I am looking at a 208 grady with a 2012 200 HO evinrude Etec motor. Price is set high but would fit my needs perfect. But am i investing in a sinking ship with that motor.
Any inputs please.
Any inputs please.
Buy a Grady with a 2012 Etec are pass? Any input please
- Thread starter Roadworker
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wahoo33417
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FWIW: A friend of mine worked at the Evinrude test facility here in Stuart, FL for many years, overlapping your 2012 engines. They would run engines at or near max rpm for days (maybe weeks?) at a time, leaving them running on a bracket in the water when they went home at night, to rack up hundreds, if not a thousand, hours of high rpm use. They would sometimes even have another brand running side-by-side. Then they tore them down to see the wear points.
His opinion was that the Etecs they tested would hold up as well as anything else under normal recreational use, although Yamaha's four-strokes often outlasted them in stress tests. But, he emphasized, they put the engines through more than any recreational boater would and he had high confidence in the engines. So much so that he was quite unhappy with me when I repowered with a Yamaha through my Grady dealer - who only carried Yamahas.
We occassionally got to take Sea-Doo's out on a weekend when they needed to put hours on them. There was always one two-stroke BRP Sea-Doo and somebody else's four-stroke version like a jet-ski. And the two-stroke would run circles around the four stroke in that application, proving his point about two-stroke superiority.
He even designed and built a setup where they could leave an engine (maybe a new 250?) running inside for the duration of the Miami Boat Show. I was impressed with how quiet it was.
It was only towards the end of Evinrude's life when Covid hit in 2020 that he began complaining of the quality control of the internal parts coming out of Mexico. He was frustrated that they were occassionally documenting premature failure and headquaters in Illinois didn't seem to want to act to improve the quality control.
Hopefully we'll hear from a number of owners with first hand experience. If they say the engines are great, I'll be sure to tell my friend.
Just curious, how many hours on the engines?
Tx, Rob
His opinion was that the Etecs they tested would hold up as well as anything else under normal recreational use, although Yamaha's four-strokes often outlasted them in stress tests. But, he emphasized, they put the engines through more than any recreational boater would and he had high confidence in the engines. So much so that he was quite unhappy with me when I repowered with a Yamaha through my Grady dealer - who only carried Yamahas.
We occassionally got to take Sea-Doo's out on a weekend when they needed to put hours on them. There was always one two-stroke BRP Sea-Doo and somebody else's four-stroke version like a jet-ski. And the two-stroke would run circles around the four stroke in that application, proving his point about two-stroke superiority.
He even designed and built a setup where they could leave an engine (maybe a new 250?) running inside for the duration of the Miami Boat Show. I was impressed with how quiet it was.
It was only towards the end of Evinrude's life when Covid hit in 2020 that he began complaining of the quality control of the internal parts coming out of Mexico. He was frustrated that they were occassionally documenting premature failure and headquaters in Illinois didn't seem to want to act to improve the quality control.
Hopefully we'll hear from a number of owners with first hand experience. If they say the engines are great, I'll be sure to tell my friend.
Just curious, how many hours on the engines?
Tx, Rob
Only partially relevant, but the 2014 Etec I had on my non-Grady 21 cc was a great motor. The boat it’s on is now for sale (a Padebco 21) and the fact that Evenrude is no longer will knock down the price a bit, but I (and my yard) still think it’s a good motor.
Replaced by a 2024 Freedom 255, just delivered (with twin Yamaha 200s).
Replaced by a 2024 Freedom 255, just delivered (with twin Yamaha 200s).
Mustang65fbk
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No personal experience here, though a buddy does have twin 115's I believe on his 23' Wooldridge Pilothouse and he's had a few issues with them in the last several years. I don't know the vintage, probably around late 2000's/early 2010's, but he's replaced both lower units at least twice, the last time because there was saltwater flooding them. This last summer he didn't even launch his boat because I guess he needed new flywheels for the outboards, but with the parts being so hard to find, I guess it's like a 6 month wait to get them? My thoughts on the matter would be... how much is the boat and what's the actual condition of the motor? If it's say $20k-$25k+, I think I'd honestly pass on it altogether as you can a 228 Seafarer in the same vintage oftentimes with a 4 stroke motor on it for around that price. Besides the cost, the actual condition of the outboard is going to be very important. If you're seriously interested in the boat, I'd take it to a mechanic that knows what he's doing and is familiar with the ETEC motors, see how the motor actually runs/operates and go from there. If it gets a clean bill of health, maybe buy it and run the boat for a couple of years, then see how you feel at that time, see if your boating needs change, if you're wanting something bigger, 4 stroke power, etc. Your post is somewhat vague and doesn't exactly give us much to go off of without some more information, otherwise we're just going to be speculating over here. I think the best thing you can do is figure out exactly what model(s) of boat you want, a max price for your budget, features/options for it, how far you're willing to travel for it, etc. Per your profile, it says you're located in Long Island, of which I imagine with it being essentially mid October that you won't get much use out of the boat this season? I'd take the winter, wait for prices to drop down a bit, see if the boat is still available in the spring, or look at others, etc. As opposed to buying the boat that's admittedly overpriced and then sitting on it all winter before you can use it next spring/summer. I know it sucks waiting for something, I waited just over a year before eventually finding my boat, but being patient and finding the right boat for the right price is a reward in and of itself. Good luck!