Terry's Fault has a 115 hp ETEC on a 19 ft starcraft islander.I have fished with him and can tell you that it trolls as low as 1.6 mph without doing anythig to it.He also does 33 mph at half throttle.I was so impressed at the performance of the etec(no 2 stroke smell and its quieter than my 9.9 4 stroke)that I ordered a 90 hp etec for my islander,the TURD is a little fat in the stearn and she is going on a diet.LOL.I am convinced I won't need a kicker motor when I put it on and will have the complete kicker motor setup (helm controlled)available for sale after the season is over.this will take more weight off the back.Being an aluminum boat coming in at 1900 lbs it is a lot lighter than that seaswirl is going to be,so the seaswirl should go even a little slower? and being a 2 stroke it will require less maintanence overall and will have better power coming out of the hole.My vote goes to the ETEC.good luck polebreaker
What ever you decide you will be fine yamaha is a great motor along with E-Tec in the same league. If you look around at dealerships you will see a sh#@ load of yamahas and e-tecs bolted to the transom of boats, think about it they are reliable as heck.
I have a 115 merc opitmax on 17'1/2 starcraft with trol-a-matic 1.5-53mph no problems the other brands do as well this is what was on the boat when i bought it good luck.BARRY
its still hard to beat having an added kicker motor, my 6 hp envinrude is older and noisy, but the little 4 stroke gets me almost 20 hours trolling on a three gallon tank. i wouldnt be fishing as much if i had to buy much more gas
Hi, in 2006 I purchased a 21.6 Striper Walk Around eith a 200 etec. I have had super luck withe it and love the etec. I trolled for 2 1/2 summers with the etec and have some trouble on a windy day. This summer I added a kicker with a control king throttle and it is the very best. I love it and would advise a kicker if you can afford. I had to wait to build up funds. LOL If you have more questions call me at 978 877-6645....Good luck......Doc
I like having a kicker motor for several reasons some of which have been mentioned.
1. It saves significantly on gas and practically pays for itself over time in fuel savings. Especially think back to this time last year when gas on the lake was $5 a gallon.
2. Peace of mind. If for some reason my big motor won't start I know I don't have to paddle. My kicker motor will get me back to shore. (Now if they both break on the same day you have really bad luck.)
3. Wear and Tear. I would much rather put hundreds of hours on a $1500 kicker motor than a $10,000+ Main outboard engine.
Also as a comment on the boat you are purchasing. I would think that you might find an 18' WAC a bit small if you fish with more than 1 other guy. I personally would buy something 2-4' bigger for the extra fishing room in the back. My 17' Lund is crowded with more than 2 guys fishing on it. My next boat will be bigger. Just my 2 cents on the subject.
i fished with roofy and he trolls with a 140 hp suzuki 4 stroke and also e-tecs are not recomended for long periods of low idle due to fouling plugs. yamaha or even check out the suzuki's at gillan marine thats the only way to go.
Thank you all for the great feedback so far. Much appreciated! Keep it coming if there's more out there? I think the ETec vs 4 stroke debate could go on forever!
I have a 115 Honda on a Four Winn, and have no problems going down to 1.5mph.
I had them put a different prop[ and tune it down for slow action. Unfortgunately this takes away from the high speed.
No problems in trolling.
High speed for me is 26 mph with the wind in the sails.LOL.Old smokie's absolute top end,the only speed we seem to care about is slow speed anyway.lol.polebreaker
