RIP Evinrude - The Last of the 2-Stroke Outboards

"BahamaTodd" (bahamatodd) 05/27/2020 at 20:39 • Filed to: evinrude

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Company discontinues the manufacturing of outboard engines and agrees with market leader Mercury Marine to support boat packages.

Valcourt, Quebec, May 27, 2020 – BRP (TSX: DOO; NASDAQ: DOOO) announced today it has re-oriented its marine business by focusing on the growth of its boat brands with new technology and innovative marine products. We will discontinue production of Evinrude E-TEC and E-TEC G2 outboard engines. Our Sturtevant, WI, facility, will be repurposed for new projects to pursue our plan to provide consumers with an unparalleled experience on the water.

We remain committed to our Buy, Build, Transform Marine strategy which has been underway since 2018 with the acquisition of Alumacraft and Manitou boat companies in the U.S., followed by the acquisition of Australian boat manufacturer Telwater in 2019.

“Our outboard engines business has been greatly impacted by COVID-19, obliging us to discontinue production of our outboard motors immediately. This business segment had already been facing some challenges and the impact from the current context has forced our hand,” said José Boisjoli, President and CEO of BRP. “We will concentrate our efforts on new and innovative technologies and on the development of our boat companies, where we continue to see a lot of potential to transform the on-water experience for consumers,” he added.

Discontinuing outboard engine business and signing an agreement with Mercury Marine

Following our decision to discontinue E-TEC and E-TEC G2 outboard engines, we have signed an agreement with market leader Mercury Marine to support boat packages and continue to supply outboard engines to our boat brands.

We will continue to supply customers and our dealer network service parts and will honour our manufacturer limited warranties, plus offer select programs to manage inventory. These decisions will impact 650 employees globally.

jminer > BahamaTodd 05/27/2020 at 20:52

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I’ll admit I didn’t realize they still made outboards. Hadn’t seen a new one in years. I have owned a couple l ate 50' s/early 60's Evinrude/Johnson V4 two stroke beasts. They drank gas and belched smoke like it was going out of style but they screamed beautifully and pumped out power very nicely. They even had an awesome name, the 50HP was a ‘Super Sea Horse’.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 05/27/2020 at 21:06

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They’re still a big thing anywhere with salt water, but they’re almost entirely 4-stroke engines now (some based on  auto blocks).

functionoverfashion > BahamaTodd 05/27/2020 at 21:17

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nnnnoooooo!!! I wasn’t ever a huge fanboy but those were some fantastic engines on the small end. Sometimes the best answer for certain smaller boats, like 13' whalers. 25hp 4-strokes are just too heavy.

Also the first outboard I had was an Evinrude from the 50's... so I guess there is some sentimental value there... 

jminer > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 05/27/2020 at 21:23

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I also am very much not the target demographic for a new outboard. I sold my last boat that had one a couple years ago and ~10 years ago when I last looked at a new one in best buy when I wandered through that part of the store said ‘hello no I’m not paying that much for a new outboard’

Also all of my boating the last few years has been paddle based...

EngineerWithTools > BahamaTodd 05/27/2020 at 21:34

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Well, rats.

I’ve been happy to see more family day boats with outboards, and many of those with Evinrudes . They just make so much more sense than mechanically complicated, difficult to winterize, heavy and hull-space-consuming stern drives. (I know because I have a stern drive.) The only real trade off is reduced swim platform space, but some manufacturers have been very creative with the platforms.

Anyway. Back to 90% Mercury outboards, I guess.

CB > BahamaTodd 05/27/2020 at 21:41

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That’s crappy, but understandable.

Outboard Johnsons for the win, though.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > BahamaTodd 05/27/2020 at 22:55

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Forgive my ignorance on this topic, as my entire experience with outboard motors comes from my 85 year old dad and his mid 60's Mercury outboard on a 16' Alumicraft boat. Would electric motors be a viable alternative for some applications? It seems you could get 2 - 3 hours of run time out of a decent battery pack, and most boats don’t run constantly anyway. Maybe some sort of hybrid system? I’m just spit balling, and drinking a glass full of Scotch. Please ignore if its just a stupid idea.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > BahamaTodd 05/28/2020 at 00:01

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We had an outboa rd 2-stroke Evinrude 130 on our family boat and it ran for 16 years (1999-2015) with no issues. Great motor.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 05/28/2020 at 00:02

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moving through water is EXTREMELY inefficient . So much drag.

gmctavish needs more space > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 05/28/2020 at 00:51

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There are some companies working on electric drivetrains for boats, but they’re very expensive. You need lots of room for batteries, solar panels are a good idea, and you generally want a gas or diesel engine as a backup anyways for when you run out of juice. The ones I’ve looked into can be optioned with a diesel generator to charge the batteries along with solar panels. Small electric outboards have been a thing for a while, just running off car batteries. A lake I used to go to once a year had them for rent for their rowboats, you’d get a half hour of run time from a car battery or two iirc, but that was years ago.

functionoverfashion > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 05/28/2020 at 06:17

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They do exist, but indeed, it’s still very expensive for limited range compared to a gas engine. I can run around my lake recklessly all day long on my 37 gallon tank. However, there are plenty of applications where electric would work fine. https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > EngineerWithTools 05/28/2020 at 08:32

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Not to mention most stern drive engines are buried in the deck and difficult to do any sort of maintenance on. My last boat was a stern drive and I’ve sworn that my next boat is going to be either an outboard or an inboard ski boat where the engine is easily accessible .

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > CB 05/28/2020 at 08:35

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So what you’re saying is you like to have a Johnson hanging on your back....

jimz > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 05/28/2020 at 09:03

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so much drag and almost zero chance for regenerative energy recovery.  

Future next gen S2000 owner > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 05/28/2020 at 10:18

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It’s not a bad idea. Electric motors have the low torque required for a good hole shot.

The down side, and killer really, is the energy density of batteries versus gas. The batteries weigh just so much and weigh is a much bigger issue on water versus on land. Water a a metric fuckton more drag than air.

You can buy a fully electric boat now. It’s just really expensive and heavy. A 18 runabout bowrider with a gas engine can be readily towed with most SUV’s and mid size truck. Not so with an electric boat.

https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us/products/outboards

https://www.boattrader.com/resources/hybrid-and-electric-boats/

Future next gen S2000 owner > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 05/28/2020 at 10:20

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I prefer my Johnsons big and powerful and beefy.

Future next gen S2000 owner > functionoverfashion 05/28/2020 at 10:21

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I delved pretty deep into the latest and greatest G2's versus comparable 4 stroke. Pro’s and con’s to each. Good motor s though.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > BahamaTodd 05/28/2020 at 14:35

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*pours out some pre-mix*

...into the waterway

Mane > BahamaTodd 05/28/2020 at 14:44

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It was coming. Yamaha and Suzuki 4t dominate the outboard world now.

For everyone who hasn’t seen outboards in a while... ya’ll must be freshwater folks. Saltwater is typically all outboards, unless the boat is big enough for a diesel.

Pickup_man > Mane 05/28/2020 at 15:17

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Not even freshwater folks, they must live under rocks. Outboards are still the default choice for every fishing boat that I can think of. I think I’ve only ever seen one inboard fishing boat, (an old Lund).  

Mane > Pickup_man 05/28/2020 at 15:55

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You ain’ t wrong

BahamaTodd > Mane 05/28/2020 at 17:57

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Up to the 30ft range outboards was the norm. B ut now the 40ft+ have mostly gone to outboards now that they have higher power outboards and can fit triples or quads. My brother is making a killing servicing boats like those .

Mane > BahamaTodd 05/28/2020 at 18:24

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I’m on the gulf coast. We see those 1200hp quad rigs on the regular. Crazy. 

BahamaTodd > Mane 05/28/2020 at 19:21

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Now they’re up to this 65' Hydra Sports that can handle up to 6 engines. This is 5 Seven 627's (3135 hp)

Mane > BahamaTodd 05/28/2020 at 19:31

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That’s insane. 

functionoverfashion > BahamaTodd 05/29/2020 at 13:23

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That was one of my first thoughts when I started seeing big multi-O/B applications. “4 impellers, 4 lower units, 4 oil changes, 24 -32 spark plugs...” etc, etc. not to mention the integrated controls. Crazy stuff. 

BahamaTodd > functionoverfashion 05/29/2020 at 17:34

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Pretty much. Here’s a triple service he did. You can see the lower unit holders he made.

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gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > BahamaTodd 05/29/2020 at 18:57

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Its just nuts how much they cost. A buddy was looking at a boat, that had 2 300hp hondas and chating about prices, and I guessed in my head 10k an engine. nuts they’re each the price of an accord.