recommendation for a ETEC computer interface kit to a Mac laptop I would be interested in hearing it. There are just too many on the net for me to understand what I need.

IMG_5511.jpg

Evinrude Diagnostic kit + EvDiag

[TNsmalliesfan]

There is a reason why they sit and sit and sit in the for sale listings

[jcdogfish]

A 20 year old motor in any brand is a crap shoot. Especially if the engine manufacturer is out of the marine industry now. You may be able to justify rebuilding one of the other brands but fact is there is a lot smaller market for a rebuilt etec than the others. If its priced where you can figure in at least a used newer engine in case anything goes south it may be worth rolling the dice. If buying a 20 year old engine is already stretching the budget I would be looking at something smaller and newer for the price range.

[JJohnSind]

Not even talking about the engine (which would be a hard pass for me), “needing some buffing on the top deck” is not a well taken care of boat, at the very least, not “in great shape”, in my opinion. If the price was low enough to cover a catastrophic repair, I might consider it IF the hull was immaculate. It doesn’t sound like that, in this case.

[DaveBrabec]

Have several friends running them with no issues. But no dealer or service center around here

[gaston13]

Are there used Yamaha or Mercs out there definitely am not in the market for a new one

Check with Richard at Mare of Aquia Va.

[apenland01]

your chances of having one of these motors turn out good are better buying scratch offs there are 2 things that lowers the market price of a bass boat one is a adjustable aluminum trailer the other is a etech.

By adjustable aluminum trailer, do you mean a bolt up trailer? Why would that be a negative?

[Graphfish1]

RUN



RUN

[Highcentered]

My honest opinion...what's the boat and trailer worth? Maybe another grand on top of that for the motor. Be ready to repower with a different brand at any time. Or you might bet lucky and that motor will survive the apocalypse alongside roaches and Kieth Richards.

[kry29]

Motor aside, it doesnt seem like it was very well taken care of. My experience with boats that need buffing arent very good, and always end up more trouble trying to keep the gel good than its worth. If the gel was good and it just needed seats or carpet then i would say it was a good deal as long as the motor checked out. Im very iffy on etechs but i think they can be good motors. You would just have to go in knowing that it could be sooner rather than later that you need to buy another motor, which could be the same with any motor. Honestly, theres no way i would buy a used SHO without a ton of warranty either. Those things cost so much to fix if they blow i just dont think its worth it.

[bass.man65]

Where is this boat located

[1BADAIR]

I loved my Etec while it was under warranty. It lost an injector and blew on a 22 mile run. After that none of the replacement power heads lasted more than 20 hours . I switched to merc

[Engelmeyer]

The issue isn't really reliability. We all may have our opinions, and 500 hours isn't great. But, with that being said, all marine engines are 50/50. Some will blow way too soon, others will last way beyond their intended lifespan. Of course, good service and warranty can help spin the odds in your favor. The real question here is in regard to parts/service along with resale. You could buy the same identical boat, with an Opti or HPDI/OX66 and still have the engine blow on day number one. However, the difference is with a Mercury/Yamaha there are parts readily available. With an E-Tec it's hard to say, maybe? Along with, most major shops will work on Merc/Yamaha. With an E-Tec it is still a maybe? This is an example for present day, eventually all parts resources for all engines from this time period will dry up.

The final bit to look at is resale. While all boats will depreciate as the get older. You have to keep in mind what selling that boat would look like in the next five to ten years. Most likely by that point the choices for Evinrude parts/service will be even slimmer. This directly will affect your re-sale. "If it is worth it" is a matter of your personal opinion. But you have to be aware of the facts in the situation.

I've heard Evinrude (Post 2020) success stories, but also some disaster stories. A good example I refer to often is a friend that opted to purchase a 2016 520 with an Evinrude E-Tec (100 Hours), owned by an elderly gentleman and barely ran hard. On his 3rd trip out, the powerhead blew. This was in 2022, but he took it to a shop that was mainly Evinrude/Ranger prior to the closing of Evinrude. They said no problem, we will order a powerhead and get it replaced. Slowly, one month turned into two, and then so on. Finally, after 8 months the shop contacted him and said they weren't able to find one. He ended up selling just the hull for a good loss.