I think this episode of Futurama forcasts what is going to happen.
I think this episode of Futurama forcasts what is going to happen.
chaparral said:In reply to Toyman! :
The G2 2-strokes used 75% as much fuel as their 4-stroke competitors and weighed 75% as much.
Yep, they were faster and had a better hole shot as well. But nobody wanted them after the fiasco with their early efi systems leaning out at trolling speeds and eating powerheads. That destroyed their saltwater customer base and opened the door for Yamaha. No matter how good your product is, if no one is buying, you need to change or close up shop. I was a die hard Johnson fan for a long time, but my current outboard is a Yamaha.
In reply to Toyman! :
There’s two phases of the story; OMC (Johnson / Evinrude) developed the Fitch direct injection system in the late 1990’s in anticipation of the phasing out of carbed 2 strokes. It was a great concept on paper but OMC didn’t do enough testing, QC on the parts and engine management systems was less than optimal and ultimately caused the bankruptcy of OMC as you described. BRP purchased the OMC assets out of bankruptcy, fixed the engineering, electronics and QC issues. The engines were rebranded “Evinrude ETEC” around 2005.
Most of their outboard business was in the repowering market, particularly for older hulls (like my classic Whaler) that weren’t designed for the weight of the newer 4 strokes. The 3 cylinder 90 I put on my Whaler in 2012 was only 15 pounds heavier than the carbed 2 stroke it replaced and 95 pounds lighter than the Yamaha 90 4 stroke that year. Bain Capital became involved about 4 years ago, they were more interested in selling personal watercraft and snow machines than niche outboard motors apparently. Which leaves many of us with orphan engines unfortunately. Hopefully parts will continue to be available, mine is in fresh water and still looks brand new.
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