Engines: H.O.(T) Rod
Evinrude's new direct-injected 2-stroke engine has the "get up 'n' go," allowing you to get up and go places others wouldn't even dare.
by Alan Jones
After wearing yourself out on some hard-fighting XL jack crevalles and mangrove snapper, all you
want to do is take a break from fishing and go cruisin’ to let your muscles recuperate. And when
you have a toy at your disposal like Lake & Bay’s Boca Grande 20' — powered with Evinrude’s
newest king-of-the-hill power plant, the 250 H.O. (High Output) direct-injected 2-stroke — you can
air it out while you take an express tour of the waters surrounding Key West.
The first thing you notice when you crank up the 250 H.O. is that even when it’s cold, it
starts in about the time it takes to clear your throat, almost startling you with its willingness
to jump to attention. Within one revolution, the Engine Management Module (EMM) wakes up, the fuel
pump is activated, engine timing is determined, fuel is squirted into the combustion chamber, the
EMM directs an extra-powerful spark to the new iridium plugs, and the engine fires up. One nice
feature is that since the flywheel has a magneto, you can even pull-start it in the event your
battery goes dead. Another reason for the quick start is that the engine has a totally closed fuel
system that prevents fuel from contacting air, so fuel is already waiting in the lines to be pumped
through the engine’s fuel injectors into the combustion chamber. This setup has the added benefit
of keeping the fuel from going bad due to oxidation if you can’t get out to fish for a while. If
you have to store your boat for a prolonged period of time, winterization only takes a few minutes
and is automatically accomplished by the EMM through a sequence you can initiate from the helm
seat.
Jumping on plane in a couple of feet of water for the run back to the marina isn’t something
you can do in just any old rig. You need a svelte flats boat that’s been designed to give you
plenty of lift, is powered by an engine that has loads of torque, and is light enough that it won’t
make the transom squat. This is important because a squatting transom can bottom-out the lower
unit, tearing up the sea bottom in the process.
Trimming down the 250 and hammering the throttle results in “right-now” power that pushes the bow
over quickly as you get on plane in less than 3 seconds. Rocketing past 30 mph in around 6 seconds,
the 250 H.O. accelerates strong until you crack the 70 mph mark as the mangroves blur past you …
well, you really didn’t need that hat anyway. Unlike some boats that get a little “squirrely” when
going interstate-plus speeds, the Evinrude-powered Lake & Bay feels quite stable — although
very little of it is actually touching the water.
So what’s the difference between a standard E-TEC 250 and a 250 H.O.?
For starters, an estimated 25 additional horsepower — assuming it follows the trend of the
200 and 225 H.O. models, of which each “dyno-ed out” over the stamped horsepower. Until the advent
of the 250 H.O., the higher-horsepower E-TEC V6 family of engines has always used the 3.3L engine
block, which was also employed by the older Ficht models.
The 250 H.O. uses a larger 3.4L block, which is coincidentally the same platform for
the Evinrude 300 E-TEC that was displayed last fall at a Brazilian boat show, made its American
debut at the Miami Boat Show in February, and is now in production. This allows it the largest
displacement for V6 direct-injected 2-strokes — 13 percent more in the case of Mercury’s 250 Pro
XS. In addition to the extra 10 cubic inches of displacement, the 250 H.O. features a racing-style “
Lightning” gearcase that’s more hydrodynamic, and also features a 1.71:1 gear ratio that reduces
gear loading, giving them greater longevity — especially when you consider that the gears
themselves are manufactured from a higher grade of stainless steel.
Boats like the ultra-light, 950-pound Lake & Bay Boca Grande 20' are sensitive to weight
on the transom, and direct-injected 2-strokes are the preferred type of propulsion for this
application. The 20-inch-shaft, E-TEC 250 H.O. weighs 507 pounds — only 2 pounds heavier than the
Mercury OptiMax 250 XS — giving it the power-to-weight ratio necessary to ensure an optimum
hole-shot. The new E-TEC 300 weighs 528 pounds, in case you were wondering — which is only 13
pounds heavier than the 25-inch incarnation of the 250 H.O.
While flats boats are an obvious candidate for the E-TEC 250 H.O., it also makes an excellent
power plant for pontoons — as evidenced by a recent ride on Mona Lake in Muskegon, Mich., on a
high-performance Manitou SHO three-tube model during which the 250 H.O. pushes the pontoon to a top
speed that appears to be well past the 50-mph mark (since it was a prototype, Evinrude asked
writers not to do any performance tests). That’s a safe guess, though, since a similar Manitou is
tested with a smaller 225 H.O., and it reaches 50 mph. Its throttle response paired with the
Manitou’s superb handling makes a formidable match.
High noise levels have traditionally been an issue for the older 2-strokes, but engines like
the 250 H.O. have gone a long way toward changing that perception. Despite the fact that on the
Lake & Bay 20', you’re sitting very close to the engine (which doesn’t have the benefit of
being shrouded like a pontoon’s engine), the Evinrude is nonetheless surprisingly quiet. At idle it
registers 61 decibels, which includes some hull wave slap. Although slightly louder than its
4-stroke counterpart, the tone is a pleasant baritone that still allows for normal onboard
conversation to be possible. As you would expect, at wide-open throttle it has a higher pitch that
measures 97 decibels, but it also hits a pleasant high-performance note — and when it comes to
sound levels, perception is simply a huge factor.
Evinrude endeavors to take the hassle out of boat ownership with a maintenance schedule that
means you’ll only be seeing your local dealer’s service tech in the next three years if you invite
him to your backyard barbecue — assuming you use your boat 100 hours a year like the average
boater. This year, Evinrude is using an advanced Nagal honing process that’s more precise,
resulting in a crosshatched pattern that helps the cylinder wall retain oil like a seasoned skillet
for constant lubrication. Instead of taking the scattershot approach to lubrication that had been
done with older 2-strokes in the past, the E-TEC uses a precise multipoint oiling system that puts
lubrication right where you need it — allowing you to use up to half of the oil as other comparable
direct-injected 2-stokes when you select the synthetic setting and use Evinrude’s XD100 oil. The
E-TEC can even run without oil at 1200 RPM in “limp-home” mode. Like the older E-TECs, there’s no
break-in period necessary, so you’re good to go right out of the box.
As the marina comes within sight, an impromptu drag race breaks out with Redfish Tour
professional Bryan Holeman, who’s running an identical Lake & Bay 20-footer with an Evinrude
225 H.O. When the 250-equipped Boca Grande pulls steadily away from him — despite the disadvantage
of one more passenger — he breaks into an ear-to-ear grin. The reason he’s taking the loss so well
is that he’s planning on getting a 250 H.O. of his very own soon, which should put a smile on just
about anyone’s face.
Evinrude 250 H.O.
Test data was gathered on a Lake & Bay Boca Grande 20' with two passengers on board and a
full tank of fuel.
Engine Type: Direct-injected V6 2-stroke
Weight: 507 lbs. (20" shaft), 515 lbs. (25" shaft)
Displacement: 3.4 liters (210 c.i.)
Warranty: 3-year, non-declining
Price: $21,590
Top Speed: 71.7 mph
Time To Plane: 2.9 seconds
0-30 mph: 6.3 seconds
Decibels @ Idle: 61 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph: 91 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT: 97 dB-A
