help my decision !!

[ttles714]

Looking at 2 boats .. same model ... one is a 2001 with twin ox66 250's .. the other is a 2004 with 2008 250 4 stroke yam. ... the later has fly by wire ... 4 strokes 700 hours ...ox66's 400 hours .... aside from the boats, any one have any feelings about the motors ??? I am skeptical of the newer for strokes and the electronic controls ..

[fairdeal]

I am skeptical of the newer four strokes and the electronic controls ..

I can appreciate that - but still;

seems unlikely that two 2001 2-smokes are going to be less trouble than one 2008 F250

obviously they must be very different boats,
or certainly perform very differently
but with the F250 you will be saving on fuel consumption and 2-stroke oil

[pstephens46]

You don't hear of many people switching from 2 stroke to 4 stroke and then back to 2 stroke. At least on larger boats.

[Jason2tpa]

Your skepticism could be because of your unfamiliarity with 4 stroke engines. The majority of the senior members on this forum service and repair their own 4 strokes. Only 1 or 2 of these members are marine mechanics, the rest amateur mechanics. So it's entirely possible for you to become intimately familiar with a 4 stroke engine if you're willing to put the time into learning.

With that said, no doubt 2 strokes are easier to troubleshoot and repair. And if well maintained through the years they will run forever. They are not as fuel efficient as 4 strokes. However, the money you save by servicing and repairing your own 2 stroke far out weighs the added fuel cost to run a 2 stroke.