2-Stroke Versus 4-Stroke:- And The Winner Is…
The perennial question beckons again… the decision to purchase an outboard engine is getting more selective as technology improves. As of now the majority of consumers are faced with several options when deciding upon what kind of outboards will best suite them.
Below is a summary of the pros and cons of each type which may help you demystify some facts about them.
2-Stroke Outboards
PROS
Lighter
Accelerate Fast, In some Cases More Top End
Purchase Price Less Expensive
Easier to Repair
Have Been Around For Almost 80 Years
Very Strong Used Market
Parts Availability
High Resale Value, High Demand
Simple Design Meaning Less Things To Go Wrong –
CONS
More Pollution
Smoke
Must Mix Gas with Oil (Non Oil Injection Models)
Rougher Idle than 4 strokes
Noiser than Four Stroke Outboards
Harder to Start (in some cases)
Carburetors gum up if not used often
Spark Plug Fouling
4-Stroke Outboards
PROS
Quiet and Smooth
Good Fuel Economy
Great Trolling Motors
No Oil/Gas Mixture
Smooth Idle
Less Pollution
Future Production will Be all 4-Stroke or Similar
Very Reliable
CONS
Heavy
Often Expensive to Repair
Not As Many Trained Mechanics Yet (Growing Rapidly)
Often Expensive to Purchase
Technology Still Being Improved
Very Limited Used Market (Although Growing Rapidly)
More Parts to Malfunction (Technology Improving)
Most Not as Powerful as 2-Stroke Rated At Same HP
Harder to transport or position in storage w/o a stand
The answer to who the winner is…know your boating requirement to define what OBM suits your boat; and you are the winner.
