BRP kicked off its year-long 100th anniversary celebrations of the Evinrude brand at the Miami International Boat Show in February. In attendance at the Florida show were the grandchildren of the inventor of the first commercialized outboard engines: Tom and Sally Evinrude, children of Ralph Evinrude who, with his father Ole, lead the innovating outboard manufacturer. Among the guests were an important group of dealers, boat builders and distributors.
The founder, Ole Evinrude, was born Ole Evenrudstuen in Norway in 1877. His family immigrated to Wisconsin, and as an adult, Evinrude opened a pattern-making shop but built his own motor cars in his spare time. Inspiration came to him while rowing a boat on a hot day to get ice cream for his girlfriend. In 1900 he co-founded the custom engine firm Clemick and Evinrude, and in 1909 he invented the first practical and reliable outboard motor.
Ever since, the Evinrude name has been helping people spend more time enjoying their boating experience. Today's Evinrude E-TEC engines bring more power, better fuel efficiency and less maintenance to your boating experience. All this means more of what boaters want most: time on the water.
Evinrude E-TEC is one of the most environmentally friendly outboard motors in the world, receiving such accolades as the EPA Clean Air Technology Excellence Award as well as receiving authorization to be used on Lake Constance, the pristine waters bordering Switzerland, Austria and Germany. With Evinrude, boaters know their engine will maintain the condition of the waters they love.
E-TEC engines are sophisticated and simple, requiring no scheduled dealer maintenance for three years or 300 hours of normal recreational use. There are no belts or valves to adjust or replace, not even an oil change is needed. They also have less weight and more torque than four-stroke outboards, giving them faster acceleration and higher speeds. Two- stroke technology provides a power stroke every revolution instead of every other revolution like four-strokes do, providing the ultimate in boating power and performance.
These engines run exceptionally quiet and burn far less fuel than other outboard engines, thanks to a fully stratified combustion system coupled with an engine management module. Fuel reaches the exhaust port only after the port has closed, and twice as fast as traditional direct injection engines. This means the fuel charge never escapes the combustion chamber as it is burned and turned into pure power. The E-TEC system also senses when to change the delivery of fuel into the chamber, depending on engine needs, resulting in precision fuel flow and extreme fuel efficiency. The exclusive E-TEC oil system eliminates mixing oil and gas, and complete combustion in the chamber prevents any oil from escaping into the environment.
The 300HP Evinrude E-TEC
While celebrating at the Miami Boat Show, Evinrude took the opportunity to introduce a workhorse: the 300hp Evinrude E-TEC, the newest addition to the 2008 Evinrude E-TEC outboard engine line. The 300hp models, with new SLE Magnum gear case, offer the unique combination of industry-leading innovation, performance and ease-of-use all Evinrude E-TEC engines provide for power-hungry boaters. The 300hp Evinrude E-TEC engine carries the same three-year, 300-hour benefit of no dealer scheduled maintenance, consistent with all Evinrude E-TEC engines.
With 3.4 liters of displacement, the engine offers more torque, low-end power and top speed than similar competitive two- and four-stroke outboard engines. This additional power allows boaters to plane heavy loads and pull skiers, wakeboarders or tubers better than ever before.
Additional torque is particularly beneficial for boating in high altitude areas and hot climates.
The 300hp Evinrude E-TEC wraps a big block, two-stroke, direct injection power plant in a compact, lightweight design that provides more performance than competitive engines at the same horsepower. An amazing high-power-to-low-weight ratio provides a host of advantages including greater fuel efficiency, less draft for improved boat handling, faster boat planing and less stress on the structural integrity of the boat transom.
One of the biggest benefits of the unique Evinrude E-TEC technology is increased fuel economy and extended boating range. Performance testing has shown that the new 300hp engine can deliver as much as 35-40 percent improvement in fuel economy and 50 percent improvement in oil consumption when compared to traditional electronic fuel injection (EFI) models.
It also includes an all-new SLE Magnum high-performance gear case-the most durable V6 gear case BRP has ever made. Its hydrodynamic design increases speed and engine efficiency while providing superior control. A computer-designed leading edge reduces the chance of weeds wrapping around the housing that could compromise cooling and performance. Secondary water inlets, located at the nose of the gear case housing, provide improved cooling over a wider range of conditions. An innovative forward gear and bearing design increases strength and durability while movement and wear are greatly reduced with a new prop shaft bearing carrier.
The new 300hp Evinrude E-TEC engine is available in white 25- and 30-inch shaft models as well as counter-rotating models and carries BRP's unbeatable factory-backed three-year, non-declining warranty.
The 250HP H.O. BEAUTY
With 3.4 liters of displacement, the additional power and low weight of the 250hp High Output allows boaters to plane heavy loads, make faster hole shots and increase top speed on a variety of recreational boat applications.
Like all Evinrude E-TEC outboards, the 250 High Output is compact and lightweight-an amazing 128 pounds lighter than competitive engines at the same horsepower. With less weight comes improved fuel efficiency, less draft and improved boat handling, superior visibility while planing the boat quicker and less stress on the boat transom. The 250 H.O. advanced innovative features include the high-speed, nose cone Lightning gear case, manufactured from the toughest grade metals and alloys for increased strength and performance.
The 2008 Evinrude E-TEC lineup, including the 250 H.O. engine, will be on display in Italy and Australia this fall as well as the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, October 25-28, booth 2035. For more information on Evinrude visit www.evinrude.com.
