2 stroke or 4

I am buying a new outboard, but on average use the boat only 1/month. Is a 2-stroke or 4-stroke the better option?

4-stroke will be cheaper to run. 2-stroke oil is expensive. If you use Stabil Marine in your fuel religiously then sitting up doesn't hurt for short terms. Keeping fuel fresh is the key.

what size motor?4 stroke will be more expensive to buy.It will take years to offset the fuel and oil savings to break even with the 4 stroke.

Since your asking about 4versus2-stroke then I imagine you have the money for what you want. You wont regret getting a 4-stoke of any size. Quiet, less exhaust smell and no oil injection to worry about breaking.

Can't go wrong with a 4 stroke these days. Less hassle and just great all around

cant beat a 4 stroke

after that I think you cant get anything better then a Yamaha 4 stroke mainly because they average 40 lbs less weight then any other motor of the same size including 2 strokes.

compare motor weights when making your choice.

all motors are so well made today you cant go wrong so the weight is the only variable that is different

Four strokes are the only way to go.

If you are only going to use the rig once per month, I would buy something used. A motor 2/3 years old is much cheaper, (unless you just have so much money you can't spend it all). Both 2/4 stroke have their pros and cons. Saltwater folks lean toward 4 strokes, freshwater folks 2 strokes. Different strokes for different folks, no pun intended.

Definitely go with the 4 stroke.

ekillian, what size motor (HP) are you looking to buy? What boat are looking to put it on?

I would look real hard at the Evinrude E-Tec. Four strokes are nice but you do have more maintenance generally and they will not compete with the performance of a two stroke. They usually weigh a tad more also. I have a friend who works on motors every day and he is not a fan at all of the four strokes.

I will second the E-Tec. They have twice the torque of a two stroke on take off because it fires every round. Top speed will be about the same if all things are equal. I have 90 that is nearly 6 years old and a 40 on a flat that is 2 years old and have been very reliable. Sips fuel,uses less oil than any two stroke ever did, just as quite, starts instantly.

its a little late now, not sure if you already bought it but let me address the question of usage.

since you said you will only be using the boat 1 month a year then the 4 stroke is the only motor that wont have issues with that.

2 strokes mix oil and gas and if it sits for a while the oil and gas mixture will cause issues in the fuel system by sitting for so long.

when I had a 2 stroke I always needed to clean the fuel system after storage but with the 4 stroke its like your car, you can let it sit for a year and turn the key and it starts good as new. my 2 strokes always developed issues from sitting up unless you spend time making sure you completely empty the fuel system before long term storage.

these observations were before the brand new problem of ethynol gas issues to consider.

The E-TEC has a sealed fuel system with direct fuel injectors. The oil does not get mixed with the fuel. It has a separate oil injector system that oils all the moving parts.