Outboard Shoot-out

Volume 18
•
Number 3
•
March 2005

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Outboard Shoot-out

We test three 250-hp outboards on three identical boats. The Mercury Verado four-stroke, with its quiet and efficient mid-range operation, comes out on top, followed by the Yamaha four-stroke and the Evinrude E-TEC.

We tested the identical Wellcraft 232 Fisherman center consoles on the same day, one after the other. Each boat had a full tank of gas and the same amount of gear and the same skipper and crew.

We stood on the dock, rubbing our palms together, licking our chops, and trying hard not to drool. This is what engine testers dream of. Before us, floating perfectly in three adjacent slips, were three identical 23-foot center console boats with three of the biggest, baddest outboards around: Two four-strokes—Mercury’s Verado and the Yamaha F250—and a direct-fuel-injected two-stroke, the Evinrude E-TEC. All were 250 horsepower.

Which engine is the fastest? Which is the quietest? Which is the most economical to run at cruising speed? How’d the two-stroke do against the four-strokes? We found out. …

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