steplift20
God
A crab boat? What’s a crab boat, what are you doing to make it a boat for crabbing?
Who’s got the oldest V boat ?
- Thread starter Deepdrop2*
- Start date
dmoore
Senior Member
I restored this 74 V-20 around 2000. Designed and had he hard top built by a couple guys in Chesapeake Va. I al;ways thought it was the oldest V-20 on this forum. Original gelcoat.
phatdaddy
God
Hey CrabingV20, Like Step, am interested in what type of crabbing ur doing. We do walking for Blue Crab & put out Stone crab traps in the winter. Also walk the beaches for Calico in the fall. All recreational, not commercial. The V is a lotta room for a 20 ft boat. We used to have a commercial guy on here that ran stone crab traps in the keys out of his. I think his name was Snoozer.
steplift20
God
Hey dmoore your not an idiot you just made a bad decision but buying Bgreene s boat was a smart one. If it runs as good as it looks. You hit a home run. We all do things that we regret but think of it this way,the boat you sold gave someone very happy if I got a boat like a new V21 or 20 I would be happy
spareparts
God
buying something with an etec is never a good idea, unless you're ready to repower
dmoore
Senior Member
When the day comes I'm ready. For right now this 200 H.O. is a beast that pushes the 21 to 49 mph on GPS with half tank and just me. It idles like an angry bobcat with zero smoke cold or hot. The 300 hour maintenance is a MUST. Guy's who neglect it are the ones who find themselves re-powering way before it's time. I was going to secure this boat regardless of what engine it had. Try and locate one of these in this condition.......I'll wait.
spareparts
God
I've got 38 years working on marine engines, there's a reason they stopped building etecs
ctmv20
New member
Here is an interesting perspective on what killed the ETEC from Fred Kiekhaefer, the former president of Mercury Racing:
But there is much more to the story of the demise of Evinrude than COVID-19 economics. For decades, the brand struggled to find its footing with its two-stroke offerings, Meanwhile, Mercury Marine and Mercury Racing in Fond du Lac, Wis., were releasing game-changing four-stroke products, most recently a V-8 outboard line that has become the primary platform for new releases. Yamaha isn’t going anywhere, either, thanks to a stable of great four-stroke products and a massive loyal following of saltwater fishermen. (As for Seven Marine, which was purchased by Volvo Penta in 2017, who knows?)
To provide perspective far more credible and better-informed than my own, I reached out to Fred Kiekhaefer, the former president of Mercury Racing. If anyone knows the history of marine propulsion on the technical and economic sides, it is Kiekhaefer.
“I’m am sorry to hear Evinrude’s gone,” he said. “Back in the 1980s, my company machined gearcases for OMC (Outboard Marine Corporation) and their big Evinrudes—that work kept my company alive during earlier, difficult times before we were acquired by Brunswick. Today, the dealers and employees are the ones who will suffer the Evinrude brand’s demise. Sadly, it is not of their doing. Rather, it is the ultimate result of choices made by OMC and BRP leadership, and our government regulators, going back a long way.
“When outboards became regulated for emissions, all brands in the marine propulsion world were challenged,” he continued. “Mercury, Johnson and Evinrude— in particular—struggled with the engineering and economics of compliance. Mercury moved to first OptiMax direct-injection two-strokes, then briefly Yamaha-sourced four-strokes. Next came Verado and finally the current generation of four-strokes. OMC committed to Ficht direct-injection, then to E-Tec—and both were two-strokes. OptiMax had issues. Ficht was a disaster.”
Kiekhaefer and his fellow decision-makers saw the future, and the future was four-stroke outboards.
“Internally at Mercury, I argued that only four-stroke technology could win with long-term emissions compliance,” he said. “Fortunately, Mercury pursued four-strokes and executed brilliantly. BRP stuck with two-strokes. That difference in choices is—in my opinion—what killed the Johnson brand a while back and hurt Evinrude irreparably today. COVID-19 is just the final nail.”
www.speedonthewater.com
But there is much more to the story of the demise of Evinrude than COVID-19 economics. For decades, the brand struggled to find its footing with its two-stroke offerings, Meanwhile, Mercury Marine and Mercury Racing in Fond du Lac, Wis., were releasing game-changing four-stroke products, most recently a V-8 outboard line that has become the primary platform for new releases. Yamaha isn’t going anywhere, either, thanks to a stable of great four-stroke products and a massive loyal following of saltwater fishermen. (As for Seven Marine, which was purchased by Volvo Penta in 2017, who knows?)
To provide perspective far more credible and better-informed than my own, I reached out to Fred Kiekhaefer, the former president of Mercury Racing. If anyone knows the history of marine propulsion on the technical and economic sides, it is Kiekhaefer.
“I’m am sorry to hear Evinrude’s gone,” he said. “Back in the 1980s, my company machined gearcases for OMC (Outboard Marine Corporation) and their big Evinrudes—that work kept my company alive during earlier, difficult times before we were acquired by Brunswick. Today, the dealers and employees are the ones who will suffer the Evinrude brand’s demise. Sadly, it is not of their doing. Rather, it is the ultimate result of choices made by OMC and BRP leadership, and our government regulators, going back a long way.
“When outboards became regulated for emissions, all brands in the marine propulsion world were challenged,” he continued. “Mercury, Johnson and Evinrude— in particular—struggled with the engineering and economics of compliance. Mercury moved to first OptiMax direct-injection two-strokes, then briefly Yamaha-sourced four-strokes. Next came Verado and finally the current generation of four-strokes. OMC committed to Ficht direct-injection, then to E-Tec—and both were two-strokes. OptiMax had issues. Ficht was a disaster.”
Kiekhaefer and his fellow decision-makers saw the future, and the future was four-stroke outboards.
“Internally at Mercury, I argued that only four-stroke technology could win with long-term emissions compliance,” he said. “Fortunately, Mercury pursued four-strokes and executed brilliantly. BRP stuck with two-strokes. That difference in choices is—in my opinion—what killed the Johnson brand a while back and hurt Evinrude irreparably today. COVID-19 is just the final nail.”
What Really Killed Evinrude
At its essence, capitalism is unapologetically Darwinian. There are exceptions, of course, but most small and large businesses thrive or wither on their own merits. Success isn’t owed, much less guaranteed. You have to earn it. Or perish. Still, like many industry observers I was […]
www.speedonthewater.com
spareparts
God
one thing that people don't realize is BRP at one time offered ETEC engine across the board in their company, Motorcycle, side by sides, 4 wheelers, snowmobiles, jet skis, etc... by 2010(IIRC), they were only using ETC in outboard and had gone 4 stroke in every other department. They had every opportunity to go 4 stroke on their outboards by declined to do so. When they killed the ETEC right after they offered the longest factory warranty available, they threw their dealers under the bus, and left them holding the bag. Quite a few dealers went out of business directly as a result. If you've seen the new Mannitau pontoon with the" under water" outboard, its a perfect example of what kind of decisions are being made by BRP
steplift20
God
Any engine is a good one that runs Lol . Am I the only one here who loves the 2 strokes? I love the sound and the oil burning off the exhaust and the torque I 
my 2stroke
Plus I have about 20 gallons of 2 stroke oil Great deal I got on them too
Hey spare, you have to move to New Jersey. I can’t find anyone who knows how to rebuild a simple carburetor they say they could but they can’t I had a good marine mechanic but they sold the building after the owner died and his gold digging wife took over. Oh well that’s another story.
my 2stroke Plus I have about 20 gallons of 2 stroke oil Great deal I got on them too
Hey spare, you have to move to New Jersey. I can’t find anyone who knows how to rebuild a simple carburetor they say they could but they can’t I had a good marine mechanic but they sold the building after the owner died and his gold digging wife took over. Oh well that’s another story.
spareparts
God
and no longer manufactured, warrantied, or supported
steplift20
God
I see a lot of Suzukis lately, are they good?
dmoore
Senior Member
Suzuki makes a damn good outboard. All the commercial waterman in my area have switched from Yamaha the last 5 years. Don't get me wrong. Yamaha makes a fantastic outboard. It could be due to Suzuki being the only local authorized service dealer. These guys rely heavily on service. Down time means no $$$ coming in.