Opti max vs 4stroke

[D river]

I'm in the market for a new plate boat at the moment and I keep hearing how good these opti max are on fuel. Does any1 own 1 and know how there fuel economy is. I'm still undecided weather to go with the opti or a 4stroke. The price is not a problem I'm after fuel economy and performance. Feed back from boat owners about there set ups is what I'm chasing. Thanks.

[J2DAG83]

Hey Mate...

Have a 3 year old 175 opti on a 6.4m sportsfish platey..... In the right conditions (slight chop) i can sit on 4200rpm getting 2km per litre at around 50km/h.

Generally speaking though as an average it seems to be doing around 1.5km per litre... majority of trips we've done are around the 120 - 140km mark and we always seem to use 70 - 80 litres.... the good thing is this remains the same whether there's 2 people on board with no fish or 5 people on board with a couple hundred pound of fish.

Hope this helps.

[PADDLES]

do you want to keep an 2 stroke oil tank full or change the engine oil each service, that's really the only difference these days

[smashed crabs]

Gday D river

I had a 135 Opti converted to 150 , never seen a better motor on fuel and power .

A 150 Opti has more snot than a 150 four stroke when you look at the power to weight of the two

The Opti has big balls , weighs less and has the fuel economy of a four stroke if not better!!

The only complaint i can make about the Opti is the noise , if your boat is open then it's not a problem but if you have a full lenght canopy you might want to wear ear plugs

Cheers SC

[Moffy]

Other factor is noise - mate I fish with has a 135 Opti and it is LOUD - though it is on an older boat with low slung motor well instead of transom to block some of the noise - but its a factor worth considering - much nicer IMO to have something you can hardly hear at idle and is still noticeably quieter at full noise.

you'll still get 2 stroke oil smoke/smell as well with an opti - another factor to consider

[wrxhoon]

I have a 200 Opti on my 2002WA Trophy , all up on sea weight around the 2200-2500 kg, depending on gear fuel and people on board.
My average fuel consumption is one mile per lt ( 1.6 km), this includes harbour running, trolling , downrigging and open sea, some times I cover well over 120 miles . I run at 4500 rpm in the harbour and anything up to that weather permiting outside.
I have tried several props and fuel use will vary a lot with different props, diameter, pitch and prop make will make a difference . The best prop i found for ecconomy is a merc Enertia 18" pitch, the best outside prop I found is a merc Vensura 4 blade 19" pitch, she holds plane at lower speed and ups the bow more than any other prop I have tried in this boat. I may say I get about the same 5500-5600 rpm with either prop at WOT.
I have smartcaft gauges that shows average fuel use and instant fuel use , they are that good , when i fill the boat I know exacly how much she will take within a couple of ltrs.
Opti will be a lot louder than a 4 banger at idle and low RPM , not much difference at full noise though.
Opti uses less fuel at low rpm ( downrigging I use 1.4 ltrs per hour) a little more fuel than a 4 banger at mid range and again less at full noise.
Opti has a lot more torque ( hence the taller ratio box) and produces its max power a lot lower than 4 strokes, only Verado will come close ( supercharged).
She uses oil just like a normal old school 2 strokes, depending on use about 10 ltrs per 40 hours for me, more if you run full noise all the time, less with more low PRM use. Oil is not cheap, I buy mine in 10lts and pay $115. You will never see any smoke while running at sea but you may notice some smell at times. When flashing at home with muffs you wont see any smoke either unless you pump the throttle then you will see a puff.
She has fewer parts to service than a 4 banger and no moving parts on the cyl head, just like old 2 bangers you can leave it not running for a couple years and then just start her up, you can't do that with 4 st outboards .

If you use the boat every day or more than 3 times per week buy a 4 banger if not Opti will suit you .

They have had some problems in the past with compressors going bang but mostly on very early models do a google and you will find plenty on them in USA as well as boat tests with them.

I don't know what size boat or what size outboard you are looking at but if you are looking at a V6 don't buy the 135, they are to heavy for the HP , same weight as 175. In any case you should go at or close to the max hp for your boat so you don't have to work it hard to achieve the desired speed.

[Noelm]

biggest problem I can see for you is that you live in QLD, a 2 stroke will be the odd man out up there (for some reason) the further south you go the more 2 strokes you will see I am in the middle and see about a 50 50 ratio of 2's to 4's and way down in Vic the 2 strokes rule, now why that is the case in anyones guess. I have noticed, and this is not based on any scientific data, but in QLD Yamaha is the most seen motor, and 4 strokes will be maybe 70%. In mid NSW the motors are very mixed brands and operating principal (2 and 4 stroke) all brands are represented reasonably well, with Suzuki making big inroads, and down south, the e-tec and Suzuki seem to be the big sellers. Now none of that stuff has helped you decide on what to buy, and has sort of got off track a bit, but what I was getting at was, either motor will serve you well, flip a coin or let the price and the dealer service decide for you.

[TimiBoy]

Mate, if money's not the object, and you are near a Merc Dealer (or why would you want an Opti?) have a real good look at an L4 Verado, and include power steering (an option on the L4, standard on the 6's).

You won't believe how reliable, quiet, economical and powerful it is. No oil to stuff around with, and ethanol compatible.

Cheers,

Tim

[robothefisho]

135 Opti on 610 makocraft was getting 2.2-2.3km/litre at 23 knots. Noisey at idle, cruising revs in sweet spot not any louder then the 140 suzuki and the opti's have far more grunt. Smartcraft guages are brilliant, smoke isn't an issue and you rarely notice it.

[D river]

Hey thanks to all for your advice ey the boat I'm looking at is a 6.3m plate boat with the 175 opti and the dealer is guna match it with a prop for me when its fully loaded on the test drive. Hoping to get 400k out of its 200L tank

[Flex]

I have a 175DI evinrude and I wouldnt own a large engine DI 2 stroke again.
The fuel economy is great, its reliable and powerful but..

The hassle of managing Oil really puts me off.
If your a heavy user the Oil cost will outweigh servicing costs by far. Not to mention the hassle of 1 more thing to manage and keep track of.

I burn through 3-4l of fuel per 200l of fuel, so every few weeks im having to head down and buy a new barrel, also carry extra onboard,
I do run XD-50 which is painful to source in central QLD so thats most of my issue, if you live close to a good dealer and get the oil easy it may not be an issue for you.

I've also had the low oil light come on mid trip home in some really rough weather, so I had to stop in 3m swell and try and top the oil up, ended spilling more than I got in.

[OPTI]

go the opti ,cheapest to own period.

[lou reed]

hey the reason why we run fourstrokes up here is because we are smarter then cockroaches and mexicans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SIMPLE AS THAT.

[robothefisho]

A bit sloooooower though.

[marty666]

I have a 175DI evinrude and I wouldnt own a large engine DI 2 stroke again.
The fuel economy is great, its reliable and powerful but..

The hassle of managing Oil really puts me off.
If your a heavy user the Oil cost will outweigh servicing costs by far. Not to mention the hassle of 1 more thing to manage and keep track of.

I burn through 3-4l of fuel per 200l of fuel, so every few weeks im having to head down and buy a new barrel, also carry extra onboard,
I do run XD-50 which is painful to source in central QLD so thats most of my issue, if you live close to a good dealer and get the oil easy it may not be an issue for you.

I've also had the low oil light come on mid trip home in some really rough weather, so I had to stop in 3m swell and try and top the oil up, ended spilling more than I got in.

my 2010 opti has only used 1/2 a tank of oil over 14.5 hours and that is including the run in phase where it injects more oil. nice an quite lots of grunt and the thing weighs less that a 4 stroke, uses 2.8L/klm at 21 knot, 115hp on a tournament 1750 i also have the smart gauge very good bit of kit

[finding_time]

. Hoping to get 400k out of its 200L tank

I dont think so! With that sized rig and motor set up i think 320 km on a 200l tank will be more realistic, and i may be being optimistic myself.;)

[Dodgy_Back]

I have had a 150 opti for 3 years/ 375hrs now and have barely had a problem. If I had to buy a new motor I would go and get another opti, no question.

[wrxhoon]

Hey thanks to all for your advice ey the boat I'm looking at is a 6.3m plate boat with the 175 opti and the dealer is guna match it with a prop for me when its fully loaded on the test drive. Hoping to get 400k out of its 200L tank

I think you are very optimistic, you would go close to 320km with 200 lts but don't forget you need some reserve as well.

Have a look at this third party test, the boat is lighter that yours, its a river V bottom ally :
http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/engine-tests/third-party/?ID=71&64342.43644524429

This one is closer to the mark as far as weight goes but she only has a 150 Opti and its in house test : She gets 1.2 miles per lt but its probably light weighted with minimal fuel and load spinning a 17" Enertia prop, I found this prop to be the most fuel efficient for my boat .

http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/engine-tests/boat-house-bulletin/?ID=193&8929.951658066642


And one for a Verado 200 hp :
http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/engine-tests/boat-house-bulletin/?ID=194&64342.43644524429

[brisbane_boy]

The 4 is my choice, less oil hassels.

[wrxhoon]

Fished on a boat with a opti recently, prev was a few yrs prior, they havnt changed much, still stink like a 2 stroke and fair amount of noise. overall performance was good but couldnt notice anything improved over a 4s, oh yeh oil was low at the ramp so had to go back to servo for a extra bottle, lost half an hr.


You can't buy Opti oil at a servo mate , thats why she stinks !! Probably using TCW3 oil , a sure way to stuff it up.

[rodneyk]

there is two types of outboard owners 4 stoke owners and those who wish they did go and count at the ramp saturday and sunday how many large hp optis that should tell the story ;D